Walt Disney once said that "it's kind of fun to do the impossible." What does this have to do with Saturday Night Live, you ask? The answer is simple. Eugene Lee, the show's principal set designer, is a man who would agree with that sentiment for nothing makes him happier than an impossible space and an impossible project. And since Lee has been with SNL since the very beginning, he's had many chances to do just that.

Besides his work for SNL, Lee is also a noted theater designer who was collaborated with the likes of Peter Brook, Andrew Gregory, and Broadway maven Harold Prince. Lee's work for the hit Broadway musical "Wicked" can currently be seen in numerous productions now playing all over the world.

Lee graduated from the Yale School of Drama and first came to the attention of the theater world for his designs for the 1974 revival of Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" at the Chelsea Theatre Center of Brooklyn. Lorne Michaels heard of Lee's work and brought him on board to provide a hip and edgy backdrop to the new late-night variety show.

Lee hit the ground running with the innovative idea to blend the

audience with the performers by breaking the audience seating into groups so that sets and cameras could actually be moved around them. He also insisted that Studio 8H be fitted with a balcony, something TV studios don't usually have, to give the studio some of the flavor of a traditional performing venue.

Remarkably, Saturday Night Live is also blessed by an equally gifted art director who has been with the show for almost as long as Eugene Lee.

Akira Yoshimura came on board for the 1978-1979 season and remains with the show to this day. Besides his work on SNL, Yoshimura has also designed sets for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The Today Show," "The Dennis Miller Show," and a slew of TV shows in his native Japan.

And besides his duties behind the scenes, Yoshimura has also appeared on camera several times, most notably in the role of Captain Sulu in three "Star Trek" spoofs.