Legendary theatre designer Ming Cho Lee became the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Henry Hewes Design Awards. Lee, who has designed more than 300 shows across the globe, won a Tony Award in 1983 for K2 and taught for 48 years at the Yale School of Drama. He was also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Tony in 2013.
The 54th annual luncheon ceremony was held October 22, when the award was officially renamed the Ming Cho Lee Award for Lifetime Achievement In Design.
"Ming Cho Lee has been one of the most creative and inspirational set designers in the theatre world for more than 50 years," said Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, chairman of the Henry Hewes Design Awards. "It is an honor to bestow upon him the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Henry Hewes Design Awards."
Lee has previously won three Henry Hewes Design Awards: the first for the 1964 production of Electra at Shakespeare in the Park, the second for Ergo in 1968 at the Public Theater, and the last for K2 in 1983, for which he also won Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Lee is also a member of the Theater Hall of Fame and holds five honorary degrees.
The Henry Hewes Design Awards also honored David Zinn (scenic design for SpongeBob SquarePants), Emily Rebholz (costume design for The Low Road at the Public Theater), Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (lighting design for KPOP at Ars Nova), and Palmer Hefferan (sound design for Today Is My Birthday, Page 73 Productions).
Flip through photos of the night below:
