Eugenio Barba is an Italian theatre director and theorist born in 1936. After studying in Norway, he worked with Jerzy Grotowski in Poland for three years, learning his experimental theatre techniques. Barba founded the Odin Teatret group in 1964 and has directed over 65 productions. He developed Theatre Anthropology, the scientific study of performance techniques across cultures. Barba's work focuses on performers' pre-expressive physicality and the transmission of performing traditions.