Arthur Miller: Interview at the Old Vic

Arthur Miller: Interview at the Old Vic; Arthur Miller (American playwright) interview SOT - (Asked how his original connection with Old Vic arose) I think it was because David Thacker started with a play of mine / I heard that they did good work / We got more and more involved as author and director / I liked th e place so we continued / Usually not partial to a theatre in the round but it was just the spirit of the place / They were basically just interested in the theatre and not in all the other garbage that goes with it / Especially in commercial theatre / There was a certain adventurousness and sincerity that I liked / It is difficult to find in the theatre / Theatre is mostly made up of imitations / David is always trying to get to the bottom of stuff which I like / He is a confrontational director instead of one who is devising schemes to evade the emotion / I found it invigorating - (Asked about working with David Thacker) He is an extraordinary director because he is trying to make actors confront one another rather than to devise sly evasions which is what a lot of actors have to do / Because they don't have a grip on the underlying theme of what they are after / He has a capacity for finding the emotion but also keeping the theme in his mind / That is is a play and not simply a lot of behaviour / It is a difficult thing to do - (Asked if Thacker will direct his next play) I hope he does / I have got a new play which I completed just recently and we can't do it till next winter / I wanted to do it originally in New York / That can't happen until December because two of the actors we want are in the movies / You know that theatre is the fifth wheel of the wagon these days / Dianne Wiest will play one part / Ron Rifkin / We need a couple more / We are in process of putting cast together - (Asked for his assessment of theatre situation on Broadway compared to in London and why he has come to London) Well, of course I do it there too / You are ...