Euripides (c. 480 – 406 BCE) was a tragedian of classical Athens. He became one of the best-known and most influential dramatists in classical Greek culture; of his 90 plays, 19 have survived. His most famous tragedies, which reinvent Greek myths and probe the darker side of human nature, include MEDEA, THE BACCHAE, HIPPOLYTUS, ALCESTIS, and THE TROJAN WOMEN.

Marianne McDonald is Distinguished Professor of Theatre and Classics in the Department of Theatre at the University of California, San Diego, a member of the Royal Irish Academy, and a recipient of many national and international awards, including Greece's Order of the Phoenix (1994) and Italy's Golden Aeschylus Award (1998), many honorary degrees from Greece and Ireland; and San Diego Women's Hall of Fame (2008). She is the founder and initiator of projects to computerize Greek literature (Thesaurus Linguae Graecae) and Irish Literature (Thesaurus Linguae Hibernicae). She is a pioneer in the field of modern versions of the classics: in films, plays, and opera.

J Michael Walton is Emeritus Professor of Drama at the University of Hull from which he retired after 38 years in 2003. He is married with three children and six grandchildren, and still lives in Hull.