When the music and the characters are flawlessly synchronized, the opera develops an emotional force that movies and plays cannot match.

I don't rehearse films as much as opera or theatre. When I began directing films I thought a long rehearsal was a good idea. Experience showed me that the best performance was often left in a rehearsal room.

I thought, This is fabulous. It sent shivers up my spine. I thought, What kinds of people are these that would produce this kind of music in a camp? All the prison camp stories I've seen, and heard of, were about the heroism of men. As I researched this and heard the music, I realized that women were heroic too, on just as grand a scale. And their treatment was just as appalling.

With a film, I do my best to understand the author's intentions and try to bring the characters to life.

The number of opera houses around the world and the high attendance rates show that opera an art form that is more popular than ever.

When I was 24 I went to Nigeria and it was such a culture shock, growing up in Australia and suddenly being the only white man in this unit full of black men.

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