--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Theater is the best. That's where you get…" description: "\"Theater is the best. That's where you get the work done. You just really get in there and figure something out about a story or a character or life or ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/michael-shannon-9158_actor_theater-is-the-best-that-s-where-you-get_187670.jpg" --- # Theater is the best. That's where you get the work done… ![“Theater is the best. That's where you get the work done. You just really get in there and figure something out about a story or a character or life or the world. That's where magic stuff happens.” quote by Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/michael-shannon-9158_actor_theater-is-the-best-that-s-where-you-get_187670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/michael-shannon-9158_actor_theater-is-the-best-that-s-where-you-get_187670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/michael-shannon-9158_actor_theater-is-the-best-that-s-where-you-get_187670.jpg) > “Theater is the best. That's where you get the work done. You just really get in there and figure something out about a story or a character or life or the world. That's where magic stuff happens.” [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Theatre provides a space where creators actively solve narrative problems, leading to breakthroughs. **In simple terms:** Theatre lets you work through story and character directly. Key Takeaway Engage deeply in live storytelling. Themes creativity collaboration problem solving Mood energetic focused Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - rehearsal - directing - acting - writing - live performance Key Concepts dramatic process improvisation character development Questions to Reflect On - How does live collaboration differ from solitary writing? - What magic have you witnessed on stage? A Different Perspective Theatre's intensity can be overwhelming for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [This is the theater. And this is the best place for the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-morrison/this-is-the-theater-and-this-is-the-best-place-for-the-imagination/) [Matthew Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-morrison/) > [I've graced almost every stage in N.Y., from Webster Hall to Gramercy Theater to Best Buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machine-gun-kelly/i-ve-graced-almost-every-stage-in-n-y-from-webster-hall-to-gramercy/) [Machine Gun Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machine-gun-kelly/) > [Do some work in the theater if you can. It is the best training you can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-mills/do-some-work-in-the-theater-if-you-can-it-is-the-best-training-you/) [Juliet Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-mills/) > [I invented magic stuff; it came very easily. Now, I sucked at everything else, but I was good at magic as a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-invented-magic-stuff-it-came-very-easily-now-i-sucked-at-everything/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [If you want to talk about magic, the stuff that blows me away is the stuff that's done close up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/if-you-want-to-talk-about-magic-the-stuff-that-blows-me-away-is-the/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [“All the comics are sigils. "Sigil" as a word is out of date. All this magic stuff needs new terminology because it's not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/all-the-comics-are-sigils-sigil-as-a-word-is-out-of-date-all-this/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [There are some great actors I don't want to meet because I don't want to know how they did it. I don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-friend/there-are-some-great-actors-i-don-t-want-to-meet-because-i-don-t-want/) [Rupert Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-friend/) > [I love magic. Like, 'pull a scarf out of your fake thumb' magic. I have a legit bag of 'Magic Stuff' in my garage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grammer/i-love-magic-like-pull-a-scarf-out-of-your-fake-thumb-magic-i-have-a/) [Andy Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grammer/) > [“With intellectual curiosity the world will always be full of magic and wonder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-intellectual-curiosity-the-world-will-always-be-full-of-magic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The world was all magic, and he had a special bottle of it in his right hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-steig/the-world-was-all-magic-and-he-had-a-special-bottle-of-it-in-his/) [William Steig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-steig/) > [The world is its own magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-world-is-its-own-magic/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [You build up a world of magic, because your real life is tragic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-build-up-a-world-of-magic-because-your-real-life-is-tragic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let the people discover you! You might have the key of the locked doors in their lives! Open yourself to the world; you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/let-the-people-discover-you-you-might-have-the-key-of-the-locked/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Science is taking over magic's place in the world, and magic is fighting back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-walker/science-is-taking-over-magic-s-place-in-the-world-and-magic-is/) Steven Walker > [“That was the hardest part of being plunged into a world where magic is possible. It made you wonder if everything was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-schwab/that-was-the-hardest-part-of-being-plunged-into-a-world-where-magic/) [V.E. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-schwab/) ## More by Michael Shannon > [I like to play characters that get to do it all - to have a bit of comedy here and a bit of pathos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/i-like-to-play-characters-that-get-to-do-it-all-to-have-a-bit-of/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [A lot of times people will send me stuff. They will find something and they will send it to me and then I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/a-lot-of-times-people-will-send-me-stuff-they-will-find-something-and/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [The most fascinating part of movies is the organism of the movie - it's such a bizarre thing to do, to make a movie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/the-most-fascinating-part-of-movies-is-the-organism-of-the-movie-it-s/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [One of the reasons I got into acting to begin with is that I was trying to figure out how life worked. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/one-of-the-reasons-i-got-into-acting-to-begin-with-is-that-i-was/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [I've never worried about anything in my life a fraction of the way I worry about my daughter. It's much more than hoping people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/i-ve-never-worried-about-anything-in-my-life-a-fraction-of-the-way-i/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [A lot of times the characters I play tend to be kind of loners or they don't have best friends or best buddies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/a-lot-of-times-the-characters-i-play-tend-to-be-kind-of-loners-or/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [The stage is a routine. It keeps you grounded, like a metronome. I find that soothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/the-stage-is-a-routine-it-keeps-you-grounded-like-a-metronome-i-find/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [If you are going to be on TV for however many years, you want to make sure that you have writers that are giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/if-you-are-going-to-be-on-tv-for-however-many-years-you-want-to-make/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [I've always been happy just to be working. It doesn't really matter for me how many people are familiar with my name or my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/i-ve-always-been-happy-just-to-be-working-it-doesn-t-really-matter/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [When you see a struggle that you may be having personally put on a big screen and in a roomful of people, then it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/when-you-see-a-struggle-that-you-may-be-having-personally-put-on-a/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [I certainly don't want to have too many pre-conceived notions before I show up because then you might be cutting yourself off from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/i-certainly-don-t-want-to-have-too-many-pre-conceived-notions-before/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [I never went into acting to be able to scare everybody. If I'd wanted to frighten people, I could have joined the C.I.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/i-never-went-into-acting-to-be-able-to-scare-everybody-if-i-d-wanted/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [Everybodys constantly being destroyed and rebuilding themselves, some more drastically than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/everybodys-constantly-being-destroyed-and-rebuilding-themselves-some/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [If you are only getting two takes and you are on a crazy set where there is a lot of noise and distractions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/if-you-are-only-getting-two-takes-and-you-are-on-a-crazy-set-where/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [There's nothing routine about 'Boardwalk Empire.' It's like being in some secret society where they call you up and tell you where to go:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/there-s-nothing-routine-about-boardwalk-empire-it-s-like-being-in/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) [Explore all 75 Michael Shannon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Theater is the best. That's where you get the work done. You just really get in there and figure something out about a story or a character or life or the world. 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