Myrna Colley-Lee is a scenic and costume designer born in 1941 in North Carolina. She received her MFA in scenic and costume design from Temple University. Some of her notable productions include Relativity, The Piano Lesson, and Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White. Colley-Lee believes that thorough research is important for plays to create a complete world and assist actors in their performances. As a designer, the goal is to have a style that is both fast and informative to help produce shows, not just create fine art pieces. Costume design differs from clothing design in that costumes need to withstand wear and tear from frequent cleaning and use.

1. Myrna Colley-LeeMyrna Colley-Lee

2. BackgroundBackground
● born in 1941 at Hamlett,
N.C
● received her M.F.A. in
Scenic and Costume
Design from Temple
University
● Relativity, The Piano
Lesson, Wedding Band: A
Love/Hate Story in Black
and White

3. " Theater is all about the suspension of disbelief and
creating your own world. A play is always a world -- a
complete and concise unit; the more you research, the
more informed the production and the more it assists
the actors, and therefore, makes it a more valid
experience for the audience. "
-Myrna

4. Production photo for Importance of Being Earnest, 1986,
Smith College

5. Production photo for Importance of Being Earnest,
1986, Smith College

6. Renderings for Cyrano de Bergerac
“Here's the conflict: as an artist, you often get caught up in the rendering, because art is what you like to
produce. As a designer,it's a practical discipline. It's toward an end -- for a show to be produced -- not to
have a finished piece of fine art. The goal is to develop a style that is both fast and informative. However, as
a historical record of what you have done, expanding your portfolio, you often want it to be wonderful.”
-Myrna

7. Lion and the Jewel

8. ““Costumes for theater are built for longevity,Costumes for theater are built for longevity,
They have to withstand the wear and tear andThey have to withstand the wear and tear and
constant cleaning. Building a costume is notconstant cleaning. Building a costume is not
dressmaking. Costume design is not clothingdressmaking. Costume design is not clothing
design. The purposes are different. Building adesign. The purposes are different. Building a
costume involves using much larger seams,costume involves using much larger seams,
backing the material with muslin or some otherbacking the material with muslin or some other
facing to give it more stability.”facing to give it more stability.”
-Myrna-Myrna