Quotes from John Tiffany

I'll always have a relationship with Scotland.

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

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.

Where film can eat up story, theatre needs space and breath.

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

I'm a sucker for emotionally exploitative cello.

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.

The physicality of a production needs evolution and breath.

We never want to update 'Black Watch,' because it's about a moment in time, and through that moment, it manages to speak about Afghanistan and all other wars. This play is 'about' Iraq, but it's actually about every war that's ever been or will ever be.

'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 love mishmash and the chaos of art forms.

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.

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

'Peter Pan' makes 'Black Watch' and 'The Bacchae' look like a walk in the park.

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.

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.

Broadway is full of crazy people.

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.

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

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

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

The more everything gets digitalised, the more precious the live experience of going to the theatre is.

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

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.