Mimi Lien (born 1976) is a Chinese American set designer, best known for the scenic design of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. In 2017, she received a Tony Award for her work with the Broadway production. Lien is also a 2015 recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship.

Education

Lien graduated from Yale University in 1997, and she then attended New York University, where she earned her MFA in design from Tisch School of the Arts in 2003. Much of Lien's education is centered around architecture, which contributes to the large scale of her set designs. She has designed over 100 shows, operas, and installations, including two Broadway premieres. Lien is currently teaching as an adjunct professor in Set Design at NYU Tisch.

Lien is married to writer and director Alec Duffy. Together, Lien and Duffy are co-founders of JACK, a performing arts space in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

Theater

  • An Octoroon (2015)
  • Preludes (2015)
  • The Long Walk Opera (2015)
  • John (2015)
  • Memory Palace (2015)
  • Lost in the Meadow (2015)
  • War (2016)
  • A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (2016)
  • Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (2016)
  • Pelleas et Melisande (2017)
  • Four Nights of Dream (2017)
  • A Period of Animate Existence (2017)
  • Memoirs of a Unicorn
  • Fairview (2018)
  • Lifespan of a Fact (2018)
  • True West (2018)
  • Die Zauberflöte (2019)
  • The Secret Life of Bees (2019)
  • Fairview (2019)
  • Superterranean (2019)
  • The Thin Place (2019)
  • Moby-Dick (2019)
  • Help (2020)
  • Love Unpunished (2021)
  • Suffragist (2022)
  • Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023)

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2014Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Scenic DesignNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812Won
2015MacArthur Fellowship
2016Obie AwardSpecial Citation for CollaborationJohn by Annie Baker
2017Tony AwardBest Scenic Design in a MusicalNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Set Design
Outer Critics Circle Award
Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Scenic DesignSignature PlaysNominated
2019Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Set DesignFairviewNominated
2023Tony AwardBest Scenic Design in a MusicalSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetNominated

See also

External links