Diane Paulus

“The musical theater is a glorious and distinctly American innovation in the history of theater.”

“Theatre and opera were always the twin kingdoms that I felt I had to conquer, because they were my parents' favorites.”

“It's freeing to not be caught up in your own personal baggage.”

“I'm always interested in working with people who are good team players - that are selfless that way in their interests and dedication to the project.”

“I grew up with a beautiful gold harp sitting in our living room. My older sister played it.”

“I give so much of myself to my work; I want to be with people who are going to be there with me.”

“When you're a freelance director, you are hired to create the art, and it kind of stops there.”

“I'm sorry, but to ask an audience these days to invest three hours in a show requires your heroine be an understandable and fully rounded character.”

“Politics, to a degree, is about legislation, administration. You can't be there in the trenches.”

“I've gotten to the point that I don't even know what tomorrow brings. When I'm teaching, obviously I'm in town for the class every week.”

“I don't want to be in an art bubble.”

“I'm always interested in looking - historically - at how theater can animate history and how all of that can make us engage with our lives in an enriching way.”

“I am always looking for what piece, what artists, what playwrights, what directors, what subject matter is going to catalyze an audience.”

“You have to think about why you're asking an audience to come to the theater. It's not that they should come because it's good for them, because it's the vegetables that they should eat and the culture shot that they should get... It's about experience and building community and catalyzing dialogue and bringing people together.”

“I think actually what keeps the intensity manageable - it's a little counterintuitive - is that it's changing all the time. Every week is different for me.”