"Because even at the age of fifteen, I used to go see all the Broadway shows and feel that they were sentimental, that they were pandering to the audience and trying to manipulate the audience. I had no use for practically any of the shows that were hits"
About this Quote
The intent is both aesthetic and ethical. He wants art that doesn’t flatter the crowd into comfort, doesn’t resolve into applause-ready catharsis, doesn’t treat the viewer as a consumer whose satisfaction must be guaranteed. “I had no use” is tellingly blunt: it’s not mere critique, it’s refusal. He’s rejecting the social contract of the hit, the way commercial success often requires legibility, emotional clarity, and narrative payoffs that feel, to him, like emotional advertising.
Context matters: Foreman becomes a central figure in American experimental theater, where alienation, interruption, and self-conscious theatricality are not bugs but features. This quote foreshadows that project. Broadway is the foil - not because it lacks craft, but because it’s expert at steering the room. Foreman’s subtext is a dare: what if theater didn’t seduce you, but confronted you with your own desire to be seduced?
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Foreman, Richard. (2026, January 16). Because even at the age of fifteen, I used to go see all the Broadway shows and feel that they were sentimental, that they were pandering to the audience and trying to manipulate the audience. I had no use for practically any of the shows that were hits. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/because-even-at-the-age-of-fifteen-i-used-to-go-87241/
Chicago Style
Foreman, Richard. "Because even at the age of fifteen, I used to go see all the Broadway shows and feel that they were sentimental, that they were pandering to the audience and trying to manipulate the audience. I had no use for practically any of the shows that were hits." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/because-even-at-the-age-of-fifteen-i-used-to-go-87241/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Because even at the age of fifteen, I used to go see all the Broadway shows and feel that they were sentimental, that they were pandering to the audience and trying to manipulate the audience. I had no use for practically any of the shows that were hits." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/because-even-at-the-age-of-fifteen-i-used-to-go-87241/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
