Mel Shapiro is head of acting at UCLA and has taught acting from coast to coast. Shapiro was a founding member of what is now the Tisch School for the Arts at New York University and headed the drama department at Carnegie Mellon University. During his long career, Shapiro has directed on Broadway, off Broadway, and everywhere in between and has earned many awards for his efforts. In addition to An Actor Performs, Shapiro is also author of The Director's Companion.