Matthew Bourne

“People think I got rich out of 'Swan ,but I didn't at all: it's the royalties from 'Oliver' and 'My Fair Lady' that have kept me going.”

“People get excited about things like 'Swan Lake' because they generate a personal involvement. If you set up the story properly, audiences respond to the ambiguity. People ask, 'What exactly is happening in Act Four?' and I never say. I can't put it into words, but they've got a feeling about it, and that's good enough.”

“My family home was a rented house in the East End of London. My parents could have bought it at one point, but they preferred to spend their money on holidays and theatre tickets. It was strange to see it handed on to someone else when my father passed away.”

“I would like to have directed Hollywood musicals in the '40s and '50s.”

“My first job was at the BBC but was really dull. I was working in the BBC's reference department, where I did a lot of filing. I had always been interested in films and theatre, so I thought that getting a job at the BBC would be a good idea, but the job was really mundane.”

“I'm very interested in storytelling and anything that plays with structure.”

“It's one of the things that looks good written down, but the reality is that you think about the pieces you're doing and try to bear in mind everyone in the audience.”

“I've always been excited by the strangeness of ballet, but I can't bear it when people just come forward and do a turn in the air for no reason.”

“A lot of the people who have come to know the company in the last few years will not have seen this piece.”

“The thrill of autograph collecting is getting close to a world you're not part of.”

“I love Tennessee Williams; as a playwright, he's so poetic.”

“My mum was ill when I was originally making 'Edward Scissorhands' in 2005. I was virtually visiting her every night after rehearsals, and she never got to see it.”

“I'm a believer in presenting something that is worth paying to see. I've always felt lucky in that the work that pleases me pleases other people as well.”

“I decided to go to dance school at 22, which is late for a dancer.”

“With any project there's one or two things that you really want to do and that's going to crack it.”

“My interest in Princess Margaret comes through Vanessa Kirby's brilliant portrayal of her in 'The Crown.' Rather than do the classic story from beginning to end, this book gives you many different glimpses. You get a much more intimate sense of the person through little incidents, stories, and gossip.”

“My company is known for being funny as well as moving. You get a bit of everything in these shows. I think people know they're going to have a surprising experience.”

“When it comes down to it, it's giving people a good night out in a basic way and I think my company guarantees that. There's always something new and something to excite us and surprise us, and that's why people come back, I hope.”

“Astaire never thought of what he was doing as balletic, but Kelly was always trying to dance with women on points. And his choreography is so showy and flashy. He always looks self-satisfied to me.”

“My first boss at the BBC was Aubrey Singer. The main thing I learned from him was discipline. I also learned things about myself: namely, that I hated commuting and didn't really want a 9-5 job.”