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" I was obsessed with theatre and loving the work of Caryl Churchill, Edward Bond, Howard Brenton, and Howard Barker, people doing real formal experimentation. But 'Road' was the first time I'd read a play written in a very true Northern dialect that seemed to have that excitement running through it. "

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" I realise that there's something about fantasy, whether it's written by the Grimm Brothers or J. K. Rowling or Thorne or J. M. Barrie, that it gets closer to the human experience than realism every could. "

John Tiffany

Human

Experience

Fantasy

" 'Philistines' was so beautiful, and it bored me to death. I never want to see another production where the rain splashes against a window and actors wander around in drab cardigans saying, 'I'm so bored.' "

" How do we compete with the 3D superscreens at the cineplex? We just make it better - because theatre is better because it's live. Instead of trying to be like the poor cousin, we need to accept that we're the king. "

" When I realised, on 'The Straits,' that physical work in the theatre takes much longer than directing scenes, it was like a eureka moment. If you want to work physically, you have to accommodate it, and it takes a disproportionate amount of time. "

" Sometimes it should be the job of Broadway to introduce stars as well as cast them. "

" 'Black Watch' has taken its place in the canon of Scottish theatre, and that's fantastic. It's a very particular kind of theatre. It's about the music, the movement, the whole 'event' of it. "

" Austerity has led us to a terrible philosophy where we think we've got to cut back on everything that's 'frippery', like the arts. "

" I don't think it's good, culturally, to base all critical judgments on a single performance. "

" A first preview is not exactly a pleasant experience for directors and actors. You're never as raw as when the audience first comes in. "

" Even with the success of 'Once,' I can't think about making theater straight for Broadway. Too nerve-racking. "

" When you're growing up, it's very easy to feel lonely and insecure. "

" There are always discussions about casting stars in lead roles in theater - especially when you're working with commercial producers - and it's not something I'm against, not at all. But any casting has to be right for the project. "

" I suppose the key for me is about opening up experiences and untold stories to audiences. "

John Tiffany

Experiences

Key

" I'm a sucker for emotionally exploitative cello. "

" We just don't need any more 'Macbeth's in the world, however brilliant mine might turn out to be. "

" The whole notion of never growing up is incredibly intense and emotional. "

" Some actors just have a quality, a way of combining music and character and story, where everything just falls into place. "

" It blows my mind that you get Shakespeare where the 'low' comedy characters have got Northern or Welsh accents. "

" The power of imagination is infinite. "

" I looked into putting 'Doctor' on my license. But the insurance premium is higher, so I don't think I'll bother. "

" Trump is like an eater of worlds from an 'Avengers' movie, but there seem to be different rules for him. What are Twitter doing, for example? He's constantly breaking their rules, the sort of stuff other people get thrown off for. "

" One of the things I realised as I learned to manage a rehearsal room is that the best idea always has to win, and it doesn't matter where the idea comes from. "

" When you tell a story that you know is having an effect on the audience, that, for me, is the transforming thing. "

" I've never understood why anyone would want to join the army, but that's irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that, as long as we go on voting in governments who are prepared to take troops into an illegal war, that army is a necessity. "

" I know Australians are no strangers to pubs, but in the U.K., the pub is a real meeting place because the houses can be quite small, so the pub is an extension of the living space. "

" Pinocchio's really naughty. He's all impulse: 'I want to sleep now. I want to eat that. I want to run off to Pleasure Island.' It's commedia dell'arte meets Grimm's tales. "

" Theatre is a playground. It really is, and we should use that playground more. "

John Tiffany

Theatre

Playground

" It couldn't interest me less, the idea of putting a living room on stage. I just think, what's the point of walking into a theater to see a living room? A sofa in a forest? Now you're talking. "

" I did a couple of short films when I was in Scotland. "

" I love singing, and I used to perform quite a lot, but now, as a director, you just tend to watch other people perform and tell them what to do. "