Lawrence “Larry” King ’68 is an accomplished set designer who’s worked his way from simple Wichita-area puppet shows to award-winning sets for New York City-based soap operas and lavish international opera productions.
King’s love of design began early. He explains, “When I was a kid, my parents took me to all sorts of different theater performances. I was intrigued by the illusion of reality that was on-stage.”
After graduating from WSU, King studied for three years at the Yale School of Drama, received his MFA in design and embarked on his career, which has had its peaks — such as assisting the production designer on Paul Newman’s film, Fort Apache, the Bronx — and valleys, which meant bartending.
In 1990 King won an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction for his work on “As the World Turns,” but he quit his soaps job in 1995. “I was getting tired,” he recalls. “It was time to move on.”
These days he works for Michael Yeargarn, a prominent Yale theater designer. “I work mostly as a draftsman and model-maker,” King reports. “It’s a much more relaxed pace and I can work out of my studio at home.” The relaxed pace allows him to indulge more in his hobbies, one in particular: “When I can, I love to go sailing on my boat. Out to Nantucket, Newport, Block Island.”
— Ryan Jackson
