hiː wʌzɐ stˈuːdənt æt wˈɛst tʃˈɛstɚ jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ɪn pˌɛnsɪlvˈeɪniə bᵻtwˌiːn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi sˈɛvən ænd nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi nˈaɪn, wˌɛɹ hiː wʌz ˈæktɪv ɪn lˈoʊkəl θˈiəɾɚ ɡɹˈuːps, bᵻfˌoːɹ tə hɪz ɐdmˈɪʃən tə ðə jˈeɪl skˈuːl ʌv dɹˈɑːmə æz ɐ plˈeɪɹaɪɾɪŋ mˈeɪdʒɚ.
He was a student at West Chester University in Pennsylvania between 1937 and 1939, where he was active in local theater groups, before to his admission to the Yale School of Drama as a playwrighting major.