STEFO NANTSOU was born in Newcastle of Macedonian parents. He has written, directed and acted in over 150 theatre productions in his almost 40-year career. Specialising in theatre-in-education, community theatre and creating work for ethnically diverse, Indigenous and regional communities, Nantsou’s plays have been produced throughout Australia, Europe, North America, Asia, South Africa and New Zealand. He has written over 100 plays, including The Forwards (also produced in Hungary) and The Apology (also produced in Denmark). His many plays co-written with Tom Lycos, including The Stones, Side Effects, Taboo, Brat Camp and Australia V South Africa, have been produced in over 30 countries worldwide. He was resident director for five years at Sydney Theatre Company, his own company ZEAL Theatre being a part of STC’s education program for more than a decade, where they were commissioned to create four new plays including Gronks and the award-winning Burnt.