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Eugene Lee, set designer for Wicked and Saturday Night Live Monday, April 30 Eugene Lee, legendary Broadway set designer, has won three Tony Awards for his work on Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, and Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. Lee has also served as the production designer for Saturday Night Live for more than forty years since its 1975 premiere. Lee described his Saturday Night Live work week in an interview with Deadline.com. "On a typical show, we probably have six or seven sets, easily. These days, it�s changing so fast�we can do whole things, and then it�s cut in a second. It has nothing to do with how good we make it look, or how complex it is; if Lorne [Michaels] isn�t happy with it, it just gets cut." Lee has also served as set designer for late-night shows featuring SNL alums, including The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Previous Burian Lecture guests include Tina Howe, John Lahr, Harold Gould, Ruby Dee, Wallance Shawn, Michael Mayer, A.R. Gurney, Rita Moreno, and Chris Durang, among others. See the complete list of Burian Lecture guests. The program is cosponsored by the Jarka and Grayce Burian Endowment and UAlbany’s Theatre Program. The late Jarka Burian taught in the Theatre Department at UAlbany from 1955 to 1993. He was the leading American scholar of Czech theatre and the author of the award-winning book The Scenography of Josef Svoboda, a seminal critical study of the work of one of the twentieth century's most influential theatrical designers. Grayce Susan Burian, who received her M.A. degree from UAlbany and also taught there, is best known for her long tenure as the director of the theatre program, which she founded, at Schenectady County Community College. For additional information, contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620.
The Saturday Night Live set designed by Eugene Lee. 
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