Lear deBessonet. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
NEW YORK CITY: Lincoln Center Theater has announced that director Lear deBessonet will be the theatre’s new artistic director, and LCT resident director Bartlett Sher will assume the new role of executive producer. In these newly defined roles, they both succeed the theatre’s producing artistic director, André Bishop, who announced his retirement last fall. Bishop will conclude his 33-year tenure in June 2025 in conjunction with the close of Lincoln Center Theater’s 40th anniversary season.
deBessonet, a Tony-nominated director and current artistic director of Encores! at New York City Center, may be best known as the founder of Public Works at the Public Theater, where she served as resident director from 2012-2020. She is also founder and co-artistic director of Arts for EveryBody, an ambitious national arts and health project bringing together mayors, community health centers, and local artists in 18 cities and towns across America. Sher is a Tony-winning director who has been a resident director at LCT since 2008.
“It is the deepest honor of my professional life to serve as the next artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, following the astonishing legacy of André Bishop,” said deBessonet in a statement. “From the moment I first stepped onto the campus at Lincoln Center, I felt a sense of awe and magic. From thrilling, important new plays and new musicals to exquisite revivals and revelatory explorations of the classics, I have experienced LCT as a place where intellectual rigor can live alongside wonder, imagination, and beauty. I believe the theatre is a space for the creation and restoration of community, and it is my intention in this job is to be of service to the mission and boundless possibilities of LCT, to our city, and to the field. I am thrilled to work alongside my dear friend Bartlett Sher, whose artistry and vision have profoundly affected my work as a director, and the extraordinary board and staff of Lincoln Center Theater to lead this theatre into its next chapter of great success.”
Added Sher in a statement, “Lincoln Center Theater is one of the most important theatres in America, and it has been led brilliantly by André Bishop, leaving a legacy of exceptional quality and enormous strength. At the same time, theatre has never been more important to our culture for building discourse, engagement and community. Our magnificent theatre spaces, combined with our fantastic staff, have led to profound and lasting work in the heart of New York and our nation. Lear deBessonet is an incredible artist and leader, and I am deeply honored to collaborate with her as she guides Lincoln Center Theater into a transformative future.”
“I am sad to be leaving, but incredibly grateful for the many happy years I spent at our wonderful theater,” said producing artistic director André Bishop. “Lear and Bart are gifted and intelligent artists, and I am confident that Lincoln Center Theater will continue to grow and flourish.”
deBessonet and Sher will work together to define the vision for the future of Lincoln Center Theater. As Artistic Director, deBessonet will be responsible for all programming and season planning, cultivating and maintaining relationships with artists, and oversight and day-to-day operating of the staff and organization. As executive producer, Sher will be responsible for the oversight of strategic priorities such as the development of international partnerships, brand expansion, as well as the expansion of fundraising and LCT’s resources. deBessonet and Sher will assume their roles on July 1, 2025. Both will report directly to the chair of the LCT Board, Kewsong Lee, and each will join the board as ex-officio members.
Isaacson Miller assisted in the search process, which was wide-reaching, inclusive and international in scope. It followed a yearlong strategic planning initiative undertaken by the board and staff that involved extensive discussions on the direction and long-term aspirations of the institution and the leadership priorities required to continue building LCT.
Now in its 40th season, LCT has produced more than 200 plays and musicals at the Vivian Beaumont, Mitzi E. Newhouse, and Claire Tow theaters at Lincoln Center and other theatres on and Off-Broadway, as well as touring productions nationally and around the world. As of 2023, the theatre’s budget was around $50.2 million.
