is an English playwright, director, actor, and composer. He is one of the most prolific and widely performed playwrights in the English-speaking world and is best known for his comedies. Ayckbourn has written over seventy plays, many of which have been performed in the West End and on Broadway. He has won numerous awards, including three Laurence Olivier Awards, three Evening Standard Awards, and a Tony Award.

Ayckbourn was born in 1939 in London