Fintan O'Toole has been appointed Chief Theatre Critic of The Irish Times. Next week he will join our team of reviewers to write critical essays, extended reviews and features on all aspects of theatre in the Republic and abroad.

A distinguished writer on theatre, Fintan O'Toole has been theatre critic of In Dublin magazine (1980-83) and the Sunday Tribune (1983-88). He also wrote a weekly Second Opinion column for The Irish Times (1988-95), and was literary adviser to the Abbey Theatre (1990-91) and drama critic of the New York Daily News (1997-2000). He is the author of a critical study of Tom Murphy, a biography of Richard Brinsley Sheridan and a guide to Shakespeare.