Design for giving

The question I’m most often asked is this. How did I end up living and working in south London instead of doing what most reasonably successful movie actors tend to do — sitting around a kidney-shaped swimming pool in Beverly Hills, sipping cocktails and collecting cheques? The question I most often ask myself is a little different. How did a kid from South Orange, New Jersey, end up being artistic director at the Old Vic in London?

The answers to the two questions are interrelated. I work at the Old Vic because I believe passionately that theatre can help society. And the reason I believe that so strongly is that it helped me so much.

In fact I think that theatre, and culture in general, is so vital to the health of a country that if the coalition is going to cut arts funding, it must encourage philanthropy instead. The government should adopt the American model, giving better tax breaks for corporations and individuals who are willing to sponsor the arts.