New York City Center Names Jenny Gersten VP & Artistic Director

Jenny Gersten has been promoted from VP & Producer to the new position of VP & Artistic Director, Musical Theater at New York City Center. 

In this newly created position, Gersten will serve as artistic director of the Tony-honored Encores! series and Annual Gala Productions. Responsible for programming and producing all musical theater titles at the historic institution, she will continue to build on the innovation and diverse artistic voices that have brought extraordinary success to City Center’s productions including Jelly’s Last Jam, Once Upon a Mattress, Ragtime, and Titanic. Over the last season, musical theater attendance has reached an all-time high with nearly 30% of those tickets purchased for $40 or less. 

As City Center continues its mission to make extraordinary performances like these accessible to all, Gersten will also work with Stanford Makishi, VP & Artistic Director, Dance, and Tia Powell-Harris, VP, Education & Community Engagement, to expand the intersection between musical theater programming with dance, education, and community programs. A key member since joining the City Center team in 2020, Gersten will lead the Encores! artistic team—Music Director Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Producing Creative Director Clint Ramos—following Artistic Director Lear deBessonet’s previously announced departure at the end of the season.

Michael S. Rosenberg said, “Jenny has been instrumental in the success of our musical theater programs. Her artistic sensibilities and deep ties to the community brought new voices to our productions, and her deft producing skills provide the crucial space for an artist’s vision to take shape. She has a keen understanding of City Center’s legacy, and her long-standing experience in the industry makes her the natural choice. We are truly fortunate to have such a thoughtful and engaged leader to build upon our artistic success and mission of accessibility.”

Jenny Gersten said, “I’m a New Yorker first and a musical theater fan second. Making musicals happen at City Center is the greatest privilege—to be of service not just to musical theater lovers, but also to our many communities. What I enjoy most is giving audiences what they want and presenting them with something they didn’t know they wanted. We have brought a diversity of artists to Encores! and the Annual Gala Productions in the last few seasons, and I look forward to building on these efforts with Clint and Mary-Mitchell and collaborating with Stanford and Tia on the crossover between musical theater, dance, and our education and community engagement programming. City Center holds a special place for me and so many artists, and I feel so fortunate to be continuing this journey with the talented staff and dedicated audience.”

Lear deBessonet said, "Jenny is a brilliant leader and deeply beloved for good reason. During my time as Artistic Director of Encores!, she, along with Clint and Mary-Mitchell, have been the most extraordinary partners I could have asked for and I am ecstatic for the next beautiful chapter of Encores! under their care."

An award-winning producer, Gersten’s work spans non-profit institutions and commercial theater.  She began her career as associate producer and subsequently as artistic director of Williamstown Theatre Festival. Gersten served as associate producer at The Public Theater, executive director of Friends of the High Line, and producer at PAC NYC during design and planning. Recent credits include Just for Us (Broadway), Beetlejuice (Broadway), Sweeney Todd (Off-Broadway), Gavin Creel’s Walk On Through (with MCC), and the Broadway transfers of City Center productions of Parade and Once Upon a Mattress. In addition to producing City Center’s three annual Encores! revivals and programming and producing the Annual Gala Presentation since 2020, Gersten produced digital concerts by Audra McDonald and Sutton Foster when City Center was closed to public performances due to the Covid-19 pandemic.