News on your favorite shows, specials & more!
Mimi Lien Headshot

Mimi Lien

Get Mimi Lien Email Alerts

Be the first to get news, photos, videos & more.

BIO

Mimi Lien is a designer of sets/environments for theater, dance, and opera. Arriving at set design from a background in architecture, her work often focuses on the interaction between audience/environment and object/performer. She is an artistic associate with Pig Iron Theatre Company, and co-founder of JACK, a performance/art space in Brooklyn. Recent work includes Signature Plays, John (Signature Theatre), War, Preludes (LCT3), The Oldest Boy (Lincoln Center), Black Mountain Songs (BAM/Brooklyn Youth Chorus), Appropriate (Mark Taper Forum), and An Octoroon (Soho Rep/TFANA). Mimi's designs for dance have been presented in the Netherlands, Russia, and Taiwan, and her stage designs have been exhibited in the Prague Quadrennial. Lien is a recipient of the Joan and Joseph F. Cullman Award for Extraordinary Creativity at Lincoln Center, Lucille Lortel Award, American Theatre Wing Hewes Design Award, LA Drama Critics Circle Award, Barrymore Award, OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence, and a 2015 MacArthur Fellowship.

Photos

Productions

 
[Broadway, 2024]
Scenic Design
 
[Broadway, 2023]
Scenic Design
 
[Off-Broadway, 2022]
Set Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2022]
Scenic Designer
Scenic Design [Replacement]
 
[Boston, 2019]
Scenic Designer
 
[Broadway, 2018] [Replacement]
Set Design[Replacement]
 
[Broadway, 2018]
Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2018]
Set Designer
 
[Broadway, 2016]
Set Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2016]
Scenic Design
 
[Off-Broadway, 2016]
Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2015]
Scenic Design
 
[Off-Broadway, 2015]
Set Design
 
[Off-Broadway, 2014]
Set Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2014]
Set Design
 
[Off-Broadway, 2014]
Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2013]
Set Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2013]
Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2013]
Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2013]
Set Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2012]
Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2011]
Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2011]
Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2008]
Scenic Designer
 
[Broadway, 2008]
Assistant Scenic Designer
 
[Off-Broadway, 2007]
Scenic Designer

Awards and Nominations

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2023 - Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical)

Mimi Lien, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tony Awards - 2023 - Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Mimi Lien, Sweeney Todd

Drama Desk Awards - 2019 - Outstanding Set Design of a Play

Mimi Lien, Fairview


winner
BroadwayWorld Awards - 2017 - Best Scenic Design

Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2017 - Outstanding Set Design for a Musical

Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812


winner
Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2017 - Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical)

Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

The Lortels - 2017 - Outstanding Scenic Design

Mimi Lien, Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro


winner
Tony Awards - 2017 - Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Drama Desk Awards - 2016 - Outstanding Set Design for a Play

Mimi LienJohn

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2016 - Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical)

Mimi Lien, John

The Lortels - 2016 - Outstanding Scenic Design

Mimi Lien, John

Drama Desk Awards - 2015 - Outstanding Set Design

Mimi Lien, An Octoroon


winner
The Lortels - 2014 - Outstanding Scenic Design

Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

Drama Desk Awards - 2013 - Outstanding Set Design

Mimi Lien, The Whale


winner
The Hewes Awards - 2013 - Hewes Design Award

Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812


winner
Obie Awards - 2012 - Sustained Excellence of Set Design

Mimi Lien


winner
Obie Awards - 2012 - Sustained Excellence of Set Design

Mimi Lien

Videos

News


Soho Rep Will Pay Tribute to Walkerspace With SOHO REP IS NOT A BUILDING. SOHO REP HAD A BUILDING…
by Stephi Wild - Jan 15, 2025

Walkerspace (1991-2024), Soho Rep’s 65-seat venue at 46 Walker Street, will be laid to rest this January 2025. Celebrate the space with an special tribute event this week.
Last Chance To Vote for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Boston Awards; EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL HD at BCA Plaza Theatre Leads Best Musical!
by BWW Awards - Dec 27, 2024

This is the last chance to vote for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Boston Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
Final Week To Vote for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Boston Awards; BCA Plaza Theatre Leads Favorite Local Theatre!
by BWW Awards - Dec 23, 2024

This is the final week to vote for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Boston Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
Vote For The 2024 BroadwayWorld Boston Awards; EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL HD at BCA Plaza Theatre Leads Best Musical!
by BWW Awards - Dec 16, 2024

Voting continues for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Boston Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
Latest Standings Announced For The 2024 BWW Boston Awards
by BWW Awards - Dec 9, 2024

Don't miss your chance to vote for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Boston Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
GIVE ME CARMELITA TROPICANA! Extends for Final Time at Soho Rep
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 20, 2024

Soho Rep will present a second and final extension of its highly acclaimed world premiere production of Alina Troyano (aka Carmelita Tropicana) and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Give Me Carmelita Tropicana!. Learn how to purchase tickets.
Interview: Jen Coogan Highlights Female Songwriters with THE WOMEN IN THEATRE PROJECT at 54 Below
by Rebecca Kaplan - Oct 13, 2024

Part love letter, part musical, part documentary, The Women in Theatre Project celebrates the craft of theatre making, and the women behind the art form. It will play at NYC’s 54 Below on October 19th, 2024 at 9:30 pm. Read a conversation with songwriter Coogan about the inspiration behind the show.
Linda Eder, Melba Moore, and More Set for 54 Below Next Week
by Blair Ingenthron - Oct 12, 2024

Next week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club and 2022 Tony Awards Honoree for Excellence in the Theatre, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. 54 Below celebrates Broadway musicals and writers of the past and present, promoting an ongoing engagement with their work.
The Met: Live in HD to Continue with Jeanine Tesori's GROUNDED
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 7, 2024

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024–25 Live in HD season will continue with two-time Tony Award–winning composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist George Brant’s new opera, Grounded. Learn more about the opera and see how to watch!
THE WOMEN IN THEATRE PROJECT to Play 54 Below This Month
by Blair Ingenthron - Oct 5, 2024

The Women in Theatre Project, part love letter, part musical, part documentary, will celebrate the craft of theatre-making, and the women behind the art form at 54 BELOW on October 19th, 2024 at 9:30 p.m.
See Linda Eder, Beth Leavel and More at 54 Below in October
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 27, 2024

Next month, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. See Linda Eder, Beth Leavel and more! See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets.
Review: Girl Meets Drone in Tesori-Brant GROUNDED for Met Opening Night
by Richard Sasanow - Sep 24, 2024

A match made in heaven? Girl meets boy. Girl meets baby. Girl meets drone. Girl meets court-martial.
Review Roundup: Jeanine Tesori's GROUNDED Opens at the Met Opera
by Joshua Wright - Sep 24, 2024

Jeanine Tesori and Director Michael Mayer's production of Grounded, based on librettist George Brant’s acclaimed play, is now on stage at the Met Opera. Check out all the reviews.
THE WOMEN IN THEATRE PROJECT Announced At 54 Below
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 24, 2024

54 BELOW will present The Women in Theatre Project on October 19th, 2024. Based on personal interviews with prominent women in the theatre industry, this show delves into the highs and lows of the creative process, and highlights the fundamentals of what it takes to be a healthy and successful artist. 
The Metropolitan Opera to Open 2024â€"25 Season With Jeanine Tesori's GROUNDED
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 21, 2024

The Metropolitan Opera's 2024–25 season opens with the company premiere of GROUNDED. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.
Review: American Repertory Theater's GATSBY is Great
by R. Scott Reedy - Jun 27, 2024

The new musical Gatsby, being given its world premiere by the American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge through August 3, isn’t just great, it’s spectacular.
Review: TINY FATHER at The Geffen Playhouse
by Andrew Child - Jun 22, 2024

Mike Lew’s two-hander feels ‘of a time’— and it is impressive how quickly these plays that seem to cater to the art sector’s regrowth post-quarantine both in content and structure already feel stale and dated.
The Santa Fe Opera to Present 19th World Premiere THE RIGHTEOUS
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 18, 2024

The Santa Fe Opera will present its 19th world premiere, featuring an all-star cast and the work of composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith. Learn how to purchase tickets.
GATSBY, with Music by Florence Welch, Begins Performances at A.R.T.
by Blair Ingenthron - May 26, 2024

The Great Gatsby begins performances at A.R.T today, May 26th, with an opening night scheduled for June 5th. The production will run through August 3rd.
World Premiere of GATSBY at A.R.T. Pushes First Preview Date
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 23, 2024

The world premiere musical Gatsby at A.R.T. will now begin previews on May 26. Learn more about the show.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What awards has Mimi Lien been nominated for?

Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Sweeney Todd, Outstanding Set Design of a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Fairview, Best Scenic Design (BroadwayWorld Awards) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Outstanding Set Design for a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Outstanding Scenic Design (The Lortels) for Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro, Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Outstanding Set Design for a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for John, Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for John, Outstanding Scenic Design (The Lortels) for John, Outstanding Set Design (Drama Desk Awards) for An Octoroon, Outstanding Scenic Design (The Lortels) for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Outstanding Set Design (Drama Desk Awards) for The Whale, Hewes Design Award (The Hewes Awards) for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Sustained Excellence of Set Design (Obie Awards) and Sustained Excellence of Set Design (Obie Awards).

What awards has Mimi Lien won?

Mimi Lien has won several awards, including: - Best Scenic Design (BroadwayWorld Awards) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Outstanding Set Design for a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Outstanding Scenic Design (The Lortels) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Hewes Design Award (The Hewes Awards) for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Sustained Excellence of Set Design (Obie Awards) In total, she has received recognition for Sustained Excellence of Set Design (Obie Awards).

Get Mimi Lien Email Alerts

Be the first to get news, photos, videos & more.

Videos