John Burgess is a freelance director and lives in London. He worked for fourteen years at the National Theatre where he directed works from the classical, romantic and modern repertoires as well as many new plays. He helped found the NT Studio in 1984 and was the National Theatre's Head of New Writing 1989-94. He has directed abroad in Switzerland, Scandinavia and North America. He is the author of The Faber Pocket Guide to Greek and Roman Drama.