Carson Wilford Leach (August 26, 1929 – June 18, 1988) was a Tony Award-winning American theatre director, set designer, film director, screenwriter, and professor.

Biography

Leach was born in Petersburg, Virginia,Credits
FilmReference.com, accessed May 19, 2009. on August 26, 1929. A performance of ''

Pygmalion Pygmalion or Pigmalion may refer to: Mythology * Pygmalion (mythology), a sculptor who fell in love with his statue Stage * ''Pigmalion'' (opera), a 1745 opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau * ''Pygmalion'' (Rousseau), a 1762 melodrama by Jean-Jacques ...

'' he saw as a teenager inspired him to work in theatre. After graduating from the College of William & Mary in 1953, Leach went on to earn both a master's degree and a doctorate from the University of Illinois. Leach began teaching at

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

in 1958. He also taught at the Yale

School of Drama A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pre ...

during the years 1978 and 1979. After moving to New York City, Leach became the artistic director of

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

for much of the 1970s. At La MaMa, he frequently collaborated wit
John Braswell
They directed the ETC Company, a resident company of La MaMa, in a repertory that included adaptations of ''

Carmilla ''Carmilla'' is an 1872 Gothic fiction, Gothic novella by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu and one of the early works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897) by 26 years. First published as a Serial (literature), serial in ' ...

'', ''Demon'', '' The Only Jealousy of Emer'', ''Renard'', and ''Gertrude'', a musical about the title character based loosely on Gertrude Stein. Leach also directed works for Joseph Papp's Public Theater and the New York Shakespeare Festival, where he directed a production of '' The Pirates of Penzance'' in 1980 with

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award and three Tony Awards. In addition, he has received nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five ...

, Linda Ronstadt,

Rex Smith Rex Smith (born September 19, 1955) is an American actor and singer. Smith made his acting debut in the Broadway musical '' Grease'' in 1978. He is noted for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series '' Street Hawk;'' being the first ...

, and Patricia Routledge.Barron, Jame
"Wilford Leach, Theater Director And Papp Associate, Dies at 59"
''The New York Times'', June 21, 1988. The production transferred to Broadway with the same cast in January 1981, with

Estelle Parsons Estelle Margaret Parsons (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress, singer and stage director. After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program ''Today'' and ...

replacing Routledge. Leach won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the Broadway production in 1981. Leach directed a film version of ''The Pirates of Penzance'' in 1983 with the same cast, with Angela Lansbury replacing Parsons. Leach's additional theatre directing credits include two projects that originated at the Public and then transferred to Broadway: '' The Human Comedy'' (1984) and '' The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' (1986), for which he won his second Tony Award. While teaching at Sarah Lawrence, Leach met then-students Brian De Palma and Cynthia Munroe. In collaboration with De Palma and Munroe, he produced, directed, and wrote the screenplay for the 1969 film '' The Wedding Party'', whose cast included a young

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

and Jill Clayburgh. He also directed the films ''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the ''First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangin ...

'' (1978) with Frances Conroy for television and a straight-to-video version of '' Coriolanus'' (1979) with

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

and

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

. The protagonist of Brian De Palma's film '' Phantom of the Paradise'' (1974), Winslow Leach, is named after Wilford Leach. Leach died at the age of 58 from AIDS-related

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

in Rocky Point, New York.

References

External links

* *
Wilford Leach
at the Lortel off-Broadway Database
Wilford Leach's page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leach, Wilford American theatre directors American scenic designers American television directors College of William & Mary alumni Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from stomach cancer Drama Desk Award winners People from Petersburg, Virginia Tony Award winners Sarah Lawrence College faculty 1929 births 1988 deaths Film directors from Virginia People with HIV/AIDS