Ralph Lee is an American puppeteer and theatre artist. His work is centered on the design and use of masks in theatre and performance. The majority of his productions take place outside of traditional performance venues, include parades, pageants, celebrations, and outdoor theatrical performances. Masks and large puppets are central to his productions, which aim to make artistic experiences accessible to all members of the community. He stages his productions in familiar, public locations, charging no admission fee whenever possible and creating vivid images that can immediately resonate with the audience. Early life and career Lee started making puppets as a child growing up in Middlebury, Vermont. He graduated from Amherst College in 1957, and studied dance and theater in Europe for two years on a Fulbright Scholarship. Upon returning to the United States and moving to New York City, Lee acted on Broadway and off-Broadway, in regional theaters, and as a member of The Open Theatre, directed by Joseph Chaikin, from 1967 to 1973. During this time, he contributed to several off-off-Broadway productions at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. In 1967 he did set design for Leonard Melfi's Niagara Falls. He then performed in a production of two plays by Maria Irene Fornas, A Vietnamese Wedding and The Red Burning Light of the American Way of Life, in 1969. He then directed and designed a production of Nancy Fales' Ark in 1974, which featured music by Sonelius Smith. In 1976, he made the masks and props for a production of Adrienne Kennedy's A Rat's Mass at La MaMa. A decade later, he made the masks for the 1986 production of Orfei composed by Genji Ito, choreographed by Maureen Williams, and directed by Ellen Stewart, the founder of La MaMa. In 1988, he made the masks for The Summer Face Woman, written by Dave Hunsaker and based on an Aleut myth about the Bering Sea. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he also started making masks, unusual props, puppets, and large figures for theater, dance, and television productions. In 1974, while teaching at Bennington College, Lee staged his first outdoor production. The production took place all over the campus and featured giant puppets and masked creatures, with a large cast of performers and musicians. Village Halloween Parade In 1974, Lee organized the first Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, which he directed until 1985. The parade began in the courtyard of