Bernard Beckerman was a Shakespeare scholar, a theatre director. He was also the head of Hofstra University

Hofstra University

Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...

's department of drama, and later the Chair of Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

's theater department.

Beckerman's books include Dynamics of Drama, Shakespeare at the Globe, and Theatrical Presentation: Performer, Audience and Act.

From 1950 to 1961, Beckerman directed all the plays at Hofstra's annual Shakespeare festival. Beckerman was also responsible for introducing the Poo-wa-bah tradition at Hofstra, which continues to this day.