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When I was in Marine training I memorised 'The Waste Land,' which was a significant experience in terms of really breaking apart language and thinking about how the different voices in that poem function.

If you are feeling something, then Shakespeare felt it and wrote about it - and wrote about it so eloquently.

My entire life has been an attempt to get back to the kind of feelings you have on a field. The sense of brotherhood, the esprit de corps, the focus - there being no past or future, just the ball. As trite as it sounds, I was happiest playing ball.

After you do a play like 'The Normal Heart,' it's hard to find something you feel so passionate about.

When I was at school, I wanted to join the army. At college, I started acting in college plays, and it became a kind of addiction. I was very shy when I was at school, but the plays seemed to give voice to my feelings.

Linda Svendsen's 'Marine Life' was important. I was nearly 22. Larry Mathews discussed the book in a creative writing class. We examined her stories, figured out how they worked.

I write plays about big, intense subjects.

When I play, I very quickly put myself into a light hypnotic trance and compose while playing, drawing directly from the emotions.

The strongest feelings I experienced were in Davis Cup. It was the most powerful thing: the victories and the losses. It hits you in a distinct way. It's another level of satisfaction - another level of sadness.