---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great fun of doing new plays is that…"
description: "\"The great fun of doing new plays is that people have no idea what's going to happen next. That goes quite soon, as people start talking about it, and t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/stephen-daldry-16978_fun_the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that_2160290.jpg"
---

#  The great fun of doing new plays is that people have no…

![“The great fun of doing new plays is that people have no idea what's going to happen next. That goes quite soon, as people start talking about it, and the only way you can keep hold of that is genuinely to keep changing it.” quote by Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/stephen-daldry-16978_fun_the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that_2160290.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/stephen-daldry-16978_fun_the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that_2160290.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/stephen-daldry-16978_fun_the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that_2160290.jpg)

> “The great fun of doing new plays is that people have no idea what's going to happen next. That goes quite soon, as people start talking about it, and the only way you can keep hold of that is genuinely to keep changing it.”

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The excitement of fresh storytelling lies in its unpredictability, which fades once people start speculating, so continual change preserves surprise.

**In simple terms:** New plays stay exciting when they keep changing.

Key Takeaway

Keep evolving the narrative to maintain intrigue.

Themes

creativity uncertainty storytelling

Mood

playful anticipatory

Type

inspirational creative

When to use this quote

- theatre production
- writing workshops
- creative brainstorming
- marketing campaigns

Key Concepts

narrative dynamics audience expectation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance surprise with coherence?
- What methods keep a story fresh?

A Different Perspective

If you reveal too much early, the surprise disappears.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/)

## Related quotes

> [One of the things that I'd like to get back to that I did as a younger actor was to work on, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gibson/one-of-the-things-that-i-d-like-to-get-back-to-that-i-did-as-a/)

[Thomas Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gibson/)

> [What Lou Tyrrell creates when he has a theater is a birthing center for new plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-horovitz/what-lou-tyrrell-creates-when-he-has-a-theater-is-a-birthing-center/)

[Israel Horovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-horovitz/)

> [I'd love to do some new plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hall/i-d-love-to-do-some-new-plays/)

[Edward Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hall/)

> [Despite the digital age, there is a very large number of venues and spaces that are looking for plays, and many of them are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/despite-the-digital-age-there-is-a-very-large-number-of-venues-and/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [I like having the script before I start. With new plays, you're constantly developing as you're doing it. It's really frightening. You don't quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-okonedo/i-like-having-the-script-before-i-start-with-new-plays-you-re/)

[Sophie Okonedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-okonedo/)

> [One of the tricks to writing great plays is to get people in a room together and not let them leave. You want the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rapp/one-of-the-tricks-to-writing-great-plays-is-to-get-people-in-a-room/)

[Adam Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rapp/)

> [I write plays for people who wouldn't be seen dead in the theatre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barrie-keeffe/i-write-plays-for-people-who-wouldn-t-be-seen-dead-in-the-theatre/)

Barrie Keeffe

> [You always have to lie. I've been in plays that people don't enjoy and I pray that they lie to my face when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/you-always-have-to-lie-i-ve-been-in-plays-that-people-don-t-enjoy-and/)

[Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/)

> [I started cooking in kitchens right out of high school, and I was lucky to work with a lot of great people, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-colicchio/i-started-cooking-in-kitchens-right-out-of-high-school-and-i-was/)

[Tom Colicchio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-colicchio/)

> [I would rather have 10 people working on a record that are really committed and believe in it and love it, than 50 people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-would-rather-have-10-people-working-on-a-record-that-are-really/)

[DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/)

> [When people see what I have now, they have no idea of where I came from and how I didn't have anything growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mayweather-jr/when-people-see-what-i-have-now-they-have-no-idea-of-where-i-came/)

[Floyd Mayweather, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mayweather-jr/)

> [ I'm sensitive about the criticism \[for not producing new playwrights\], yes. But I'm hip to it as well. I read 500 new plays a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-a-boyd/i-m-sensitive-about-the-criticism-for-not-producing-new-playwrights/)

[Gregory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-a-boyd/)

> [I thought I would spent my career doing Chekhov and Ibsen in regional theaters, so the fact that I started doing new plays was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeljko-ivanek/i-thought-i-would-spent-my-career-doing-chekhov-and-ibsen-in-regional/)

[Zeljko Ivanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeljko-ivanek/)

> [I was always the person in our class who was fascinated by new plays. I would go to the library all the time as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantello/i-was-always-the-person-in-our-class-who-was-fascinated-by-new-plays/)

[Joe Mantello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantello/)

> [The best thing about being nominated in a category like best new play is realizing there were enough new plays to make a category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/the-best-thing-about-being-nominated-in-a-category-like-best-new-play/)

[Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/)

## More by Stephen Daldry

> [In issues of recent ethnic wars and genocides - particularly if you look at Darfur - one of the most remarkable things is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/in-issues-of-recent-ethnic-wars-and-genocides-particularly-if-you/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [Every now and then I have to teach directing. The thing about the theatre is that the most important thing you can do as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/every-now-and-then-i-have-to-teach-directing-the-thing-about-the/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [When I got married, my mother was very surprised. She said: 'What on earth is going on? I thought you were gay?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/when-i-got-married-my-mother-was-very-surprised-she-said-what-on/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [I've never been to Hollywood. I can count the number of times I've been to Los Angeles on my hands. I've never made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-ve-never-been-to-hollywood-i-can-count-the-number-of-times-i-ve/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [Well, there are three different processes of making a film, of course. They're sort of re-written three times. You write it to start with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/well-there-are-three-different-processes-of-making-a-film-of-course/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [Most theater methodology is predicated on the idea of repeated actions. That's what you work toward. Having the actor repeat the same moment eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/most-theater-methodology-is-predicated-on-the-idea-of-repeated/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [I never want to make a film. I don't wake up in the morning going, 'Ooh, I'd really love to be on set making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-never-want-to-make-a-film-i-don-t-wake-up-in-the-morning-going-ooh/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [I am, in fact, Superman. Every morning I wake up and go into a telephone booth and change my costume, and then go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-am-in-fact-superman-every-morning-i-wake-up-and-go-into-a-telephone/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [Is it appropriate still for a German to have a gun? I only use that as an example of a country that's still deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/is-it-appropriate-still-for-a-german-to-have-a-gun-i-only-use-that-as/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [As soon as I know how to do something, I usually get bored with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/as-soon-as-i-know-how-to-do-something-i-usually-get-bored-with-it/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [I'm not really a director for hire. You read these scripts and go, 'This is a really great script, but Paul Greengrass would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-m-not-really-a-director-for-hire-you-read-these-scripts-and-go-this/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [I spent a little time in Germany as a schoolboy learning German, and it's a country I knew very well, spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-spent-a-little-time-in-germany-as-a-schoolboy-learning-german-and/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [There are a few writers that one has a relationship with that means, basically, you do whatever they say. One is Caryl Churchill, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/there-are-a-few-writers-that-one-has-a-relationship-with-that-means/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [Actually, to be honest, this is a useful time to not be knowing what I'll be doing in 2013 or 2014, because really, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/actually-to-be-honest-this-is-a-useful-time-to-not-be-knowing-what-i/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [With journalism, films always have to be to do with some personal statement of your own. As a general rule, I resist that. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/with-journalism-films-always-have-to-be-to-do-with-some-personal/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

[Explore all 38 Stephen Daldry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

## 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": "The great fun of doing new plays is that people have no idea what's going to happen next. That goes quite soon, as people start talking about it, and the only way you can keep hold of that is genuinely to keep changing it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Daldry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that-people-have-no-idea-what-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that-people-have-no-idea-what-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/stephen-daldry-16978_fun_the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that_2160290.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/stephen-daldry-16978_fun_the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that_2160290.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/stephen-daldry-16978_fun_the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that_2160290.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The great fun of doing new plays is that people have no idea what's going to happen next. That goes quite…” — Stephen Daldry",
                "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": "Stephen Daldry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The great fun of doing new...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that-people-have-no-idea-what-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/the-great-fun-of-doing-new-plays-is-that-people-have-no-idea-what-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
