Richard Schechner is a University Professor and a professor in the Department of Performance Studies at New York University. He is also the founding director of East Coast Artists and The Performance Group. His areas of specialization include comparative performance, performance theory, experimental theater, Asian performance theories, and theories and practices of stage directing. He is the author of Performance Studies: An Introduction (2002), Performance Theory (1988), and Between Theater and Anthropology (1985). He is also the editor at TDR/The Drama Review. He has directed artistic work in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.