Ming
Chen
Professor
Born in Shanghai, China, Ming Chen enjoyed her cross-cultural education in both her native country and the United States. She graduated as China's first M.F.A recipient in Stage Design/Theory upon completing her B.F.A in Stage Design from Shanghai Theatre Academy and received her M.A. in Theatrical Production from University of Pittsburgh with an emphasis on costume design and theatre history/criticism.
With 18 years of university teaching experience and three years of full time professional theatre experience, she had worked at Shanghai Youth Theatre Company, China, at Shakespeare Theatre at Folger, Washington D.C., and had taught at Shanghai Theatre Academy and at the State University of New York at Buffalo before moving to Kennesaw, Georgia. A member of United Scenic Artists (designer's Equity) in the U.S. and of China National Stage Design Association, she has designed sets and costumes for more than sixty productions in both academic and professional theatres. Her designs have been seen, amongst, at Theatre in the Square, Marietta, at Alliance Theatre Company, 7 Stages and Horizon Theatre Company, Atlanta, at Cornell University and SUNY at Buffalo, New York, at the Prague Quadrennial, at China's National Stage Design Exhibition, at China Shanghai International Arts Festival and Shanghai Theatre Festival.
Among the awards and grants she has received are a design award (co-design) from the prestigious Prague Quadrennial, Best Set Design-1999 from Theatre in the Square, a grant from National Endowment for the Arts (as the project director), a grant from Georgia Humanities Council (as co-project director), a grant from French Cultural Services and Consulate of France in Atlanta (as co-project director), and a gift from Coca-Cola Company (as project director).
Now a tenured professor at Kennesaw State University, she has presented numerous papers in national and international conferences, guest lectured internationally and published many articles in professional journals and newspapers, and made three book contributions.