Alan Ayckbourn is the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and the author of over fifty plays, most of which have received their premiere at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. More than half have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or the RSC. His plays have won numerous awards, been translated into over thirty languages and are seen on stage and television throughout the world.

They include: Relatively Speaking, The Norman Conquests, Bedroom Farce, A Chorus of Disapproval, Woman in Mind, A Small Family Business, Things We Do For Love and Comic Potential. Amongst his plays for young people are the regularly performed Ernie's Incredible Illucinations, Mr. A’s Amazing Maze Plays, Invisible Friends, The Boy Who Fell Into A Book and for the 1999 BT National Connections Project, Gizmo. His latest play, Whenever, with music by Denis King will be the Christmas 2000 production at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

Alan Ayckbourn is an established theatre director, not only of his own but other people’s work. The holder of a number of honorary degrees and a fellow of the RSA, he has received the Montblanc de la Culture Award for Europe and a Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Lifetime Achievement Award. He was appointed a CBE in 1987 and in 1997 became the first playwright to be knighted since Terence Rattigan. His ‘double’ play House & Garden is currently playing at the Royal National Theatre’s Lyttelton and Olivier auditoria simultaneously.