The large-looming position of Richard Schechner (born 1934 in Newark, New Jersey) in the world of theater is multi-dimensional. As a director, performance theoretician, pioneer in environmental theater, founder of the Performance Studies department at New York University, and investigator of ritual and performance internationally. Throughout much of his career, beginning in 1962, he has edited The Drama Review, a seminal publication that expands concepts of theater. Instrumental in bringing Jerzy Grotowski’s teaching to New York, Richard Schechner founded the Performance Group in 1967, culminating in its production Dionysus in 69, and then morphing into the Wooster Group.
About The Downtown Performance Series
NYU Skirball and Artifacts have teamed up to produce NYU Skirball Presents Downtown Performance, a series spotlighting the directors, performers, and artists who shaped the movements loosely defined as “Downtown.”
Inspired by the cultural history rooted in NYU Skirball’s neighboring blocks, the Downtown Performance series captures in-depth interviews with living legends of performance. The first instalment, available to stream January 9, 2025, features groundbreaking directors Richard Foreman and JoAnne Akalaitis, with John Vaccaro and Richard Schechner following later this year. For more on NYU Skirball, please visit their website.
