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Fun Things to Know about Theatre
Fun Things to Know about Theatre
Why do they tell actors to "break a leg"?
Why would you want someone to break his or her leg?

Actually, "Break a leg!" is a theatre expression for "Good luck!"

It's considered bad luck to wish people good luck in the theatre.

"Break a leg" may have come from the idea that breaking a leg is bending your knee in a deep bow. A bow is one way to acknowledge the audience"s applause. So if actors get lots of applause for a great performance, they would be doing a lot of bowing.

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