Tony nominee Michael McDonald passed away September 4 due to complications from a brief illness. News of his passing was confirmed by his lifelong friend and co-curator of the Costumes and Props exhibit at The Museum of Broadway, Lisa Zinni.
Mr. McDonald was a treasured member of the theatre design community. Trained at Muhlenberg College, he was a familiar face throughout the regional and developmental circuit, working with American Repertory Theater, George Street Playhouse, the Zachary Scott Theatre, the Director's Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and Goodspeed Musicals.
For six seasons, Mr. McDonald was one of the associate costume masters and the costume shop manager at the Public Theater, where he brought countless iconic productions to life between 1997 and 2011. His favorite Public Theater credits included George C. Wolfe's production of Mother Courage and Her Children, Mike Nichols' The Seagull, Daniel Sullivan's The Merchant of Venice, Alex Timbers' Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, James Lapine's King Lear, Moises Kaufman's Macbeth, David Esbjornson's Measure for Measure, Leigh Silverman's Yellow Face, Kathleen Marshall's Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Michael Greif's Romeo and Juliet.
In 2009, Mr. McDonald took Broadway by storm with his inventively redesigned production of Hair. Receiving both a Tony and a Drama Desk nomination, Mr. McDonald's costumes for the revival are now on display at The Museum of Broadway, where he was a co-curator alongside Zinni.
Mr. McDonald is survived by his extensive network of family and friends. His work will remain on display at The Museum of Broadway to inspire designers throughout the new generation.
