Derek McLane facts for kids

Derek McLane is a super talented set designer. He was born in London, England, on June 14, 1958. He creates amazing sets for plays, operas, and TV shows. He went to Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama to learn his craft.

A Creative Career

Derek McLane has designed sets for hundreds of shows. These include productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and even major live television events. He has won several big awards for his work. These include a Tony Award for the play 33 Variations. He also won Emmy Awards for his designs for the 2014 Oscars and Hairspray Live!. He also received an Art Directors Guild Award for the 2014 Oscars.

Some of the famous Broadway shows he designed for include:

• Moulin Rouge! (2020)
• A Soldier's Play (2020)
• Gigi (2015)
• Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (2014)
• Grease
• The Pajama Game (2006)
• I Am My Own Wife

He also designed for many Off-Broadway shows. Some of these are:

• Buried Child (2016)
• Into the Woods (2015)
• Macbeth (for Shakespeare in the Park)
• The Voysey Inheritance (2007)

Derek McLane also designed all the shows for the Sondheim Celebration. This big event happened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2002. His designs have been seen all over the world. This includes cities like London, Paris, Moscow, and Sydney.

For television, McLane designed the sets for the Academy Awards several times. He worked on the Oscars from 2013 to 2018. He also designed for popular live TV musicals. These include The Sound of Music Live!, Peter Pan Live!, and The Wiz Live!.

He has worked with many famous directors. Some of these include Alex Timbers, Kenny Leon, and James Lapine. McLane also helps guide new talent. He is on the board of directors for The New Group and Fiasco Theater Company. He also mentors young people through the Theatre Development Fund's Open Doors Program.

Derek McLane has three children with his first wife. He is now married to Sony Pictures Entertainment executive Lia Vollack.

Awards and Recognitions

Derek McLane has received many awards and nominations for his amazing set designs. Here are some of his key achievements:

• Tony Award:

* Best Scenic Design of a Musical: MOULIN ROUGE! (2021) * Best Scenic Design of a Play: 33 VARIATIONS (2009) * Nominated for MJ (2022), ANYTHING GOES (2011), RAGTIME (2010), and THE PAJAMA GAME (2006).

• Emmy Award:

* HAIRSPRAY LIVE! (2017) * 86th ACADEMY AWARDS (2014) * Nominated for 90th ACADEMY AWARDS (2018), 88th ACADEMY AWARDS (2016), and The WIZ LIVE! (2016).

• Drama Desk Award:

* MOULIN ROUGE! (2020) * ANYTHING GOES (2011) * Nominated for many other productions like FOLLIES (2012) and 33 VARIATIONS (2009).

• Art Directors Guild Award:

* 90th ACADEMY AWARDS (2019) * Excellence in Production Design (2015) * 87th ACADEMY AWARDS (2014) * Nominated for 88th ACADEMY AWARDS (2017) and HAIRSPRAY LIVE! (2017).

• Lucille Lortel Award:

* THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE (2007) * INTIMATE APPAREL (2005) * I AM MY OWN WIFE (2004) * Nominated for A LIE OF THE MIND (2010), 10 MILLION MILES (2008), and ABIGAIL'S PARTY (2006).

• OBIE Award:

* Sustained Achievement (2004 and 1997)

He has also received other awards like the Henry Hewes Design Award, Garland Award, San Diego Critics Circle Noel Award, Dora Award, Drama-Logue Award, and Audelco Award for his outstanding work.