Michael Kirby (theater)
Encyclopedia
Michael Kirby was a professor of drama at New York University
. He wrote several groundbreaking books, including Happenings, Futurist Performance and The Art of Time. He was editor of The Drama Review from 1969 to 1986.
Although he taught at NYU simultaneously with Richard Schechner
and shared an interest in avant-garde performance, he disagreed with Schechner about what should appear in TDR and about the value of the field that was emerging at the time, performance studies
. Kirby believed theatrical events should be documented, not criticized or analyzed using the tools of social sciences.
He was also an actor who had small roles in two films directed by Woody Allen
.
He studied at Princeton
, Boston University
, and New York University.
, with an identical twin who later collaborated with him on some of his writings. He died of leukemia
.
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. He wrote several groundbreaking books, including Happenings, Futurist Performance and The Art of Time. He was editor of The Drama Review from 1969 to 1986.
Although he taught at NYU simultaneously with Richard Schechner
Richard Schechner
Richard Schechner is Professor of Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University , editor of TDR: The Drama Review, and artistic director of East Coast Artists. His BA is from Cornell University , MA from the University of Iowa , and PhD from Tulane University...
and shared an interest in avant-garde performance, he disagreed with Schechner about what should appear in TDR and about the value of the field that was emerging at the time, performance studies
Performance Studies
Performance studies have been growing as an academic field since the 1960s. Performance studies believe in the social act of Doing as it takes performance itself as the object of inquiry.The process of defining it becomes a practice in performance studies itself...
. Kirby believed theatrical events should be documented, not criticized or analyzed using the tools of social sciences.
He was also an actor who had small roles in two films directed by Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
.
He studied at Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, and New York University.
Personal
Kirby was born in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, with an identical twin who later collaborated with him on some of his writings. He died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
.