Abe Jacob To Receive Ming Cho Lee Award at 59th Annual Henry Hewes Design Awards

Legendary sound designer Abe Jacob will be honored with the Ming Cho Lee Award for Lifetime Achievement in Design bestowed by the Henry Hewes Design Awards at the 59th annual ceremony October 23, in New York. Jacob, known as the “Godfather of Sound,” has had a profound impact on the aural experience of Broadway audiences and concertgoers for five decades.

"We are delighted to celebrate the extraordinary career in sound design that Abe Jacob has created,” said Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, chairman of The Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee. “Abe is a heroic figure of the past 50 years in live sound reproduction and we are proud to present him with the 2023 Ming Cho Lee Award for Lifetime Achievement in Design."

Abe Jacob:

The remarkable career of Abe Jacob has spanned five decades and his achievements in theatre sound design virtually brought the field into existence. Major Broadway, touring and world-wide production credits include:  HAIR, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, PIPPIN, SEESAW, MACK AND MABEL, ROCKY HORROR SHOW, A CHORUS LINE , CHICAGO, THE ACT, DANCIN', Gilda Radner-LIVE FROM NEW YORK, EVITA, WOMAN OF THE YEAR, CATS, BIG DEAL, The Gershwins' FASCINATING RHYTHM and RAIN. At New York City Opera, his work there included productions of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, 110 IN THE SHADE, DIE SOLDATEN, HARVEY MILK, SWEENEY TODD and more. Abe was the creative consultant for the Broadway Sound Master Class and has mentored several generations of talented sound designers, many of whom are Broadway's top theatrical sound designers today. He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2022.

About Ming Cho Lee

Legendary theatre designer Ming Cho Lee was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Henry Hewes Design Awards, and the award was renamed for him at that presentation ceremony. Lee, who designed more than 300 productions across the globe, received 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 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2013.

Lee was honored with three other Henry Hewes Design Awards: the first for the 1964 production of Electra for 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 received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics' Circle Awards. Lee, who passed in 2020, was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the National Medal of Arts in 2002.

About Henry Hewes Design Awards:

These annual awards honor designers for work in venues on Broadway, off Broadway and off-off Broadway, recognizing not only such categories as Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design, Sound Design and Media Design but also “Notable Effects,” which encompass music, puppetry, and other creative elements. All nominated designs must have originated in United States productions. The Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee annually considers more than 200 productions when making its nominations.

Known as the Maharam Awards at their inception in 1965, the Hewes Awards were later renamed the American Theatre Wing Design Awards in honor of the Wing's generous sponsorship. In 1999, they became the Henry Hewes Design Awards to honor noted critic Henry Hewes, who created and nurtured the awards until his death in 2006 at age 89

The Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee includes theater critics Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, chair; David Barbour; David Cote; Naveen Kumar; Brittani Samuel; Helen Shaw; and Martha Wade Steketee. The awards are sponsored by the Henry Hewes Foundation for the Theater Arts.