Founded in 1956 to encourage theatre scholarship, the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) is a U.S.-based professional organization that works to encourage scholarship around dramaturgy and related fields. On its website, visitors can read a comprehensive history of the organization, learn about the ASTR's annual conference, or check out the numerous Resources. With this last option, the ASTR offers a directory of doctoral programs, news items, the ASTR job list, and a catalogue of allied organizations. The ASTR Initiatives area includes thematic documents on its internal archive projects and the changing landscape of graduate education in theatre research. The site also contains an Awards section where interested visitors can learn about grants, scholarships, and prizes available to support and recognize outstanding scholarship in the field.