Conor McPherson is a playwright and screenwriter who was named by the New York Times as "the finest playwright of his generation." He won the George Devine Award in 1997 for his play St Nicholas and went on to win an Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1999 with his followup, The Weir. In 2006 he received a Tony Award nomination for Shining City and an Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play for The Seafarer.Jim Norton, one of Ireland's leading actors, has worked regularly on Joycean topics--and particularly Ulysses--during his long career. Born and brought up in Dublin, he spent his early acting years in Irish radio and quickly moved on to film, television, and theater. Norton won a 2007 Olivier Award and a 2008 Tony Award for The Seafarer and has appeared in The Weir, for which he was nominated for a Tony; Finian's Rainbow; Juno and the Paycock; Dublin Carol; and Port Authority, among many others acclaimed stage productions. Film appearances include Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Water for Elephants, Straw Dogs, Hidden Agenda, Driving Lessons, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Norton has also recorded many audiobooks and the complete works of James Joyce for Naxos AudioBooks, which won a Sony Award.Stephen Brennan has worked almost exclusively at the Gate Theatre since 1988. His appearances there include An Ideal Husband, Private Lives, Waiting for Godot (which toured to Seville, Chicago, New York, and London), and A Midsummer Night's Dream. His film work includes Eat the Peach, Stolen Minds, and The General. His television credits include Ballykissangel, Father Ted, and Mystic Knights.anna MacLiam's stage work includes The Shadow of a Gunman, Stella By Starlight, and A Tale of Two Cities for the Gate Theatre; and Covey in Sam Mendes' production of The Plough and the Stars at the Young Vic. His film work includes My Left Foot, Angela's Ashes, The General, and The Commitments. Television credits include The Bill, The Ambassador, Amongst Women, and Fair City.