--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A theater person should know what holds…" description: "\"A theater person should know what holds an audience and what does not.\" — Robert Ludlum" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/robert-ludlum-12958_actor_a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds_682607.jpg" --- # A theater person should know what holds an audience and… ![“A theater person should know what holds an audience and what does not.” quote by Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/robert-ludlum-12958_actor_a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds_682607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/robert-ludlum-12958_actor_a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds_682607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/robert-ludlum-12958_actor_a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds_682607.jpg) > “A theater person should know what holds an audience and what does not.” [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding audience engagement is essential for effective theater; knowing what captivates versus what fails. **In simple terms:** Know what draws and what doesn’t. Key Takeaway Focus on elements that truly engage. Themes theater audience engagement performance storytelling Mood curious analytical Type observational practical When to use this quote - playwriting - directing - acting - stage design - marketing Key Concepts psychology attention emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - How do you test what holds attention? - What cues signal disengagement? A Different Perspective Audience tastes vary; what works for one may alienate another. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [The performer who does the unexpected is the one who catches and holds his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soupy-sales/the-performer-who-does-the-unexpected-is-the-one-who-catches-and/) [Soupy Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soupy-sales/) > [I was a theater kid in high school, but I also went to parties. Usually in movies, there's the jock and the theater person.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-gordon/i-was-a-theater-kid-in-high-school-but-i-also-went-to-parties-usually/) [Molly Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-gordon/) > [And for me I think I was originally a theater person, a producer/director/actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-walton-hamilton/and-for-me-i-think-i-was-originally-a-theater-person-a-producer/) [Emma Walton Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-walton-hamilton/) > [Did I become a theater person right then, sitting in the Imperial Theater, waiting for the high piccolo note at the start of 'Pippin'?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hanff-korelitz/did-i-become-a-theater-person-right-then-sitting-in-the-imperial/) [Jean Hanff Korelitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hanff-korelitz/) > [Some of the things that happened at theater camp, you would tell somebody and they would never believe. But if you're a theater person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-gordon/some-of-the-things-that-happened-at-theater-camp-you-would-tell/) [Molly Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-gordon/) > [My first wife was a theater person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmet-ertegun/my-first-wife-was-a-theater-person/) [Ahmet Ertegun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmet-ertegun/) > [I would like to have won a Tony, I guess, because I have always thought of myself as a theater person. But I've won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-schwartz/i-would-like-to-have-won-a-tony-i-guess-because-i-have-always-thought/) [Stephen Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-schwartz/) > [I was mainly known as a theater person, and they were always considered a little strange. But I did have a lot of friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-bearse/i-was-mainly-known-as-a-theater-person-and-they-were-always/) [Amanda Bearse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-bearse/) > [I see myself as not a typical theater person, but a person who uses the theater as a place to meet people and explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-see-myself-as-not-a-typical-theater-person-but-a-person-who-uses/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I really am a theater person. That means you put something out there, and you let it go. Tomorrow night is a new performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/i-really-am-a-theater-person-that-means-you-put-something-out-there/) [Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/) > [Having been a theater person first, you have the whole character, and you see the arc of the character in a play. And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-leland/having-been-a-theater-person-first-you-have-the-whole-character-and/) [Brad Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-leland/) > [And Paul Moravec, not being a theater person, would always trust me when I said things that I am like, "you're going to need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-teachout/and-paul-moravec-not-being-a-theater-person-would-always-trust-me/) [Terry Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-teachout/) > [A lot of my traditional audience does not appreciate my foray into politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/a-lot-of-my-traditional-audience-does-not-appreciate-my-foray-into/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I don't believe in making those high-brow films that the audience does not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/i-don-t-believe-in-making-those-high-brow-films-that-the-audience/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [The audience does not want to watch the same show for three years or more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiten-tejwani/the-audience-does-not-want-to-watch-the-same-show-for-three-years-or/) [Hiten Tejwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiten-tejwani/) ## More by Robert Ludlum > [I see things and I hear things I do not understand. I'm a skilled, resourceful... vegetable!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/i-see-things-and-i-hear-things-i-do-not-understand-i-m-a-skilled/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [Blessed are the flexible for they will not allow themselves to become bent out of shape!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/blessed-are-the-flexible-for-they-will-not-allow-themselves-to-become/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [I try as best I can to enter the realm of nuances of human behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/i-try-as-best-i-can-to-enter-the-realm-of-nuances-of-human-behavior/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [“he'd long ago accepted the fact that berlin more than suspected him. in a way it was his protection; he'd by no means won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/he-d-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-berlin-more-than-suspected-him/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [A man's weaknesses may intrude on his faith but they do not diminish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/a-man-s-weaknesses-may-intrude-on-his-faith-but-they-do-not-diminish/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [“Before taking her into the library, my wife told me she was an old friend in a marriage crisis. A fatuous lie; at her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/before-taking-her-into-the-library-my-wife-told-me-she-was-an-old/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [Perhaps conscience did not always produce cowards. Sometimes it made a man feel better about himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/perhaps-conscience-did-not-always-produce-cowards-sometimes-it-made-a/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [What a man can't remember doesn't exist for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/what-a-man-can-t-remember-doesn-t-exist-for-him/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [“Two people were not one,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/two-people-were-not-one/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [Greater economic power will be in the hands of too few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/greater-economic-power-will-be-in-the-hands-of-too-few/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [The success of any trap lies in its fundamental simplicity. The reverse trap by the nature of its single complication must be swift and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/the-success-of-any-trap-lies-in-its-fundamental-simplicity-the/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [“I loathe him. He stands for everything I hate in Washington. The right schools, houses in Georgetown, farms in Virginia, quiet meetings at their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/i-loathe-him-he-stands-for-everything-i-hate-in-washington-the-right/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [How gratifying to be there when arrogance collapses. How much more so to be the instrument. (Alfred Gillette)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/how-gratifying-to-be-there-when-arrogance-collapses-how-much-more-so/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [“You're on tenth base, I can't find you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/you-re-on-tenth-base-i-can-t-find-you/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [Credo quia absurdum – I believe because it is absurd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/credo-quia-absurdum-i-believe-because-it-is-absurd/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) [Explore all 52 Robert Ludlum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) ## 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": "A theater person should know what holds an audience and what does not.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Ludlum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds-an-audience-and-what-does-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds-an-audience-and-what-does-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/robert-ludlum-12958_actor_a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds_682607.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/robert-ludlum-12958_actor_a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds_682607.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/robert-ludlum-12958_actor_a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds_682607.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A theater person should know what holds an audience and what does not.” — Robert Ludlum", "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": "Robert Ludlum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A theater person should know what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds-an-audience-and-what-does-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/a-theater-person-should-know-what-holds-an-audience-and-what-does-not/#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 } } ] } ```