His directing style was described as "bold" by the New York Times, and his work was considered part of the first- and second-generation of the regional theater movement of the 1960s and late 1980s.
He was the founding Artistic Director of the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island from 1963-1986, and the Artistic Director of Dallas Theater Center in Dallas, Texas from 1983-1989.
He is considered to have created major and divisive change within both institutions.