--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know, on a sitcom, and in theatre…" description: "\"I don't know, on a sitcom, and in theatre especially, you have to really be listening to an audience. And if you're losing them, you can hear the sniff..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a97/neil-patrick-harris-2281_audience_i-don-t-know-on-a-sitcom-and-in-theatre_764568.png" --- # I don't know, on a sitcom, and in theatre especially, you… ![“I don't know, on a sitcom, and in theatre especially, you have to really be listening to an audience. And if you're losing them, you can hear the sniffs, and the playbills shuffling and whatnot.” quote by Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a97/neil-patrick-harris-2281_audience_i-don-t-know-on-a-sitcom-and-in-theatre_764568.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a97/neil-patrick-harris-2281_audience_i-don-t-know-on-a-sitcom-and-in-theatre_764568.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a97/neil-patrick-harris-2281_audience_i-don-t-know-on-a-sitcom-and-in-theatre_764568.png) > “I don't know, on a sitcom, and in theatre especially, you have to really be listening to an audience. And if you're losing them, you can hear the sniffs, and the playbills shuffling and whatnot.” [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective performance requires listening to audience cues and adapting in real time. **In simple terms:** Listen to audience for better performance. Key Takeaway Stay attentive, adjust on stage. Themes performance audience adaptation Mood analytical practical Type theatrical professional When to use this quote - theatre rehearsals - live comedy - improv workshops Key Concepts communication stagecraft Questions to Reflect On - How do you interpret subtle audience signals? - When have you changed a performance mid‑show? A Different Perspective Audience feedback can be ambiguous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-losing-5921985/) [Know Sitcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-sitcom-5921986/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [Listening Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening-audience-1489350/) [Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing/) [Shuffling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shuffling/) [Sitcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitcom/) [Sitcom Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitcom-theatre-5921984/) [Sniffs Playbills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sniffs-playbills-5921983/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I'm always making micro-adjustments onstage, listening to the audience, and what a crowd is like can be infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-green/i-m-always-making-micro-adjustments-onstage-listening-to-the-audience/) [Tom Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-green/) > [It was step by step that I earned my way into the lives and hearts of people by giving them recordings that I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionne-warwick/it-was-step-by-step-that-i-earned-my-way-into-the-lives-and-hearts-of/) [Dionne Warwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionne-warwick/) > [Listening to your own sets and listening to the audience as you perform. It's a conversation of sorts. There is an exchange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-alexandro/listening-to-your-own-sets-and-listening-to-the-audience-as-you/) [Ted Alexandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-alexandro/) > [The audience plays a huge part in how a piece will actually form. They really allow the performers to walk a tightrope in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-glennie/the-audience-plays-a-huge-part-in-how-a-piece-will-actually-form-they/) [Evelyn Glennie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-glennie/) > [We do have our finger on the pulse of the marketplace, if for no other reasons than having all these live events and listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-mcmahon/we-do-have-our-finger-on-the-pulse-of-the-marketplace-if-for-no-other/) [Vince McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-mcmahon/) > [Never stop listening to your audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/never-stop-listening-to-your-audience/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I'm listening to the audience. Too many people in Hollywood make what they want to see and not what we want to see. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-allen/i-m-listening-to-the-audience-too-many-people-in-hollywood-make-what/) [Byron Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-allen/) > [In addition to listening to the audience's laugh, you want to listen to their silence. Is it bored or interested silence? The silence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklyn-ajaye/in-addition-to-listening-to-the-audience-s-laugh-you-want-to-listen/) [Franklyn Ajaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklyn-ajaye/) > [In people's eyes, in the swing, tramp, and trudge; in the bellow and uproar; the carriages, motor cars, omnibuses, vans, sandwich men shuffling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/in-people-s-eyes-in-the-swing-tramp-and-trudge-in-the-bellow-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [They say the cure is about happiness, but I understand now that it isn't, and it never was. It's about fear: fear of pain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/they-say-the-cure-is-about-happiness-but-i-understand-now-that-it-isn/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Workable solutions for Earth are urgently needed. Saving seals and tigers, or fighting yet another oil pipeline through a wilderness area, while laudable, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-anthony/workable-solutions-for-earth-are-urgently-needed-saving-seals-and/) [Lawrence Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-anthony/) > [“Walking on a path of uncertainties, Shuffling on the probabilities of uncertainties, Waging on the possibilities of uncertainties, Waiting for the occurrences of uncertainties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pushpa-rana/walking-on-a-path-of-uncertainties-shuffling-on-the-probabilities-of/) [Pushpa Rana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pushpa-rana/) > [OK, boss, I don't mind shuffling, but I won't scratch my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-dee/ok-boss-i-don-t-mind-shuffling-but-i-won-t-scratch-my-head/) [Ruby Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-dee/) > [Frankenstein feels like an ancient tale, the kind of traditional story that appears in many other forms. It appeals to something very primal, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/frankenstein-feels-like-an-ancient-tale-the-kind-of-traditional-story/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [I found myself face to face with a long line of people resembling extras off the set of Night of the Living Dead: shuffling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-frank/i-found-myself-face-to-face-with-a-long-line-of-people-resembling/) [Joan Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-frank/) ## More by Neil Patrick Harris > [My favorite time to dance is at, like, wedding receptions, when it's all ages and everyone seems to be having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/my-favorite-time-to-dance-is-at-like-wedding-receptions-when-it-s-all/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [I pride myself in being able to straddle demographics, and if that was said as Barney Stinson, it would mean a little different thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/i-pride-myself-in-being-able-to-straddle-demographics-and-if-that-was/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [Paris is not so exciting and romantic when you’re jet lagged and alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/paris-is-not-so-exciting-and-romantic-when-you-re-jet-lagged-and-alone/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [I didn't want to go marching down the street with camera crews. Oy. To get married? Really? 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He wanted a family. He wanted to have friends. But none of those things were realistic. At least not until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/he-wanted-a-home-he-wanted-a-family-he-wanted-to-have-friends-but/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. Your genius will live on for generations to come...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/rest-in-peace-steve-jobs-your-genius-will-live-on-for-generations-to/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [Before babies, I worked very hard to make sure I understood my surroundings and figured out where I fit in the world, whether it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/before-babies-i-worked-very-hard-to-make-sure-i-understood-my/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [I often teach a graduate theater seminar on Greek tragedy in performance. I usually begin by saying that no matter what technological advances occur,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/i-often-teach-a-graduate-theater-seminar-on-greek-tragedy-in/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [Thankfully I've been quite lucky in my career, but it's always good to re-evaluate things and think about what else you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/thankfully-i-ve-been-quite-lucky-in-my-career-but-it-s-always-good-to/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [I think it has been a weird mistake to have people with their own music careers going on and judging people because when they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/i-think-it-has-been-a-weird-mistake-to-have-people-with-their-own/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [I have more artistic control in a smaller show. But it doesn't really matter. Sometimes you can have the smallest role in the smallest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/i-have-more-artistic-control-in-a-smaller-show-but-it-doesn-t-really/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [As I learned from chapters past, it's important to try and stay in the chapter that you're in, and enjoy it while it's lasting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/as-i-learned-from-chapters-past-it-s-important-to-try-and-stay-in-the/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) [Explore all 174 Neil Patrick Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. 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My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't know, on a sitcom, and in theatre especially, you have to really be listening to an audience. 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