"The Spanish Golden Age celebrated one of the most dynamic, energetic and stylish periods of world drama which exploded onto the stages of Madrid at the turn of the seventeenth century. It was a decisive period in world drama, similar to the periods of great national drama which occurred in seventeenth century London and fifth century Athens. The Spanish Golden Age was big business - professional, commercial theatre with plays touring all over Spain and Europe Lope de Vega was one of the Spanish Golden Age's best known playwrights. In his classic The Dog in the Manger, Diana, Countess of Belfor, a beautiful and headstrong young woman, is beset by aristocratic suitors urging marriage but refuses them all. One-night she discovers her handsome young secretary seducing her favourite lady in waiting and is consumed with jealousy. A heartbreaking love triangle is forged and so begins a tale of forbidden love, envy and passion. The Dog in the Manger is a painful and hilarious comedy for anyone who has ever fallen in love with someone they shouldn't have."

Lope de Vega (1562-1635), acknowledged as Spain's most lyrical and energetic dramatist, was a prolific and complusive writer. He treated an enormous range of subjects, often mingling comedy with tragedy, to the horror of the classicists, and defended his methods in his 'Arte nuevo de hacer comedias en este tiempe', published in 1609. David Johnston is Professor of Hispanic Studies at Queen's University Belfast. His principal research interests lie in theatre, and the theory and practice of literary translation. He is co-director of the Queen's-based research forum Betwixt and Between: Translation and Cultural Encounter. He is a multi-award winning translator for the stage, and has written versions of over thirty plays from Spain, Latin America, Portugal and France for professional performance around the world. He was one of the pioneers of the ground-breaking Spanish Golden Age season at London's Gate Theatre in the early 1990s, where he won The Observer Special Award for Achievement in Theatre and London Weekend Television's New Plays on Stage Award. He was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to write a translation of Lope de Vega's El perro del hortelano, the third time he has been commissioned by the RSC; he has worked closely with the Royal Court's International Department, and he has had work performed on both television and radio.