--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A great opera house isn't run by a…" description: "\"A great opera house isn't run by a director, but by a great administrator.\" — Steven Berkoff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/steven-berkoff-12978_administrator_a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-direc_326695.png" --- # A great opera house isn't run by a director, but by a… ![“A great opera house isn't run by a director, but by a great administrator.” quote by Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/steven-berkoff-12978_administrator_a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-direc_326695.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/steven-berkoff-12978_administrator_a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-direc_326695.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/steven-berkoff-12978_administrator_a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-direc_326695.png) > “A great opera house isn't run by a director, but by a great administrator.” [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective leadership in complex productions relies on organizational skill more than artistic direction. **In simple terms:** Good management matters more than artistic vision. Key Takeaway Prioritize strong administration. Themes leadership management theatre Mood analytical pragmatic Type advice observational When to use this quote - running a theatre - producing a concert - managing a large event Key Concepts organizational theory operatic production Questions to Reflect On - How does administration shape artistic outcomes? - What skills make a great administrator? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administrator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administrator/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Opera house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera-house/) ## Related quotes > [Cathedrals are built with pennies of the faithful. A great opera house also is a spiritual center, a temple of sorts, where many gather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-robson-belmont/cathedrals-are-built-with-pennies-of-the-faithful-a-great-opera-house/) [Eleanor Robson Belmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-robson-belmont/) > [For me, few things are more compelling than watching a great opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rubenstein/for-me-few-things-are-more-compelling-than-watching-a-great-opera/) [David Rubenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rubenstein/) > [Is as if the music is another character or as if it was a part of this great opera. I also through about this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/is-as-if-the-music-is-another-character-or-as-if-it-was-a-part-of/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [I'd love to do 'Werther.' It's a great opera, and the music's so beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-costello/i-d-love-to-do-werther-it-s-a-great-opera-and-the-music-s-so-beautiful/) [Stephen Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-costello/) > [The great opera composers were so good at their job, that the whole genre came to be built around the concept of the composer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-copeland/the-great-opera-composers-were-so-good-at-their-job-that-the-whole/) [Stewart Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-copeland/) > [ \[Rock 'n' roll\] is still a primitive form and there's no way you can get away from that. It's one of the primitive art… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/rock-n-roll-is-still-a-primitive-form-and-there-s-no-way-you-can-get/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [The number of opera houses around the world and the high attendance rates show that opera an art form that is more popular than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-beresford/the-number-of-opera-houses-around-the-world-and-the-high-attendance/) [Bruce Beresford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-beresford/) > [I performed in Sydney some years ago for the Sydney Festival and I am just so pleased to be returning to the wonderful Sydney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-garrett/i-performed-in-sydney-some-years-ago-for-the-sydney-festival-and-i-am/) [Lesley Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-garrett/) > [One of our books has been made into a musical, 'The Great American Mousical,' which I directed at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/one-of-our-books-has-been-made-into-a-musical-the-great-american/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [Americans, they have an incredible operatic tradition: the Metropolitan Opera House is - if not the most prestigious - one of the most prestigious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-carreras/americans-they-have-an-incredible-operatic-tradition-the-metropolitan/) [Jose Carreras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-carreras/) > [I'd want to play the Sydney Opera House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/i-d-want-to-play-the-sydney-opera-house/) [Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/) > [Rock pools, so-named because they have been hammered out of rocks at the ocean's edge, are one of Sydney's defining characteristics, along with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-bonner/rock-pools-so-named-because-they-have-been-hammered-out-of-rocks-at/) [Raymond Bonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-bonner/) > [Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/every-orchestra-i-know-every-opera-house-i-know-is-desperately/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [I hear what people have said about what they want to see the Opera House used for and what they don't want to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/i-hear-what-people-have-said-about-what-they-want-to-see-the-opera/) [Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/) > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) ## More by Steven Berkoff > [I liked Stanley Kubrick from the start. He had a warm, benign nature and offered himself to you as a friend and ally. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/i-liked-stanley-kubrick-from-the-start-he-had-a-warm-benign-nature/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [Technology is the devil, and the more technology you have, the higher the price you pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/technology-is-the-devil-and-the-more-technology-you-have-the-higher/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [After watching my poor mother being sometimes neglected by my father, it was almost tattooed on my brain that I would never cause hardship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/after-watching-my-poor-mother-being-sometimes-neglected-by-my-father/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [During the Second World War, we lived in a flat on Whitechapel Road in the East End of London. At one point during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/during-the-second-world-war-we-lived-in-a-flat-on-whitechapel-road-in/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [Most American films have now become mindless. The human element has been removed, so you are just left with the surrogate human, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/most-american-films-have-now-become-mindless-the-human-element-has/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [When I started studying acting, I was enamoured of actors who used movement to enhance the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/when-i-started-studying-acting-i-was-enamoured-of-actors-who-used/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [As a child, you only think of the now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/as-a-child-you-only-think-of-the-now/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [The great actors we had came from the actor-manager theaters. Not only did they create a team, they were the generals working with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/the-great-actors-we-had-came-from-the-actor-manager-theaters-not-only/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [When I ascended from the depths of the working class to the middle class, the higher I got, the more dishonesty I found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/when-i-ascended-from-the-depths-of-the-working-class-to-the-middle/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [I'm very resistant to most forms of theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/i-m-very-resistant-to-most-forms-of-theater/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [My mother was almost entirely responsible for my cultural education. She took me to the library once a week, and by the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/my-mother-was-almost-entirely-responsible-for-my-cultural-education/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [Writing is an antidote for loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/writing-is-an-antidote-for-loneliness/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [When I was young, I was shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/when-i-was-young-i-was-shy/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [Transgender casting is a kind of literalism. It is the same with racial casting. This means that you can now only play Othello if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/transgender-casting-is-a-kind-of-literalism-it-is-the-same-with/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) > [You are treated like a cog in a machine. The director might be obsessing so much with the stunts that he doesn't notice your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/you-are-treated-like-a-cog-in-a-machine-the-director-might-be/) [Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) [Explore all 52 Steven Berkoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/) ## More Administrator quotes > [Not having an administrator sends the wrong message to the airline industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-cantwell/not-having-an-administrator-sends-the-wrong-message-to-the-airline/) [Maria Cantwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-cantwell/) > [I am not the governor, administrator or chief minister, who can issue instructions to bring about changes. I can only advise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirron-kher/i-am-not-the-governor-administrator-or-chief-minister-who-can-issue/) [Kirron Kher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirron-kher/) > [“Network Administrator or the individual responsible for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amazon/network-administrator-or-the-individual-responsible-for/) Amazon > [The key things I learned as a hospital administrator are to be organized, communicate, and be flexible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-mazzara/the-key-things-i-learned-as-a-hospital-administrator-are-to-be/) [Glen Mazzara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-mazzara/) > [What happens with smaller businesses is that they give in to the misconception that their site is secure because the system administrator deployed standard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/what-happens-with-smaller-businesses-is-that-they-give-in-to-the/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [“Everyone’s the lead in their own story, Administrator. Some roles are bigger, some smaller, but none are more important, understand?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildbow/everyone-s-the-lead-in-their-own-story-administrator-some-roles-are/) wildbow > [In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, I sent a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen L Johnson urging him to waive regulations to allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ney/in-the-immediate-aftermath-of-the-hurricane-i-sent-a-letter-to-epa/) [Bob Ney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ney/) > [Right after graduation, I married Samuel Fisher Babbitt, an academic administrator. I spent the next ten years in Connecticut, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., raising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-babbitt/right-after-graduation-i-married-samuel-fisher-babbitt-an-academic/) [Natalie Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-babbitt/) > [Sourav was a great cricketer, he performed on the field, would like to see him perform off the field as a cricket administrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/sourav-was-a-great-cricketer-he-performed-on-the-field-would-like-to/) [Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/) > [An administrator in a bureaucratic world is a man who can feel big by merging his non-entity in an abstraction. A real person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/an-administrator-in-a-bureaucratic-world-is-a-man-who-can-feel-big-by/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [My hacking was all about becoming the best at circumventing security. So when I was a fugitive, I worked systems administrator jobs to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/my-hacking-was-all-about-becoming-the-best-at-circumventing-security/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [At the time it seriously troubled me, but in drafting me as Marshall Plan Administrator, President Truman did as great a favor for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/at-the-time-it-seriously-troubled-me-but-in-drafting-me-as-marshall/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [One of the degrees I have is in business, and I was a healthcare administrator that ran a 365-bed skilled nursing facility for years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-draiman/one-of-the-degrees-i-have-is-in-business-and-i-was-a-healthcare/) [David Draiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-draiman/) > [There is no reason why EPA's role should ebb and flow based on a particular administration or a particular administrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/there-is-no-reason-why-epa-s-role-should-ebb-and-flow-based-on-a/) [Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/) > [I parted ways with the Congress, a party that I served for so many years, because its leadership constantly humiliated me by ignoring my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satpal-maharaj/i-parted-ways-with-the-congress-a-party-that-i-served-for-so-many/) Satpal Maharaj [Browse all 23 Administrator quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administrator/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A great opera house isn't run by a director, but by a great administrator.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Berkoff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-director-but-by-a-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Administrator" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-director-but-by-a-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/steven-berkoff-12978_administrator_a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-direc_326695.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/steven-berkoff-12978_administrator_a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-direc_326695.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/steven-berkoff-12978_administrator_a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-direc_326695.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A great opera house isn't run by a director, but by a great administrator.” — Steven Berkoff", "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": "Steven Berkoff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A great opera house isn't run...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-director-but-by-a-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/a-great-opera-house-isn-t-run-by-a-director-but-by-a-great/#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 } } ] } ```