Lincoln Center Theater is dedicating its 2025-2026 LCT3 season to the late Leonard Tow, whose leadership, generosity, and vision helped shape the theatre. Mr. Tow, who passed away August 10 at the age of 97, joined the board at Lincoln Center Theater in 2001 and served for nearly 25 years. He held the title of Vice Chair Emeritus.

Mr. Tow was an active participant on the board as well as an active theatregoer at LCT. He was a major champion of new plays and emerging playwrights. His philanthropic support led to the opening of The Claire Tow Theater in 2012, named in honor of his late wife, Claire Tow, also a passionate supporter of the arts.

LCT Board Chair Kewsong Lee said in a statement, “Len was a committed theatre lover, deeply generous supporter, and smart advocate for the new work that was developed at Lincoln Center Theater, particularly under the LCT3 umbrella. We believe Len had the best attendance record for any of the shows at LCT. This dedication is a celebration of his life and his love for our theatre. We salute and honor Len, his family, and all those at The Tow Foundation who carry Len and Claire’s work forward. Our home is their home.”

“How incredibly fortunate we are to have had our friend Len Tow in our orbit. His lifelong passion for the theatre led him to become one of the greatest champions of our art and artists. I had the great honor of knowing Len personally for over a decade, and I will forever be grateful for the support and kindness he showed me time and again. He truly understood an artist’s process, which made him an invaluable partner in helping make visions come to life. Len believed that making theatre was an act of service, and his influence can be seen in generations of artists and audiences. We will miss him so very much,” added LCT Artistic Director Lear deBessonet.

“One cannot overestimate the sheer impact Len Tow has had on the landscape of the American theatre, and especially on LCT. He understood that great theatre needs to take many shapes and sizes to flourish, including the 112-seat intimate jewel that is the Claire Tow Theater. His belief in opportunities for new artists and new audiences guides us every day,” stated LCT3 Artistic Director and Producer Maria Manuela Goyanes.

The 2025-2026 LCT3 season at The Claire Tow Theater will include The Comedy Series, featuring a roster of comedians in residence beginning October 29 with Vir Das; Night Side Songs, by The Lazours, reuniting with Obie-winning director Taibi Magar; A Woman Among Women, marking the return of playwright and author Julia May Jonas to LCT3, directed by Sarah Cameron Hughes, in partnership with The Bushwick Starr and New Georges; and The Reading Series, which will foster and celebrate playwrights’ voices who are new to LCT with public readings.

The Claire Tow Theater and LCT3 programming focus on emerging voices and artists who LCT hopes to have long relationships within LCT on all of their stages in the future.