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About this quote

What does it mean?
Rehearsing a play brings the script to life; publishing it turns that living work back into a static text.
In plain terms
Rehearsal makes words alive; publishing makes them static again.
What can you take from it?
Performance animates text, while publication preserves it.

Where it applies

  • creative workshops
  • publishing decisions
  • theatre production

Putting it to work

  • value live rehearsal
  • consider timing of publication

Questions to consider

  • What is lost when a performance is recorded?
  • Can a text ever fully capture a live experience?

Another view

A published work can still inspire new performances.

More from Peter Shaffer

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