Ralph Lee
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Ralph Minor Lee (July 9, 1935 – May 12, 2023)
Early life and career
Lee started making puppets as a child growing up in
Upon returning to the United States and moving to New York City, Lee acted on Broadway and off-Broadway, in regional theaters, and as a member of The Open Theatre, directed by Joseph Chaikin, from 1967 to 1973.
During this time, he contributed to several
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he also started making masks, unusual props, puppets, and large figures for theater, dance, and television productions. In 1974, while teaching at Bennington College, Lee staged his first outdoor production. The production took place all over the campus and featured giant puppets and masked creatures, with a large cast of performers and musicians.
Village Halloween Parade
In 1974, Lee organized the first Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, which he directed until 1985. The parade began in the courtyard of the Westbeth Artists Community. During his time as director, the parade grew from a small community event built around his masks and figures into one of New York City's major events. The parade grew to attract over 250,000 people and media attention from around the world.[8]
Lee received a 1975
Mettawee River Theatre Company
In 1976, Lee became artistic director of the Mettawee River Theatre Company. Mettawee's productions are based on creation myths, trickster tales, Sufi stories, legends, and folklore from many other cultures. Most productions take place outdoors, in parks, public lawns, fields, and town greens, and incorporate masks, puppetry, visual effects, and live music. Each summer, Mettawee gives over twenty-five performances in upstate New York and New England, traveling to rural communities that have no other exposure to live theater.
The company has also appeared at many festivals, including the 1991 New York International Festival of the Arts, the New Theater Festival in Baltimore, the Universiade in Edmonton, Alberta, the National Puppetry Festival in San Luis Obispo, California and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and on a month-long tour of Alaska. Since 1984, the company has been finishing their summer tours with a performance in the garden of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Notable productions
In 1986, the company performed The North Wind at La MaMa. The work was based on a Yupik Eskimo story, as written by Dave Hunsaker and with music by Barbara Pollitt. The company at that time consisted of Valois Mickens, Willie C. Barnes, Lenny Bart, Christine Campbell, Shelley Fine, and Elliot Scott.[9]
Heart of the Earth, which was developed by Lee with the company in 1993, was then produced by
Mettawee's 1999/2000 production of Molière's Psyche was presented at the Henson International Festival of Puppetry Arts in New York City and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
Funding and awards
The company has received funding from the
Mettawee has received an Obie, two Citations for Excellence from UNIMA-USA, and two American Theatre Wing design awards.
Other work
Work with Mayan writer's collective
Lee went to San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas in February 1989 to work with the Mayan writer's collective Sna Jtz ‘Ibajom. He was invited by Robert Laughlin, anthropologist with the Smithsonian Institution. He then traveled there annually for twelve years, each year creating a new theater piece with the group, drawn from their folk material or the current political situation. The pieces have been performed extensively, within that community as well as throughout Mexico, in Honduras, Florida, and at the Mexican Museum and Cultural Center in Chicago.
In January 2001, he directed a bilingual adaptation of their 2000 play El Origin de Maiz. The show was produced by the outreach program of the La Jolla Playhouse for an eight-week tour of schools and community centers throughout southern California. Lee has received grants from Fideicomiso Para la Cultura Comision (1993), Arts International (1992, 2002) and DTW's Suitcase Fund (1992) for this work.
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
Lee was an artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine since 1984. At the Cathedral, he directed and designed the Mummer's Play for the Boar's Head Festival, directed plays for the Feast of Saint Francis, and provided staging for Johann Sebastian Bach's St. John Passion and the visual finale for Paul Winter's Carnival. His giant creatures roam through the Cathedral as the finale for the annual Halloween event. The Wildman, a co-production of the Mettawee River Company and the Cathedral, was performed at the Cathedral in the fall of 1987.
Additional projects
Lee's creations were a central part of the
Lee created masks for major theater and dance companies, including the
Exhibitions, teaching, residencies, and recognition
From February through May 1998, the
In addition to
Lee had residencies at the
Lee received several awards, including a 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship, a 1996 New York State Governor's Arts Award, and a 1996 DTW Bessie Award. His individual grants have included Dancing in the Streets (1996), Art Matters (1995), the Beard's Fund (1980), and a CAPS Grant (1975).
Death
Lee died in Manhattan on May 12, 2023, at the age of 87.[1][10]
References
- ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (16 May 2023). "Ralph Lee, Father of Puppets and a New York Parade, Dies at 87". The New York Times.
- ^ La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Niagara Falls (1967)". Accessed August 15, 2018.
- ^ La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Two by Maria Irene Fornes (1969)". Accessed August 15, 2018.
- ^ La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Ark (1974)". Accessed August 15, 2018.
- ^ La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Rat's Mass, A (1976)". Accessed August 15, 2018.
- ^ La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Orfei (1986)". Accessed August 15, 2018.
- ^ La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: The Summer Face Woman (1988)". Accessed August 15, 2018.
- ^ Jacobs, Andrew (1995). "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: GREENWICH VILLAGE; The Parade: Too, too? Or Too Much?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: North Wind, The (1986)". Accessed August 15, 2018.
- ^ Evans, Greg (17 May 2023). "Ralph Lee Dies: 'SNL' Land Shark Creator Was 87". Deadline. Retrieved 17 May 2023.