There Are No Small Actors, Only Small Salaries

When I was in a long-running play on Broadway, I once came off-stage after a scene and realized I didn't remember one moment of the performance. This tendency to go on "autopilot" is a common one. I recall the story of the touring company that for two years had criss-crossed the country. One night, during the final scene when all the actors were onstage there was a long silence, and the audience quickly realized someone had "gone up." When the stage manager called out the line one of the actors turned to him and shouted, "We know what it is, damn it, we've forgotten who says it."