Eugene Lee

In his nearly five-hour interview, Eugene Lee (1939-2023) talks about his early years growing up in Wisconsin. He recalls attending the University of Wisconsin, Carnegie Tech, and the Yale School of Drama, and details his early theater work and success as the production designer for the play Candide, which caught the attention of Lorne Michaels. Lee then describes how he was hired as the original production designer on Saturday Night Live, how he re-designed Studio 8H and its legendary balcony specifically for the show, how he staffed his department, and shares stories of working with various directors, crew and cast members, hosts, and musical guests over the years. Lee details his designs for the original Home Base for Saturday Night Live and talks about later re-designs of the space. He explains why he followed Lorne Michaels when Michaels left SNL for five years (1980-1985) and talks about his work with Michaels on The New Show and The Kids in the Hall during those years. He then describes his return to Saturday Night Live with Michaels in 1985, how the show had changed in the interim, how the design shop works, and how the production design team splits up work and gets through a typical week on SNL. He outlines the few sets that get saved from week-to-week and why, and tells of his work designing for talk shows, including Ricki Lake, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Lee talks about the craft of production design and offers advice to aspiring designers. He comments on his then-current plan for how long he would stay with the show and his vision for his life after work, his plans for a pencil factory, and concludes with thoughts on the successes in his life (designing for Candide, Wicked, and Saturday Night Live) and his proudest career achievements. Jenni Matz conducted the interview on August 16, 2018 in Providence, RI.

In their two-hour joint interview, the Saturday Night Live production design team, Eugene Lee, Keith Raywood, Leo Yoshimura, and Joe DeTullio, talk about how each of them came to join the staff of Saturday Night Live. They recall designing the various “home base” sets for the show over the years, and consulting with executive producer Lorne Michaels for his input. They describe how they collaborate with each other, and with other departments on the show. They describe working with the various directors of the show, and on the unique challenges of doing production design for a live broadcast. They chronicle some of their favorite sets and most memorable moments, and working with the musical guests. Finally, they opine on why Saturday Night Live has endured, and speculate on how much longer they might stay with the show. Jenni Matz conducted the interview on May 17, 2017 in New York, NY.