He first worked on Broadway as a second assistant set designer to Jo Mielziner on The Most Happy Fella in 1956. Lee's first Broadway play as Scenic Designer was The Moon Besieged in 1962; he went on to design the sets for over 20 Broadway shows, including Mother Courage and Her Children, King Lear, The Glass Menagerie, The Shadow Box, and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, a Helen Hayes Award, and in 1983 he received a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for K2. He also designed sets for opera (including eight productions for the Metropolitan Opera and thirteen for the New York City Opera, ballet, and regional theatres such as Arena Stage, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Guthrie Theater.
He designed over 30 productions for Joseph Papp at The Public Theater, including the original Off-Broadway production of Hair (musical). Since 1969, Lee has taught at the Yale School of Drama, where he was co-chair of the Design Department. In February 2017, he announced that he would be retiring at the end of the fall semester.
Ming Cho Lee
Ming Cho LeeDon Carlos
Ming Cho LeeK2
Ming Cho LeeThe Merchant of Venice
Ming Cho LeeMourning Becomes Electra
Ming Cho LeeMacbeth
Ming Cho Lee, K2
Ming Cho Lee, K2
Ming Cho Lee, K2
Ming Cho Lee, K2
Ming Cho Lee, Ergo
Ming Cho Lee, Electra
Ming Cho Lee has been nominated for various awards throughout his career, including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre at the Tony Awards. He has also received nominations for Outstanding Set Design in Resident Productions at the Helen Hayes Awards for productions such as "Don Carlos," "K2," "The Merchant of Venice," "Mourning Becomes Electra," and "Macbeth." Additionally, he was nominated for Outstanding Set Design at the Drama Desk Awards for "K2," and for Best Set and Lighting Design at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for the same production. Lee's work on "K2" also earned him recognition for Scenic Design at The Hewes Awards and a nomination for Best Scenic Design at the Tony Awards. He has received further nominations for Scenic Design at The Hewes Awards for "Ergo" and "Electra."
Ming Cho Lee has won several prestigious awards throughout his career, including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, Outstanding Set Design at the Drama Desk Awards for "K2," Best Set and Lighting Design at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for "K2," Scenic Design at The Hewes Awards for "K2," Best Scenic Design at the Tony Awards for "K2," Scenic Design at The Hewes Awards for "Ergo," and Scenic Design at The Hewes Awards for "Electra."
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