George Bernard Shaw

“ We are only its servants; and. like all servants, we are very much afraid of seeming disrespectful if we allow ourselves to be too familiar; and we are most at our ease when we are doing our work. We rather dread occasions like these when we are allowed, and even expected, to step out of our place, and speak in our own persons of our own affairs—even for a moment perhaps, very discreetly, of our own feelings. ”

“ The drama’s laws have a higher source than your caprice or ours. and in in this playhouse of ours we will not please you except on terms honourable to ourselves and to you. But on those terms we hope that you may spend many pleasant hours here, and we as many hard-working ones, as at our old home in the Haymarket. And now may I run away and tell Edwin that his speech has been a great success after all, and that you are quite ready for Pickles? ”

“ Only don't blame me if the audience loses its last train and comes back to sleep in the theatre, chat's all. [He goes off with the air of a man who is prepared for the worst] .
[During the conversation with the Stage Manager, the Manager's Wife, unobserved by her husband, steals the manuscript; replaces the last two leaves of it on the desk; puts the rest on her chair, and sits down on it.] THE MANAGER. That man is hopelessly frivolous; I really must get a more cultured staff. [ To the audience]
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm extremely sorry for these unfortunate interruptions and delays ”

“ How am I to make a speech if I am to be
interrupted in this way? [To the audience] Excuse my poor wife, ladies and gentlemen. She is naturally a
little nervous to-night. You will overlook a woman's weakness. [ To his wife] Compose yourself, my dear. Ahem! [He returns to the MS.] . The piece of land on which our theatre is built is mentioned in Domesday Book ”