Icke, Robert: - Robert Icke is a writer and director. His recent productions include Children of Nora, Oedipus (ITA) and The Doctor (West End, Almeida). His other work at the Almeida includes adapting and directing The Wild Duck, Mary Stuart (also West End and national tour), Uncle Vanya, Oresteia (also West End) and 1984 (co-created with Duncan Macmillan, also Broadway, West End, national and international tours). As director, his other productions include Hamlet (also West End and screened on BBC2), The Fever and Mr Burns. www.roberticke.com

Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich: - Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), Russian physician, dramatist and author, is considered to be one of the greatest writers of short stories and modern drama. Born in Taganrog, a port town near the Black Sea, he attended medical school at Moscow University. He began writing to supplement his income, writing short humorous sketches of contemporary Russian life. A successful literary careered followed, before his premature death of TB at the age of 44. He is best-remembered for his four dramatic masterpieces: The Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1901) and The Cherry Orchard (1904).