Lincoln Center, seeking wider range, names new artistic leader
Shanta Thake, Lincoln Centers new chief artistic officer, outside Lincoln Center in New York, July 30, 2021. Thake faces challenges that include helping the center embrace new genres and attract virus-wary audiences. Caroline Tompkins/The New York Times.
by Javier C. Hernández
(NYT NEWS SERVICE)
.- Feeling the pressure to attract new audiences and rethink its offerings even before being upended by the coronavirus pandemic, Lincoln Center announced Tuesday that it had chosen a theater executive with a reputation for working across disciplines as its next artistic leader.
Shanta Thake, most recently an associate artistic director at the Public Theater, will assume the role of chief artistic officer at the center, the nations largest performing arts complex, as it works to broaden its appeal beyond classical music and ballet into genres such as hip-hop, poetry and songwriting.