For over thirty years
Lawrence Harbison was in charge of new play acquisition for Samuel
French, Inc., where his work on behalf of playwrights resulted in the first
publication of such subsequent luminaries as Jane Martin, Don Nigro, Tina Howe,
Jerry Sterner, Theresa Rebeck, José Rivera, William Mastrosimone, Charles
Fuller, and Ken Ludwig, among many others; and the acquisition of musicals such
as Smoke on the Mountain, A…My Name is Alice, Little Shop of Horrors and
Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down, to name but a few.
He is
currently Senior Editor for Smith & Kraus, Inc., the nation’s largest theatrical
trade publisher, for whom he edits annual anthologies of best plays by new
playwrights and women playwrights, best ten-minute plays, best monologues for
men and for women and best stage scenes.
For many years he wrote a weekly column
on his adventures at the theater for two Manhattan Newspapers, the Chelsea
Clinton News and The Westsider. His new column, “On the Aisle with Larry,” is a
weekly feature at
www.smithandkraus.com. He has also served as literary manager
or literary consultant for several New York theatres, such as Urban Stages and
American Jewish Theatre. He is a member of the NYC press corps, the Drama Desk, and is an Outer
Critics Circle member. He has served many times over the years as a judge and
commentator for various national play contests and lectures regularly at
colleges and universities. He holds a B.A. from Kenyon College and an M. A. from
the University of Michigan.
