Brian Friel

Born in Omagh, Co.Tyrone, in Northern Ireland, Brian Friel is one of Ireland's most prominent playwrights. In addition to his published plays, he has written short stories, screenplays, film, TV and Radio adaptations of his plays and several pieces of non-fiction on the role of theatre and the artist. Friel's plays have premiered and been produced at prestigious venues like the Abbey Theatre, London's West End and Broadway and have been highly successful everywhere. His first major play, Philadelphia, Here I Come! was the hit of the 1964 Dublin Theatre Festival. In 1972, Friel was elected as a member of the Irish Academy of Letters. In 1981, Translations, one of his seminal pieces, was awarded the Ewart-Biggs Peace Prize. After co-founding Field Day in 1980, Friel continued his interest in the arts as a member of Aosdána to which he was elected in 1982. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by the National University of Ireland in 1983, and, in 1987, was nominated to the Irish Senate. Dancing at Lughnasa, probably his most successful play so far, received three Tony Awards in 1992, including Best Play. Friel has adapted several Chekov works, including Uncle Vanya (1998), The Yalta Game (2001), and The Bear (2002). He received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Times in 1999.