Ming Chen

Ming Chen (Professor, Resident Designer)

M.F.A. Stage Design/Theory, Shanghai Theatre Academy
M.A. Theatrical Production, University of Pittsburgh
B.F.A. Stage Design, Shanghai Theatre Academy
Areas of Emphasis: Scenic Design; Costume Design

Ming Chen is a tenured full professor and resident theatrical designer with 24 years of university teaching experience and three years of full time professional theatre experience. Born in Shanghai, China, she received her two master's degrees in Stage Design/Theory and in Theatrical Production from Shanghai Theatre Academy and the University of Pittsburgh respectively. She had worked at the Shakespeare Theatre at Folger in Washington, D.C. and Shanghai Youth Theatre Company in Shanghai and taught at SUNY at Buffalo in New York as well as Shanghai Theatre Academy in Shanghai before moving to Kennesaw, Georgia.

As a scenic designer, Ming Chen's table works have been displayed at the Prague Quadrennial (co-design), Czechoslovakia, the USITT Design Expo in Long Beach, California, and China's National Stage Design Exhibition in Beijing and Tokyo. Her designs were seen at Atlanta Ballet, the national gala performances of the American College Dance Festivals at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Miller Theatre in New York City, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, the Shanghai International Arts Festival and Shanghai Theatre Festival in China. In addition, her works were commissioned by many professional theatres in Atlanta including the Alliance Theatre Company, the Horizon Theatre Company, 7 Stages and Theatre in the Square, as well as university theatres such as SUNY at Buffalo and Cornell University in New York.

As a scholar, Ming Chen is the author of Visual Literacy for Theatre, a 565-page textbook on design (published in 2011). She is also the main contributor to ArtsTrends USA. a 347-page bilingual book on theatrical and performance designs (published in 2017). Her other publications include essays and translations in top peer-reviewed professional journals such as Theatre Topics (co-author), TD&/T and Theatre Arts. She has served as a columnist for EPerformance, a peer reviewed professional journal in China. She has frequently presented papers at national and international theatre conferences and has guest-lectured internationally. Drawing from her cross-cultural experiences, she has directed and co-directed a number of cultural exchange projects that garnered grants and funds from government and private funding agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cultural Services of French Embassy, the Georgia Humanities Council, the French Consulate in Atlanta, the Confucius Institute, and the Coca Cola Foundation. She is a member of United Scenic Artists (Local USA 829) and of the China National Stage Design Association. She has been listed in Who's Who in America and in Who's Who among Asian Americas.