I'm especially attracted to the idea of all speech acts being performative -- an essentially Shakespearean idea of being in the world -- and I'm convinced by the Elizabethan metaphor that 'All the world's a stage / And all the men and women merely players.' Speaking of which, as a director, I've been privileged to work with extraordinary actors in Australia, Berlin, and Reykjavik... Working on great plays with great actors is what I value most, and a source of constant inspiration and renewal... All these experiences in the theatre inform my writing, but the task of writing is solitary and singular. It might stem from an overheard snippet of conversation or a nagging image. Then, I have the sense that somewhere inside me is a room or a field, and in that room or on that field is a person or a knot of people and I need to listen to what they say and make a transcript. The play grows from this. You've worked internationally for many years, as well as here in Australia. Do you see any evidence of theatrical evolution at home or abroad, and what are the challenges for Australia's theatre culture in the future? I've been very fortunate to work at the forefront of Australian theatre, as well as in several European theatres, in particular at the Schaubhne am Lehniner Platz in Berlin, where I made work for the best part of the last decade. It has been extremely important for my work as