LEAR deBESSONET
Lincoln Center Theater’s Board of Directors (Kewsong Lee, Chair) announced today that Lear deBessonet will be LCT’s new Artistic Director. In addition, LCT Resident Director Bartlett Sher will assume the new role of Executive Producer. André Bishop will conclude his 33-year tenure in June 2025 in conjunction with the close of Lincoln Center Theater’s 40th anniversary season.
“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. “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 theater is a space for the creation and restoration of 2 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 theater into its next chapter of great success.”
“Lincoln Center Theater is one of the most important theaters in America, and it has been led brilliantly by André Bishop leaving a legacy of exceptional quality and enormous strength,” said Sher. “At the same time, theater has never been more important to our culture for building discourse, engagement and community. Our magnificent theater 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.”
