Shanta Thake will move to Lincoln Center as chief artistic officer, succeeding Jane Moss (who stepped down in 2020) this September. The theatre leader was named the associate artistic director of the Public Theater last year after 10 years in other roles, including senior director of artistic programs and director of Joe’s Pub.
In the position, officially titled Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer, Thake will spearhead Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ artistic strategy to further embed the organization into the daily lives of NYC residents. Among the programs she’ll lead are Restart Stages and The Green on Lincoln Center’s campus in addition to the reopening of David Geffen Hall in fall 2022.
“I moved to New York almost 20 years ago to the day, with big ideas about what was possible—this is really the culmination of a lifetime of deep love of New York’s cultural diversity, the palpable excitement and critical importance of sharing a cultural experience together,” said Thake, who is also the co-director of GlobalFEST. “I look forward to building upon the tremendous legacy of Jane Moss, while undergoing a period of listening and discovery. I’m confident that together we can help elevate all the greatest parts of this institution and build upon them even further—growing a Lincoln Center where all New Yorkers feel welcome no matter your background and where artists can shine and develop their craft in innovative and exciting new directions.”
Thake has served as the co-chair for the Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference in 2019 and 2020 and received a BA degrees in theatre and management from Indiana University.
