Edgar Loessin

Image source: Departmental changes

Edgar Loessin, the founder of ECU’s School of Theatre and Dance, was born on November 4th, 1928 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas. As a child, he acted in a Texas children’s musical and watched traveling “medicine shows.” He worked backstage in Houston-area dramatic productions under the direction of Nina Vance, which encouraged him to study drama rather than becoming a petroleum engineer, his initial plan.

After high school, Loessin attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on the Kay Kaiser Theatre Scholarship (which he held for two years). He earned a B.A. in Dramatic Arts at the university in 1951, before enlisting for a two-year stint in the US Army. While stationed at Fort Holabird in Maryland, he also served as a part-time theatre instructor at a Baltimore area school.

After his military service, Loessin enrolled in the Yale Drama School, earning a MFA in 1954. During this time, he directed off-Broadway plays in New York City, and worked as the stage manager for Carol Channing’s Show Girl as well as the national tour of Gypsy. He followed those gigs with a six-month stint in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 1962, President Dr. Leo Jenkins asked Loessin to create and chair the Department of Drama and Speech at East Carolina College. During the program’s first year, Loessin and John Sneden, the scenic designer, were the department’s only faculty members. Over the years, more faculty members were added to the program, and in 1997, the department’s name was changed to the Department of Theatre and Dance. Loessin oversaw several milestones of East Carolina’s theatre program, including the formal opening of an expanded and renovated Messick Theatre.

The Summer Theatre began in 1964 producing six major musicals, resulting in recognition for the department and increasing student enrollment. In 1967, Loessin married actress Amanda Meiggs, who also became an integral part of ECU’s drama team. Over the years, he worked with several notable performers including Beth Grant, Connie Ray, and Sandra Bullock. After retiring in 1991, and receiving Professor Emeritus status, Loessin moved to Norfolk, Virginia and worked as an arts reviewer for a local radio station, WHRO-FM.

For his work in North Carolina Theater, Loessin received The O. Max Gardner Award, The Roanoke Island Morrison Award, and The Playmakers Outstanding Alumni Award. In 2001, East Carolina University renamed its producing theatre organizations to The ECU/Loessin Playhouse and the ECU/Loessin Summer Theatre. Loessin passed away on Friday, April 22, 2011 and was cremated shortly thereafter.

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