You never know, until you put a play up for an audience, whether it's going to work. Things you think will work don't, and things you're not sure about work really well.

At heart, I'm really interested in this marriage of theater, film and television and I think what happened in the UK and obviously is happening here is that there's a convergence of talent kind of moving between the different disciplines and I find that very exciting.

If the play works in an emotional and engaging way purely from what's on the page, then what's on the stage will be the icing on the cake. If the play didn't work as a play on its own terms, none of the magic, none of the special effects or theatricality of it all, would add up to anything.

One of the things that's different about London and the English market is that theater and film and television are all based in London. It's not quite the same as in the States where if the playwright here wants a successful TV or film career, they're whisked away by Hollywood.

The White Queen in many ways it is representative of the sort of drama that I'm talking about. The books by Philippa Gregory were best sellers and they specifically told the story of history from the point of view of women.

I live in New York, so I'm used to the audiences that cheer and clap through a play. It is unusual for London audiences.

Each audience seems to have a life of its own, which is why watching the show regularly is so exciting, because it's always a different experience.