"I started out in summer stock, and that's really what I prefer"
About this Quote
Summer stock is speed, repetition, and risk: new audiences every week, sets that wobble, jokes that either hit or die in real time. If you can survive that, you learn timing, stamina, and ensemble instincts in a way that a single long run or a tightly managed film set can't replicate. Martin's wording - "started out" and "really" - suggests she's anticipating the cultural assumption that you'd naturally graduate from that world into "better" rooms. She swats that ladder-thinking away. Preference isn't just personal taste here; it's an aesthetic and ethical stance.
Given Martin's career - broad comedy, character work, the ability to turn a line into a lived-in person - the context sharpens: she's pointing to a pipeline of performance that rewards versatility over branding. The subtext is almost political in showbiz terms: give her the messy, communal, high-wire environment where actors earn their chops, not their myth.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Martin, Andrea. (2026, January 15). I started out in summer stock, and that's really what I prefer. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-started-out-in-summer-stock-and-thats-really-144798/
Chicago Style
Martin, Andrea. "I started out in summer stock, and that's really what I prefer." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-started-out-in-summer-stock-and-thats-really-144798/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I started out in summer stock, and that's really what I prefer." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-started-out-in-summer-stock-and-thats-really-144798/. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.





