O'Horgan and Stewart decided to create a workshop to develop the particular type of actors needed for La MaMa's productions. O'Horgan went on to direct the La MaMa Troupe from 1965 to 1969. This decision was initiated by the experience of working on "Three from La MaMa" with National Educational Television. "Three from La MaMa" was a television program of three La MaMa theatre pieces: "Pavane" by Jean-Claude van Itallie; "Fourteen Hundred Thousand" by Sam Shepard; and "The Recluse" by Paul Foster. The executive director of National Educational Television, Brice Howard, would not allow any La MaMa actors to perform in "Three from La MaMa". Howard declared that the La MaMa actors were too inexperienced, which led Stewart and O'Horgan to start the actor-training workshop.