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.