Brian Woolland worked as a driver, a wine merchant and a photographer; as a teacher in mainstream education and in a therapeutic community for maladjusted adolescents before becoming an Advisory Teacher for Drama. He then took up a post at the University of Reading, where he led courses in educational drama and theatre. In 2005 he resigned his post as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Film, Theatre & Television in order to work freelance as a writer, theatre director and workshop leader. His work on Ben Jonson and his publications in the field of educational drama have been highly acclaimed. His plays have been widely performed - the most recent, 'A Terrible Madness' opened in Australia in October 2011. His first novel, 'Dead in the Water', was published in 2010; and he is currently working on a historical novel, 'The Gallows Cheat', a thriller/romance set in early seventeenth century London. He teaches part time on the MA in Writing for Screen and Stage at Regents College in London. Website: http://www.brianwoolland.co.uk/