Break A Leg Sayings For Theatre
The show must go on.
Break a leg sayings for theatre. If you have ever been to a theater you may have heard the phrase break a leg. Break a leg is based on the leg line an area in the wings that was marked so actors would know when the audience could see them. A more likely origin is from Shakespeares time when to break a leg meant to take a bow.
A phrase of encouragement typically said to one who is about to perform before an audience especially a theater actor. Some say the term originated during Elizabethan times when instead of applause the audience would bang their chairs on the ground and if they liked it enough the leg of the chair would break. The most common theory refers to an actor breaking the leg line of the stage.
Why do theater people say Break a Leg. All the worlds a stage. Some scholars believe the term originated from Ancient Greece where instead of clapping for performers after production the audience would stomp their legs to show their appreciation.
They would perform a role many times and for many years. This expression is used especially in the theatre. Chewing the scenery If youve ever seen a production where one performer stands out you could say they are chewing the scenery.
Anyone who has spent any time in the theater has heard the phrase Break a leg. There is a certain image as seen below making the rounds again which makes a bold claim about the origin of this phrase. In attempting to flee the scene Booth jumped from Lincolns box to the stage breaking his leg.
An ironic or non-literal saying of uncertain origin break a leg is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform likely first used in this context in the United States in the 1930s or possibly 1920s originally documented without. Theres no business like show business. Whatever the army or navy want the Continental Roll and Steel Foundry will turn out.
