Ithaca College

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Earl McCarroll, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Theatre Arts.

Earl McCarroll began teaching at Ithaca College in 1971, after serving as the director of drama at Duke University. McCarroll was dedicated to bringing Shakespeare back to IC, where there hadn’t been a Shakespeare production in 20 years. During his tenure at Ithaca College, he directed 30 shows, 13 of which were written by Shakespeare. With Leslie Bennett from the School of Music, he began an opera-musical theater workshop, which grew and split into the two workshops now offered. In 1983, he received a Dana Fellowship for outstanding teaching. “Almost every single performance and drama major learned about Shakespeare from Earl – in addition to so many other lessons in productions he directed.  He fostered a level of curiosity about the text, and helped us achieve truth in our acting whether we were interpreting ancient texts or contemporary comedies,” wrote Catherine Weidner, ’85 Acting alum and currently the chair of the Department of Theatre Arts.

Susannah Berryman, associate professor in the Department of Theatre Arts, says, “Earl McCarroll was beloved and revered by generations of students. For some he was a lifetime mentor, and many give him credit as the person whose teachings empowered them to make a career in the theatre.”

On extended sabbatical, he played Chaucer in Canterbury Tales on Broadway, toured with John Raitt in Carousel and Shenandoah, and directed Scott Bakula off-Broadway in The Hope Chest by Robert Johanson '73. After creating the role off-Broadway of Bronte in Masterpieces, by Arthur Bicknell '73, he directed the play at IC. For several years he was artistic director of the State Shakespearean Theater of Maine, where IC students worked each summer, some receiving their Equity cards. CCH Pounder '75, Polly Pen '76, and Laverne Light '42 were there, and so was lighting designer Paul Gallo '74, who had his first professional position.

“I left my library and a large part of my heart with the Department of Theatre Arts, the Hangar and Kitchen Theatres, the School of Music, and the Ithaca Opera,” McCarroll shared. During the 2010 remodel of Dillingham Center, he was honored with the Earl McCarroll Studio Theatre.

In his memory, we invite you to donate to the Earl McCarroll Fund, which you can do at give.ithaca.edu, designating the gift to the Earl McCarroll Fund.  Checks could be mailed to attention of Gift Processing at Ithaca College, 953 Danby Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850.  The Earl McCarroll Fund supports professional development opportunities for theatre arts students.