A biography for Theresa Rebeckhasn’t been written yet.
“I have always worked consistently, even in small ways and even in smaller theaters where I'll do One Acts or something.”
“Denver's commitment to giving contemporary storytellers the stage is crucial to the American theater. That's something embraced by 'Smash.' We should be telling our own stories.”
“Everyone pays lip service to this whole idea of doing more new plays, and nobody ever does it.”
“In America, the average playwright makes less than a receptionist in a non-profit theatre. We don't have decent health insurance - or any health insurance at all.”
“A lot of times, I think people feel that new plays are suspect, and actually, I don't know where that came from. I completely disagree with it!”
“I think it goes without saying that young would-be playwrights in developmental workshops should be so lucky as to write plays as good as 'Waiting for Godot,' 'Uncle Vanya' or 'King Lear,' none of which would have existed without a decent plot.”
“Not so long ago, my feminist education taught me to ask the question, 'Is the gaze male?' The answer, apparently, is yes, which is why so many movies and television shows are about men and not women.”
“Why is being a female having an agenda any more than being a misogynist - which David Mamet most certainly is?”
“I was born and raised in the Midwest, where people were taught that decency and integrity and community were all important values. We were democrats with a little 'd.'”
“People kept saying, 'You've made it!' and I was like, 'What have I been doing all this time?' I've always felt successful.”
“I go to museums. I buy art, even. You should see my house; we don't have any wall space left.”
“I do believe that there are monsters out there - and that they are monsters.”
“There are so many people from many different classes and ways of life who converge in one space to make a musical.”
“When people tell me I'm a prolific writer, it's a nice thing to say. But I think to myself, 'Yeah, but I don't do anything else.'”
“Watching people toss all caution to the wind, who are ready to put their lives on the line for a dream, is something that is accessible.”
“I work hard. I like getting to the end of things. And I write my plays that way.”
“I have huge admiration for Jesus Christ and for his incredible compassion for all people.”
“Honestly, the thing that I have found to be most useful over a long career, or maintaining a long career, is taking back the power at some point and self-producing.”
“That stupid postmodern emphasis on image over content has slammed us right into a dramaturgy that willfully leaves the audience behind and then resents the fact that they don't 'get it.'”
“Is the American theatre allowing itself to become irrelevant? The problem isn't that playwrights aren't being paid enough. It's that theatres all over America are looking towards New York to tell them what new plays to do.”