Lear deBessonet
Raúl Esparza, Norbert Leo Butz, Beth Leavel and More to Present at 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards (May 4, 2026)
The Drama League Reveals 2026 Directors Project Recipients (May 4, 2026)
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld April 30, 2026- Lea Michele Talks CHESS and More (Apr 30, 2026)
BIO
Lear deBessonet is the Founder of Public Works and Resident Director at the Public Theater. For Public Works, she has directed pageant-style musical adaptations of The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, and The Odyssey at the Delacorte, each featuring two-hundred New Yorkers from all five boroughs.
Photos
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Productions
Writing
Awards and Nominations
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
winner
Lear deBessonet
winner
Lear DeBessonet, Into the Woods
Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods
Lear deBessonet, Good Person of Szechwan
Lear deBessonet, Good Person of Szechwan
winner
Lear deBessonet, The Good Person Of Szechuan
Videos
Video: Watch Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, & More Perform From RAGTIME at WNYC Event
by Josh Sharpe - 2026-04-17 16:02:37
Video: Joshua Henry and RAGTIME Cast Perform 'Gettin' Ready Rag'
by Josh Sharpe - 2026-03-03 11:33:52
Video: Joshua Henry Performs 'Make Them Hear You' From RAGTIME on THE VIEW
by Josh Sharpe - 2026-02-16 14:10:05
Video: Inside Opening Night of RAGTIME with Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, Brandon Uranowitz & More
by Joey Mervis - 2025-10-17 13:55:04
Video: Joshua Henry & RAGTIME Cast Rehearse 'Gettin’ Ready Rag'
by Michael Major - 2025-09-19 10:52:52
Video: Watch the RAGTIME Cast Perform the Title Song at Lincoln Center
by Michael Major - 2025-05-28 10:45:40
Video: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS Stars J. Harrison Ghee, Cheyenne Jackson, and Nikki Renee Daniels Gear Up for City Center
by A.A. Cristi - 2024-01-17 18:52:38
VIDEO: Watch the First Day with The Encores! Orchestra for ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
by Blair Ingenthron - 2023-12-23 14:01:59
Video: Cast of INTO THE WOODS Talks Opening Night in Los Angeles
by Alan Henry - 2023-07-03 11:01:07
Video: Go Inside Rehearsals for OLIVER! at New York City Center
by Blair Ingenthron - 2023-05-02 16:00:19
Video: Denee Benton Gets Her Wish as INTO THE WOODS' New Cinderella
by Nicole Rosky - 2022-12-18 12:00:20
VIDEO: Gavin Creel Helps Make a Breast Cancer Survivor's Broadway Dreams Come True Onstage at INTO THE WOODS on TODAY
by Michael Major - 2022-10-27 11:36:49
VLOG: Go Backstage At INTO THE WOODS With Kennedy Kennedy Kanagawa - Episode 3
by Alan Henry - 2022-10-15 16:00:20
News
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 4, 2026
The 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards is set to be the largest gathering in the organization's seven-decade history — with the most Drama Desk winners and nominees, past and present, ever assembled for the ceremony.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 4, 2026
The Drama League has revealed the twenty-five stage directors receiving the 2026 fellowships, assistantships, residencies, and exchange opportunities collectively known as The Directors Project.
by - Apr 30, 2026
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is April 30, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 29, 2026
Lincoln Center Theater’s Broadway revival of Ragtime, directed by Kewsong Lee Artistic Director Lear deBessonet, announced today that it will launch a North American Tour in the fall of 2027. We have all of the details!
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 29, 2026
Raúl Esparza and Helen J Shen will announce the 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards nominations on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 10:00AM ET. Check out the nominees so far and check back later for teh complete list.
by Bruce Glikas - Apr 24, 2026
The Rocky Horror Show official is officially open on Broadway at Studio 54! You can now see photos of the film's original star Susan Sarandon, stars like Laverne Cox, and more at the opening night of the show here!
by Stephi Wild - Apr 21, 2026
Isa Briones and Sepideh Moafi hosted the live announcement of the 2026 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations. Check out the full list of nominations here!
by Stephi Wild - Apr 20, 2026
The Drama League has announced the 2026 Drama League Awards Nominees, which include Chess, Heathers, Ragtime, The Rocky Horror Show, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Titanique, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), and more. Check out the full list here!
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 17, 2026
The cast of Broadway's Ragtime visited WNYC on Friday for a special appearance as part of the Broadway On The Radio series. Watch the hour-long event, featuring performances from Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, Brandon Uranowitz, Nichelle Lewis, Ben Levi Ross, and Shaina Taub.
by Bruce Glikas - Apr 16, 2026
The stars came out for opening night of The Fear of 13, including Michael Urie, Lilli Cooper, Common, Anna Wintour, and many more. Check out the photos from the red carpet here!
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 9, 2026
RAGTIME, SiriusXM’s On Broadway, and Concord Theatricals Recordings will present a SiriusXM Front Row event and cast album signing at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center on Thursday, April 23.
by Charles Kirsch - Mar 27, 2026
Any theater lover should be well acquainted with the meteoric rise of Tony nominee Lear DeBessonet: from founding the Public Works program at the Public Theater to spearheading the Encores! series at New York City Center to her current role as artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater.
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 17, 2026
WNYC’s All Of It has announced the Spring 2026 lineup for its BROADWAY ON THE RADIO series, featuring CHESS, RAGTIME, and CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL. Hosted by Alison Stewart, the live events will include cast performances and conversations with creative teams.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 10, 2026
In this edition of Words From The Wings, we catch up with Allison Blackwell who is appearing in Ragtime on Broadway who took us backstage at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre to share some of her favorite backstage moments, must-haves, and more!
by Stephi Wild - Mar 6, 2026
Lincoln Center Theater will honor Academy Award winner Robert Downey Jr. and Emmy Award-winning Producer Susan Downey at their annual spring Gala on Monday, May 18 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 3, 2026
During Monday's special Broadway-themed episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, P!nk's daughter Willow went behind the scenes of Broadway's Ragtime to chat with the cast and crew about the production and share a musical number from the show. Check it out now.
by Team BWW - Mar 2, 2026
Ready to see your next Broadway show? Of course you are! Let BroadwayWorld and Ticketmaster be your guide to which plays and musicals are the most buzz-worthy this week. Check out the shows we recommend that you should snag tickets to this week, starting March 2nd, 2026.
by Josh Sharpe - Feb 16, 2026
Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry took over The View stage on Monday to perform a powerful rendition of Make Them Hear You from the musical revival of Ragtime. Check out his performance now.
by Josh Sharpe - Feb 13, 2026
On Presidents Day, the cast of Broadway's Ragtime will take the stage on The View for a special performance from the hit revival. Tune in to watch the performance, airing Monday, February 16, at 11 a.m.-12 p.m. EDT on ABC.
by Michael Major - Feb 10, 2026
Joshua Henry is inviting a select amount of audience members to witness the recording of his new acoustic album. The Ragtime star took to Instagram to reveal that he will be releasing a new acoustic LP, recording it this month at Lincoln Center.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Lear deBessonet has written 1 shows including transFigures (Conceiver).
Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Ragtime, OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL (Drama League Awards) for Ragtime, Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Ragtime, Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Ragtime, Founders Award for Excellence in Directing (Drama League Awards) for , Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Drama League Awards) for Into the Woods, Best Direction of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Into the Woods, Outstanding Director (The Lortels) for Good Person of Szechwan, Outstanding Director of a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Good Person of Szechwan and Direction (Obie Awards) for The Good Person Of Szechuan.
Lear deBessonet has won the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing (Drama League Awards) and Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Drama League Awards) for Into the Woods. Additionally, she received the Direction award (Obie Awards) for The Good Person of Szechuan.
Videos