Unlike Steven Stoli, who began his career at the age of 7, Larry laid around the house until he was 9.  Realizing that Larry needed something to do, his father, a former member of a New York harmonica band (which later became The Harmonicats), taught him how to play the harmonica. By the age of 11, Larry was playing classical music and entered the "Alvin’s Harmonica" Talent Contest held at the Woodlawn Theatre, where he won first prize – a 1 year free pass to the theatre.  Now he was hooked, and it was during that year that Larry discovered the first three loves of his life – music, movies . . . and the ladyfingers he would buy from Mrs. Schneider’s Bakery across the street.

Somewhere between the movies and the ladyfingers, Larry’s father began taking him to rehearsals of the plays he was performing in at the Synagogue, and Larry now found another love – live theatre.  At the age of 12, Larry adapted and directed one of his father’s plays for his sixth grade class – a musical parody of Cinderella.  It was a huge success, and Larry was hooked again.  He then began to pursue his career in music and theatre by performing in small supper clubs with his own quartet as well as participating in theatrical productions in high school and college.

Following college, Larry’s career turned to raising a family and to business.  He became an accountant and software developer, and gave up his love of show business in favor of a more economically stable lifestyle and a family.  But in the winter of 1992, all of this changed when Larry’s wife Sandy joined Steven Stoli Productions as a performer, and his interest in theater peaked again.

Larry’s association with the Stoli organization officially began in early 1994 when the sound and lights man for the Hang ‘Em High show became ill. Larry volunteered to step in, and having been hooked once again, he has had no desire to step out.  He became the organization’s sound designer, and has since designed and/or engineered the sound for most of the Playhouse and BackYard Theatre shows.  In early 1997, he directed his first show for the Playhouse – Wait Until Dark.  It broke all previous box office records, and Larry says that, "having Steven Stoli in the cast boosted my comfort level and gave me a great deal of confidence in putting the show together."  Those feelings carried over to early 1998 when Larry took twelve of the best actresses in town along with his own stage-friendly adaptation of the 1957 film Twelve Angry Men, and directed it for the Playhouse as Twelve Angry Women.  Another hit – another hook!  Larry has since directed over 40 productions for The Playhouse including such crowd pleasing comedies as Harvey, Little Old Ladies in Tennis Shoes, 7 Nuns In Las Vegas, Divorce Southern Style, Meshuggah-Nuns and Those Crazy Old Ladies In The House On The Corner , poignant productions such as Everybody Has To Be Somebody, Laura and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, and the one man shows Robeson and Looking Over The President’s Shoulder, which earned a place in the Express-News's "Cream of the Crop" for 2004.  He has won numerous Globes for Directing and Sound Design and has also performed several times in Playhouse productions.  He also co-wrote "The War of The Worlds – The Panic Broadcast" which was broadcast live on KTSA in 1998, and he served as head writer for our first two Home For The Holidays shows.  When he’s not busy writing, directing or engineering sound, Larry assists with the company’s accounting operations, maintains the organization’s computer network and website (www.stolientertainment.com), and he is currently developing an automated reservations system for The Playhouse and BackYard Theatre.

"Had you told me ten years ago that I would be making a living today doing what I love, I would have laughed out loud," Larry says.  "I consider each new assignment a "gift" – another opportunity to practice my art and to have an impact on people’s lives.  It’s tremendously rewarding!  When I see people leaving our theatre with smiles on their faces or joyful tears in their eyes, I know that in some small way I’ve entertained them – that I’ve made a difference.  And that is the greatest hook of all."

Email:  larry@stolientertainment.com