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.

The only thing I fear is when people say, 'I should go to the theatre more.' I say, 'We should create work that makes you not have a choice.'

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

'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'm a sucker for emotionally exploitative cello.

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

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.

The physicality of a production needs evolution and breath.

'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.'

I want to understand the anger in the world.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

No space should be safe from theatre.

I love mishmash and the chaos of art forms.

'Thou shalt not bore' is a commandment that should be at the centre of our ambitions.

I was pre-med at Glasgow University. I was from a family who were of the mind that if you were clever enough to be a doctor or a lawyer, why wouldn't you be?

Broadway is full of crazy people.

Theatre is a living organism. You only know if your show is working when you see it with an audience. You can also tell when it isn't working - it's horrible, and you desperately try to figure out how to make it connect.

I worked on new plays at the Traverse and did my best work in Scotland for years, so I never had ambitions for things like Disney.

'Once' constantly surprises me. I think it's the power of the music and the storytelling that people connect with.

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

I'm fascinated to see how 'Black Watch' connects with an American audience.

You can only make the work that you have to make. And I am old enough now to know that I can't start making shows that are going to win awards. That way madness lies.

Sometimes on Broadway, you don't know who the investors are, and you end up making a million dollars for somebody awful.

I studied theatre at Glasgow University and then was lucky enough to land a scholarship with a theatre group in Edinburgh.

In film, if you've got to do a scene in a swimming pool, you do a scene in a swimming pool. If you've got to blow up a car, you blow up a car. In theater, you can't do that, and therefore, you have the opportunity to engage the audience's imagination in a way that's rich.

I'm not interested in putting naturalism on stage - I want passion.

I've been in Glasgow since I was 18, on and off.

I had a lovely time growing up. But I was very aware of the miners' strike going on, friends' families collapsing, and people being unemployed.

The power of imagination is infinite.

I don't know how films get made, and I think I'll leave it to other people.

I never get star-struck. I never fanboy. Ever, ever, ever.

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

I tend to work quite a lot during the weekends. My weekend can often be about two hours on Sunday.

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.