You could argue that she was the first feminist, but I think she was more than that, a visionary able to foresee and plan a dynasty that could cover all of Europe.

That's why I'm directing this show to the men in the audience. They're the ones who need the instruction.

All this is supposed to blend in order to tell a story ... (the play) should be natural when you're sitting in your seat watching.

Eleanor is more vibrant than any female icon in our own century.

I'm trying to see the reflection of what I want, it's a fascinating thing … the focus is now having all of these things and finding the right people who will create the ensemble that I have originally created in my mind.

She's 82 years old, she's about to die, she knows it and she has this kind of a dream of what it would be if she was able to justify (her point of view).