Quotes of the week October 30: Morgan Freeman, Eddie Redmayne, Stevie Nicks and more

“Last time I remember being on stage, I forgot my lines – and I can’t tell you how terrifying that is... In the movies you won’t get that. If you forget your lines, you just say: ‘Okay, what was that line again?’ And somebody gives it to you.” – Actor Morgan Freeman on not attempting theatre since 2011 (Good Morning Britain)

“How in the world have I gotten this far without knowing about this?” – Musician Stevie Nicks, on not having heard of Stereophonic, the Broadway play allegedly based on Fleetwood Mac’s story (Rolling Stone)

“There’s a strong conversation happening about who has a seat at the table and about specific groups of people who’ve had less access to opportunity. That’s a good thing. In an ideal world, everybody should be able to play any part – but we need a level playing field.” – Actor Eddie Redmayne on casting while adhering to cultural sensitivity (Times)

I’ve gone from feeling like it was an apocalypse in the making, to feeling like it’s an inevitability where our participation as creative writers is going to be central. I don’t think it’s going to replace us, but I think it’s going to make us better – and it’s going to make us worse.” – Playwright Ayad Akhtar on AI (New York Times)

“[Director] Sam Gold literally texted me: ‘Would you want to do Romeo and Juliet on Broadway?’ He explained to me what he wanted to do, but also explained to me that there was a lot of space, and that anything could happen, and there could be songs. I feel incredibly lucky and inspired that I got to enter my first Broadway musical through Gold. – Producer Jack Antonoff on composing for his first stage show (Playbill)

“I do watch myself – and I depress myself. There’s not much you can do about theatre, but I learn how to do things differently on telly. It’s very seldom that I’ve looked at something and thought: ‘That was good.’ About three moments in my entire career.” – Actor Harriet Walter, on watching herself on screen (Observer)

“No details of how any of this will work have been shared with us, but one thing is for sure, one orchestra cannot do the job of two. Therefore, there will be less opera and less ballet coming from these two once great companies.” – John Melbourne, Northern Ballet Sinfonia’s principal percussionist, on a proposed merge with Opera North’s orchestra (BBC News)