I took my young children to see a revival of My Fair Lady - not really my kind of theatre. Our seats were in the front row, all the way over on the left-hand side, so we could see the actors' makeup and the stage hands in the wings. All the artifice of theatre was apparent. Suddenly, a man sitting directly behind me leaned forward and said into my ear, "This is the real world." I spun 'round to see who had spoken and there was no one there. Since this was the only time in my life I ever heard voices, I thought I should respond. Soon afterwards I began writing for the theatre again.