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Campus Review
January 10, 2012
Page 10
Dr. Larry Bailey
Corse, the founder of
the Clayton State
Theatre, and its direc-
tor for 31 years, passed
away on Thursday,
Dec. 8, 2011, at the
age of 71.
Clayton State University’s second-most
senior faculty member at the time of his
June 2003 retirement, Corse was a profes-
sor of English as well as the founder and
artistic director of Clayton State Theater.
A native of Tyler, Tx., Corse earned the
following four degrees from North Texas
State University (NTSU); his Bachelor of
Music in Music Education (1962), his
Master of Music in Music Theory (1963),
his Master of Arts in English (1970), and
his Ph.D. in English Renaissance (1972).
Corse entered academia as choir director
at Randolph High School located on
Texas’ Randolph Air Force Base (1963-
1967). Next, he taught both choir and
English at Bailey Junior High, part of an
Independent School District in Arlington,
Tx. (1967-1969). Just prior to teaching at
Clayton State, Corse served as a Teaching
Fellow instructing freshman English at his
NTSU alma mater (1969-1972).
In September1972, Corse joined the fac-
ulty of Clayton State (then Clayton Junior
College) as a professor of English.
Though Corse will be remembered for his
teaching, his contributions to Clayton
State Theater will be his lasting legacy.
For 31 theater seasons, Corse was com-
mitted to both student actors/actresses and
aspiring playwrights. Time and time
again, Corse opened the stage to premiere
new works of theater, including the musi-
cal “The Day it Rained Forever,” by sci-
ence fiction author Ray Bradbury and
composer William Whitefield, and the
play “Your Name in Bold,” by former
Clayton State Biology Professor Dr. Greg
Hampikian. In total, Clayton State Theater
premiered 34 new works under his direc-
tion.
“He did carry water for our institution for
so many years, and was a presence in
Atlanta theatre in general,” says current
Clayton State Theatre Director Phillip
DePoy. “Kind of the end of an era.”
“He was a big part of my life at Clayton
State, for over a decade,” says former
Psychology professor Dr. B.D. Stillion.
“Indeed, thinking about that now, I can
honestly say that I would almost certainly
not have stayed at Clayton State for so
long, had he not so utterly welcomed me
into Clayton State Theatre.
“When I took the position, I thought of it
as a starter job, but it was the opportunity
to cross department lines and engage in
truly collaborative, truly liberal arts work
that made it feel like home.”
“How sad to lose such a great friend and
inspiration,” adds Hampikian. “Larry was
one-of-a-kind. He gave me my start as a
playwright, announcing my first play,
“Your Name in Bold,” before it was writ-
ten!
“I owe a lot to him, and I am not alone
among playwrights, actors, students and
audience members.”
The last show Corse directed, in the
spring of 2003, was Christopher Durang’s
parody “For Whom the Southern Belle
Tolls,” part of the larger production
“Short, Short, Really Short Redux.” This
production marked show number 216 of
the Clayton State Theatre, and its closing
night marked the 1,009th performance on
the Clayton State stage under Corse’s
direction.
Clayton State Notes the Passing of
Clayton State Theatre Director, Founder Dr. Larry Corse
Life’s Transitions...
Dr. Larry Corse expounding at the 30th Anniversary ceremony of the Clayton State Theatre.
Dr. Larry Corse