--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are opening a play, a play that's…" description: "\"If you are opening a play, a play that's really about something, a play that's really about ideas, you have to find a way to sell that play.\" — Norbert..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/norbert-leo-butz-22239_find_if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s_1570990.jpg" --- # If you are opening a play, a play that's really about… ![“If you are opening a play, a play that's really about something, a play that's really about ideas, you have to find a way to sell that play.” quote by Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/norbert-leo-butz-22239_find_if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s_1570990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/norbert-leo-butz-22239_find_if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s_1570990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/norbert-leo-butz-22239_find_if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s_1570990.jpg) > “If you are opening a play, a play that's really about something, a play that's really about ideas, you have to find a way to sell that play.” [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. To successfully stage a meaningful play, one must market its ideas effectively to attract audiences. **In simple terms:** Selling the play’s ideas is essential for success. Key Takeaway Focus on clear, compelling messaging. Themes theatre marketing artistic integrity Mood inspirational practical Type theatrical marketing When to use this quote - theatre production - fundraising - publicity campaigns Key Concepts audience engagement storytelling branding Questions to Reflect On - How can creators balance art and commerce? - What strategies best convey a play’s core ideas? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on marketing may dilute artistic vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Opening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opening/) [Opening Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opening-play-767395/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-play/) [Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell/) [Sell Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell-play-5914053/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-sell-499472/) ## Related quotes > [One of the objectives of opening play is to try to surprise your opponent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmar-mednis/one-of-the-objectives-of-opening-play-is-to-try-to-surprise-your/) [Edmar Mednis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmar-mednis/) > [Best way to sell something: don't sell anything. Earn the awareness, respect and trust of those who might buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-belfort/best-way-to-sell-something-don-t-sell-anything-earn-the-awareness/) [Jordan Belfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-belfort/) > [I have actor's dreams where I am opening a play and know neither the lines nor the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-lipman/i-have-actor-s-dreams-where-i-am-opening-a-play-and-know-neither-the/) [Maureen Lipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-lipman/) > [My priority doesn't lie with the whole website and Facebook and such; I'm still walking down the road in a pair of real shoes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbert/my-priority-doesn-t-lie-with-the-whole-website-and-facebook-and-such/) [Steve Forbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbert/) > [Opening a play is just tough. The idea that actors are weirdly protected from it is a myth. If you imagine yourself having to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/opening-a-play-is-just-tough-the-idea-that-actors-are-weirdly/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [The best way to sell your company for a lot of money is to have a good company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-kan/the-best-way-to-sell-your-company-for-a-lot-of-money-is-to-have-a/) [Justin Kan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-kan/) > [I think the best way to sell a made-up character is to plant his feet into the real earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/i-think-the-best-way-to-sell-a-made-up-character-is-to-plant-his-feet/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [They sell us the President the same way they sell us our clothes and cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-browne/they-sell-us-the-president-the-same-way-they-sell-us-our-clothes-and/) [Jackson Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-browne/) > [The best way to sell yourself to others is first to sell the others to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-best-way-to-sell-yourself-to-others-is-first-to-sell-the-others-2/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One way to sell a consumer something in the future is simply to get his or her permission in advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/one-way-to-sell-a-consumer-something-in-the-future-is-simply-to-get/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I always knew that content was the best way to sell things, but my thing was, why sell other people's stuff if I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-dash/i-always-knew-that-content-was-the-best-way-to-sell-things-but-my/) [Damon Dash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-dash/) > [“play stages: parallel (“I play this while you play that”), cooperative or crossover (“If we use your bricks and mine we can build a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-m-ross/play-stages-parallel-i-play-this-while-you-play-that-cooperative-or/) [Lisa M. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-m-ross/) > [I just always been if I could play, I could play. That's kind of how I was brought up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gardner-minshew/i-just-always-been-if-i-could-play-i-could-play-that-s-kind-of-how-i/) [Gardner Minshew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gardner-minshew/) > [I have to continue to train hard and when I have time to play I have to play well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willian/i-have-to-continue-to-train-hard-and-when-i-have-time-to-play-i-have/) [Willian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willian/) > [There is a vast difference between games and play. Play is played for fun, but games are deadly serious and you do not play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-baring/there-is-a-vast-difference-between-games-and-play-play-is-played-for/) [Maurice Baring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-baring/) ## More by Norbert Leo Butz > [I love it when people take contemporary songs and find a narrative or a theatrical way of telling it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-love-it-when-people-take-contemporary-songs-and-find-a-narrative-or/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [I remember really getting into 'The Wiz' and an old musical called 'Purlie,' which Melba Moore sang. I liked those roof-raising shows because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-remember-really-getting-into-the-wiz-and-an-old-musical-called/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [Something about being surrounded by water has a really calming effect on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/something-about-being-surrounded-by-water-has-a-really-calming-effect/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [I was in the original cast of 'Wicked', and that got a bad review in 'The New York Times,' and it's the most successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-was-in-the-original-cast-of-wicked-and-that-got-a-bad-review-in-the/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [If you individualize an audience, it helps up the stakes of your responsibility to that audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/if-you-individualize-an-audience-it-helps-up-the-stakes-of-your/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [I always loved soul music. My dad was a very religious guy, and we would listen to a lot of gospel and soul music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-always-loved-soul-music-my-dad-was-a-very-religious-guy-and-we/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [I am the most successful unsuccessful actor in New York. And I guess with that, maybe apparent only to myself, there started to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-am-the-most-successful-unsuccessful-actor-in-new-york-and-i-guess/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [I actually have seven brothers in real life, and we're all very close in age. We basically go no more than two years between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-actually-have-seven-brothers-in-real-life-and-we-re-all-very-close/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [In the play we have the messy he-loves-her, she-loves-him, she-loves-him-too structure, and, to add even more confusion to the mix, the real love story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/in-the-play-we-have-the-messy-he-loves-her-she-loves-him-she-loves/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [Sometimes, you don't know what's going to happen to your character until the night before you shoot the scene. So, sometimes, you get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/sometimes-you-don-t-know-what-s-going-to-happen-to-your-character/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [Sam Shepard is - I didn't tell this to Sammy, but if I had to point to one artist that made me want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/sam-shepard-is-i-didn-t-tell-this-to-sammy-but-if-i-had-to-point-to/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [I've never seen 'Mad Men.' I've never seen 'Breaking Bad.' I've never seen 'The Sopranos.' These sort of seminal shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-ve-never-seen-mad-men-i-ve-never-seen-breaking-bad-i-ve-never-seen/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [I'm a pretty avid reader, but I missed feminism in college. I did take an intro course where I read Mary Wollstonecraft, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-m-a-pretty-avid-reader-but-i-missed-feminism-in-college-i-did-take/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [I have 10 brothers and sisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-have-10-brothers-and-sisters/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [Most of my work in New York has been on new musicals. And all through the preview process, they throw you new songs, new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/most-of-my-work-in-new-york-has-been-on-new-musicals-and-all-through/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) [Explore all 28 Norbert Leo Butz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) ## 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. 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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. 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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": "If you are opening a play, a play that's really about something, a play that's really about ideas, you have to find a way to sell that play.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norbert Leo Butz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s-really-about-something-a-play/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s-really-about-something-a-play/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/norbert-leo-butz-22239_find_if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s_1570990.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/norbert-leo-butz-22239_find_if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s_1570990.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/norbert-leo-butz-22239_find_if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s_1570990.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are opening a play, a play that's really about something, a play that's really about ideas, you have…” — Norbert Leo Butz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Norbert Leo Butz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you are opening a play,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s-really-about-something-a-play/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/if-you-are-opening-a-play-a-play-that-s-really-about-something-a-play/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```