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

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 have a personal issue with Shakespeare. When I first encountered him, he made me feel thick. Well, not him, but the productions I saw.

I think associate director jobs are the best in the world, because you can do what you want and not have to take responsibility for it!

One of my favorite things to read in the 'Observer' is the restaurant review by Jay Rayner. I love reading about these restaurants that I won't ever have the time to go to.

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

What has started to interest me is how you use all the different disciplines and tools we have at our disposal, and that includes going into different art forms, like music and movement, because often they can tap into things that characters can't necessarily express through words. Audiences really enjoy that total experience.

In theatre, previews are the first draft of a show. I strongly believe that. The only way we can truly tell whether that draft works is by having an audience present.

I want to understand the anger in the world.

'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.'

The physicality of a production needs evolution and breath.

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.

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

I'm a sucker for emotionally exploitative cello.

'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.

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

'West Side Story' is one of the greatest theatrical experiences I've had.

I don't think that just because people will pay a certain amount for a ticket that it's all right to charge it.

It's very hard to argue with the politics of 'Black Watch,' because it is not an opinion; it is just the true stories of these boys, and any opinions expressed are theirs.

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

I thought a director was like a pillow who sat under the writer, supporting them and submitting to their vision. It took me a long time to realise that what a writer really wants is a production that matches the play and the writing. It is the only way the play can achieve its full potential.

When I get really down, I remember that we all share 99.99 per cent of our DNA with Beyonce. And suddenly, the world doesn't seem too bleak.

Whenever I'd seen Greek tragedy done with masks and declamations, it brought me out in a rash.

I've never felt opera was a party I've been invited to, and maybe I've got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about it.