Michael Stanley Kirby (1931 – February 24, 1997) was a professor of drama at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

. 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 is University Professor Emeritus at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, and editor of ''TDR: The Drama Review''. Biography Richard Schechner received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1956, ...

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 studied at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and graduated in 1953, majoring in psychology. He continued his education at

Boston University College of Communication __NOTOC__ The Boston University College of Communication (COM) is the communication school of Boston University (BU), a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1947, it was the first university in the United States to of ...

where he earned a MFA in directing and then a PhD from BU's drama department.

Personal

Kirby was born in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, with an identical twin who later collaborated with him on some of his writings. He graduated from Rye High School in New York.Princeton Alumni Weekly: Michael Stanley Kirby
/ref> He died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

References

* ''Cambridge Guide to American Theater'' Edited by Wilmeth, Don B. and Miller, Tice L. Cambridge University Press, 1993 (Short biography up to 1992 included.) * Napoleon, Davi. ''Transcending Substance'' in ''TheaterWeek'' November 20, 1995.(Kirby is quoted on the subject of performance studies.) ;Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby, Michael 1931 births 1997 deaths Princeton University alumni Boston University College of Communication alumni American magazine editors Deaths from leukemia New York University faculty 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American non-fiction writers