Ming Cho Lee

Ming Cho Lee (b. 1930) is one of the most acclaimed living set designers in the United States. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2002 and the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2013, Lee was born in Shanghai and lived in Hong Kong during his childhood, later moving to the U.S. in 1949 to attend Occidental College and UCLA. Lee started his career on Broadway as a second assistant set designer to Jo Mielziner, often described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway." Lee’s work progressed to designing sets for over twenty Broadway shows, including The Glass Menagerie, King Lear, and The Shadow Box. He also designed countless more sets for the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, ballet, and regional theatres. Lee served on the faculty at Yale School of Drama from 1969 to 2017, and was formerly the co-chair of the Design Department. On March 18th, 2016, MOCA had the opportunity to sit down with Lee to discuss the impact of his childhood experiences, especially those of his mother taking him to the theater and movies, his time attending Occidental College, and his determination to become a major theater set designer. MOCA featured an exhibition in 2016 with Lee’s set designs, and currently preserves a video recording of his oral history as part of our collection.