Tony-Winning Set Designer Derek McLane Signs On for 2013 Academy Awards

Oscar host Seth MacFarlane will have a fancy, Broadway style stage to sing and dance across when he hosts the awards ceremony next year. Tony Award-winning scenic designer Derek McLane has been tapped to design the set for the 85th annual Academy Awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The telecast is scheduled for February 24, 2013.

The selection comes from this year’s Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the theater-minded mega-producing duo behind Smash and the film versions of Chicago and Hairspray. Designing the Oscars will be a first for McLane, who won a 2009 Tony Award for his set design for the play 33 Variations.

McLane began his Broadway career in 1994 and has since designed over 25 Broadway sets for shows including Nice Work If You Can Get It, The Best Man, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Million Dollar Quartet, Present Laughter, The Women, The Pajama Game, Ragtime, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Follies, Grease and Anything Goes. He has been nominated for four Tony Awards (winning one) and 13 Drama Desk Awards (winning one).