has been hailed as “the first great dramatist of the twenty-first century” by American Repertory Theatre’s Robert Brustein, and he is noted for his ability to mine wicked humor from darkness.  Born of Irish parents, he grew up in the Camberwell district of London.  He left school at sixteen, and after five years of unsuccessful radio-writing attempts, he had two of his scripts taken by stations in Australia.   He spent just eight days writing The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and by the time it was produced, he was only 27 years old and had four plays running simultaneously.  He won the 1996 Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright as well as the 1996 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, and The Beauty Queen netted four Tony Awards.  McDonagh has been resident playwright for the Royal National Theatre, and his plays have been translated into 20 languages and produced in over 30 countries.  His other works include The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Olivier Award 2003), A Skull in Connemara, The Pillowman (Olivier Award 2004), and the films Six Shooter (Oscar-winner for Best Live Action Short, 2006) and In Bruges.