My parents divorced when I was born and my mother is a political science professor like a feminist Mormon which is sort of an oxymoron.

For whatever reason I didn't succumb to the stereotype that science wasn't for girls. I got encouragement from my parents. I never ran into a teacher or a counselor who told me that science was for boys. A lot of my friends did.

The most watched programme on the BBC after the news is probably 'Doctor Who.' What has happened is that science fiction has been subsumed into modern literature. There are grandparents out there who speak Klingon who are quite capable of holding down a job. No one would think twice now about a parallel universe.

It's a sad moment really when parents first become a bit frightened of their children.

Since it's based on my parents it's more emotionally close to me than some of my more surreal plays. And then I like the balance of the comic and the sad. It should play as funny but you should care about the characters and feel sad for them.

I think a lot of people think that my parents' deaths is why I write such sad songs but that's not true. Those songs may just be the woman I am.

Every word facial expression gesture or action on the part of a parent gives the child some message about self-worth. It is sad that so many parents don't realize what messages they are sending.

My parents' divorce left me with a lot of sadness and pain and acting and especially humour was my way of dealing with all that.

And I don't believe that children are innocent. In fact no one seriously believes that. Just go to a playground and watch the kids playing in the sandbox! The romantic notion of the sweet child is simply the parents projecting their own wishes.

I used to get nervous you know if my parents would come watch. And then I would get nervous if my friends came and watched. Today it's not a problem anymore actually because now I enjoy it. I see that they you know respect me immensely and I try to put on a good show and show that I can still play very good tennis.