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Unlike film and TV, theater is a luxury object, but one that ordinary middle-class people can still afford. Above all, it isn't a mass medium: Live theater is a small-scale, handmade art form. Intimacy is what makes it special.
Terry Teachout
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Theater is a unique and intimate art form that remains accessible to many despite being seen as a luxury.

Terry Teachout's quote emphasizes the distinctive qualities of live theater compared to film and television, highlighting its intimacy and craftsmanship. He notes that while theater may be perceived as a luxury, it is still an art form that ordinary middle-class individuals can enjoy, capturing the essence of artistic experience in a more personal and engaging way.

Themes

TheaterArtIntimacyLuxuryPerformanceLiveCraftsmanship

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the value of attending live performances versus movies, this quote can highlight the unique experience theater provides.

More from Terry Teachout

No translation can possibly be perfect. Every production and every performance is a different path up the mountain, and nobody ever makes it all the way to the summit.
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No, I don't know how to get young people to start listening to jazz again. But I do know this: Any symphony orchestra that thinks it can appeal to under-30 listeners by suggesting that they 'should' like Schubert and Stravinsky has already lost the battle.
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Century-old records are the closest thing we have to a time machine. To listen to the voice of Theodore Roosevelt or the piano playing of Claude Debussy is to feel the years falling away like autumn leaves from a maple tree.
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Just as most of us prefer to watch a trapeze artist work without a net, we like to be absolutely sure that a virtuoso is giving us our money's worth, and a seemingly effortless performance, no matter how spectacular it may be, deprives us of that slightly sadistic thrill.
Terry TeachoutRead

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