Lawrence Carra
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Carra was an American
professor
of drama
at Carnegie Mellon University
in Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
, USA
. He was a director of theater and television as well as a mentor to hundreds of actors and directors.
Carra was born in Salina, Italy
. His parents immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in 1912, where they started a grocery business. One of his high school teachers arranged for a full scholarship to Harvard University
, where he studied biology. He was active in the Harvard drama club and graduated in 1931.
He attended medical school in Rome for one year, but his passion for theater caused him to return to the States and to enroll in Yale University
's drama school, from which he graduated in 1935. At Yale he was a research assistant for Professor Alexander Dean on the first edition of his classic textbook The Fundamentals of Play Directing. Carra assumed the role of co-author after Dean's death in 1939. More than sixty years later, the book is in its fifth edition and still is widely used in colleges.
Carra taught directing at Northwestern University
and the University of Texas at Austin
before joining the drama school of Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University, in 1947. He eventually became the department chairman.
His directing students at CMU included William Ball
, founder of American Conservatory Theatre; Steven Bochco
, creator of the hit TV series Hill Street Blues
, LA Law, and NYPD Blue
; Mel Shapiro
, who co-wrote and directed the musical adaptation of Two Gentlemen of Verona
on Broadway; and John-Michael Tebelak
, creator of the popular musical Godspell
.
He died at age 97 on March 30, 2006 at his Squirrel Hill
home in Pittsburgh and is buried at Homewood Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was a director of theater and television as well as a mentor to hundreds of actors and directors.
Carra was born in Salina, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. His parents immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in 1912, where they started a grocery business. One of his high school teachers arranged for a full scholarship to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he studied biology. He was active in the Harvard drama club and graduated in 1931.
He attended medical school in Rome for one year, but his passion for theater caused him to return to the States and to enroll in Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's drama school, from which he graduated in 1935. At Yale he was a research assistant for Professor Alexander Dean on the first edition of his classic textbook The Fundamentals of Play Directing. Carra assumed the role of co-author after Dean's death in 1939. More than sixty years later, the book is in its fifth edition and still is widely used in colleges.
Carra taught directing at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
before joining the drama school of Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University, in 1947. He eventually became the department chairman.
His directing students at CMU included William Ball
William Ball (stage director)
William Gormaly Ball was an American stage director and founder of the American Conservatory Theatre . He was awarded the Drama Desk Vernon Rice Award in 1959 for his production of Chekhov's Ivanov and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1965 for his production of Molière's Tartuffe, starring...
, founder of American Conservatory Theatre; Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco
Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....
, creator of the hit TV series Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, LA Law, and NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
; Mel Shapiro
Mel Shapiro
Mel Shapiro is an American theatre director and writer, college professor, and author.Trained at Carnegie-Mellon University, Shapiro began his professional directing career at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and then as resident director at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C....
, who co-wrote and directed the musical adaptation of Two Gentlemen of Verona
Two Gentlemen of Verona (musical)
Two Gentlemen of Verona is a rock musical, with a book by John Guare and Mel Shapiro, lyrics by Guare and music by Galt MacDermot, based on the Shakespeare comedy of the same name....
on Broadway; and John-Michael Tebelak
John-Michael Tebelak
John-Michael Tebelak was an American playwright and director. He was most famous for creating the musical Godspell based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew. The music was by Stephen Schwartz...
, creator of the popular musical Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
.
He died at age 97 on March 30, 2006 at his Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the east end of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated as a single neighborhood...
home in Pittsburgh and is buried at Homewood Cemetery
Homewood Cemetery
Homewood Cemetery is a historic, nonsectarian burial ground in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Squirrel Hill and is bordered by both Frick Park and the neighborhood of Point Breeze....
.