Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) has been described as 'the father of modern theatre'. Most of his early plays were traditional historical dramas. After Peer Gynt, a fairy-tale fantasy in verse, Ibsen wrote the rest of his plays in prose, and came to be regarded as the great Naturalist dramatist.

Stephen Unwin is a founding member of the English Touring theatre for whom he has directed more than 20 productions of both classics and new plays. Before that he was Associate Director at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh and was responsible for a number of International and Scottish premieres. He has also directed opera and theatre at the Royal Opera House, the National Theatre and throughout the world.