Editor: Keith Davis Writers: Alex Dippold, Dave Maley Publisher: Office of Public Information Volume 22, No.16   April 24, 2000

Tony Award–Winning Scenic Designer to Speak Ming Cho Lee, whom theater historian and critic Arnold Aronson called "the single most influential force in American stage design," will speak on Thursday, April 27. The presentation, "An Informal Talk on the State of American Theater," will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Hoerner Theatre in the Dillingham Center for Performing Arts. The talk is free and open to the public. Born in Shanghai in 1930, Lee moved to California in 1949. He began his education in this country as an art student at Occidental College but soon switched his major to theater. After a year of graduate school at UCLA he moved to New York to begin his designing career. His first design on Broadway was for The Moon Besieged in 1962, and two years later his set of a production of Sophocles’ Electra was considered a landmark. "With its multileveled thrust stage and three highly textured, emblematic scenic pieces hanging from a pipe-batten gridwork," wrote Arnold Aronson, "this set marked a turning point in American stage design." In addition to designing for Broadway, Lee has produced sets for the ballet, opera, and many regional theaters. In 1983 he won a Tony Award for his design of K2, Patrick Meyer’s drama about two Americans trying to climb the world’s second highest peak. Lee’s many other honors include a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award. He is currently the Donald M. Oenslager Professor (Adjunct) of Design at the Yale School of Drama. For more information call Cynthia Folkers in the Department of Theatre Arts at 274-3915.

ITHACA | Back Issues | Table of Contents | NEWS Home | Publication Schedule | Letter to the Editor Created by Andrejs Ozolins. Updated 10. May. 2000