They say you can't study Kabbalah until you are at least 40 years old. You know why? You have to have experienced at least one generation making the same mistakes as the previous one.
David MametRead
The subject of drama is The Lie. At the end of the drama THE TRUTH -- which has been overlooked, disregarded, scorned, and denied -- prevails. And that is how we know the Drama is done.
Interpretation
Drama reveals hidden truths through conflict and deception.
David Mamet's quote reflects the essence of drama as a narrative form that often revolves around lies, through which characters navigate conflict. Ultimately, the resolution of a drama comes when the overlooked, disregarded, or scorned truth emerges, signaling the conclusion of the story and allowing the audience to reflect on the deeper insights presented within the performance.
In practice
This quote can be a great discussion starter in a theater class about narrative structure.
They say you can't study Kabbalah until you are at least 40 years old. You know why? You have to have experienced at least one generation making the same mistakes as the previous one.
My alma mater is the Chicago Public Library. I got what little educational foundation I got in the third-floor reading room, under the tutelage of a Coca-Cola sign.
You know, young actors say all the time, 'Should I use my own life experience?' And my response is, 'What choice do you have?'
It's hard for a Jew of my generation, an American Jew, who is philo-Zionistic, not to romanticize Israel.
You can't write about history without writing about politics at some point. History is about movements of people. 'What is criminality and what is government' is a theme that runs through every history.
Every reiteration of the idea that nothing matters debases the human spirit.
Animation is about creating the illusion of life. And you can't create it if you don't have one.
People do not come to a Penn & Teller show to see a magic show. They just don't. They come to see weird stuff that they can see no place else, that will make them laugh and make the little hairs stand up on the backs of their necks.
I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing.
The reward of art is not fame or success but intoxication: that is why so many bad artists are unable to give it up.
Because of 'World War Z' and 'The Walking Dead,' I can't pitch a modest little zombie film which is meant to be sociopolitical.
I write my books at moments of shock. I meet people in extremis and their stories are highly emotionally charged.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.