Normally, ... I don't read new plays. This is a professional...

Normally, ... I don't read new plays. This is a professional deformation I have. If I'm lucky, I can work for another 10 years. But, since there are so many first-class plays in world drama, why should I do the lousy plays of today? However, I told Brian McMaster that Harrower's Knives and Hens was a big success in Germany and Brian brought us together. David came to stay for a weekend in Italy and I tried to talk to him about ideas and structure. I thought it was a total disaster: no contact, no real communication. The next thing I knew David had come up with an amazing first draft of Blackbird.