With Cold Sassy Tree having its first production, I saw no necessity to do anything other than produce it with the correct setting.

It's not enough to hit the notes. There is no point in the singers just standing there and sounding wonderful if they're not connecting with the characters they are portraying.

Quite a few operas are still being commissioned around the world, although nothing apart from audience popularity can ensure more than a few performances.

In Australia, they set up a special fund to kick films off. It was quite an enlightened sort of move. You could go to this government bureau with scripts and and get finance for films.

Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all.

Directing an opera is similar to directing a play. The singing must not get in the way of the drama.

In opera, everyone's watching from a fixed viewpoint, and that really challenges you. Lighting, the sets, stage groupings, the music-but doesn't relate too much to film.