A biography for John Tiffanyhasn’t been written yet.
“I don't think it's good, culturally, to base all critical judgments on a single performance.”
“I did a couple of short films when I was in Scotland.”
“I love mishmash and the chaos of art forms.”
“My need is about communicating the whole, and when the whole is there in the text and in what the actors are doing, then it doesn't need 'frou-frou,' as I call it.”
“Austerity has led us to a terrible philosophy where we think we've got to cut back on everything that's 'frippery', like the arts.”
“I suppose the key for me is about opening up experiences and untold stories to audiences.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Whenever I'd seen Greek tragedy done with masks and declamations, it brought me out in a rash.”
“I realise that there's something about fantasy, whether it's written by the Grimm Brothers or J. K. Rowling or Thorne or J. M. Barrie, that it gets closer to the human experience than realism every could.”
“When you're growing up, it's very easy to feel lonely and insecure.”
“I don't like the idea of stepping-stones in art forms: that you do your time at a regional theatre, and then you work in London and go to the West End, and then you do films. I've never felt like following that trajectory.”
“I looked into putting 'Doctor' on my license. But the insurance premium is higher, so I don't think I'll bother.”
“I want to understand the anger in the world.”
“We just don't need any more 'Macbeth's in the world, however brilliant mine might turn out to be.”
“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.”
“Even with the success of 'Once,' I can't think about making theater straight for Broadway. Too nerve-racking.”
“No space should be safe from theatre.”
“I have a personal issue with Shakespeare. When I first encountered him, he made me feel thick. Well, not him, but the productions I saw.”
“I'll always have a relationship with Scotland.”