David Johnston is Professor of Hispanic Studies at Queen's University Belfast. His principal research lies in theatre, and the theory and practice of literary translation. He is co-director of the Queen's-based research forum Betwixt and Between: Translation and Cultural Encounter. He's a multi-award winning translator for the stage, and has written versions of over thirty plays from Spain, Latin America and France for professional performance around the world. One of the pioneers of the ground-breaking Spanish Golden Age season at London's Gate Theatre in the early 1990s, where he won The Observer Special Award for Achievement in Theatre and London Weekend Television's New Plays on Stage Award. He was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to write a translation of Lope de Vega's El perro del hortelano, he has worked closely with the Royal Court's International Department, and has had work performed on television and radio.