Maria Manuela Goyanes, currently artistic director of Washington, D.C.'s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, has been named artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater's LCT3, and is also taking on the role of producer. She will join the company with the beginning of the 2025-2026 season.
Joining alongside her will be Mike Schleifer, currently managing director at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, who has been named managing director of Lincoln Center Theater.
Goyanes' hiring is part of an expanding vision for the company's new work programming, which has thus far primarily presented works in the Claire Tow Theater. Though that will continue, LCT3 is also planning to present works in alternative spaces both inside and outside of the Lincoln Center Theater complex. The Tow will also newly begin to house events, concerts, and comedy shows along with LCT3 productions. Goyanes' producer role will see her involved in LCT projects beyond just LCT3 programming.
"The Claire Tow Theater, perched atop Lincoln Center Theater, is a jewel box—a brave space for vulnerability and courage in close proximity,” says Goyanes in a statement. “I remember when it opened, and it's hard to believe it's now just two years shy of its 15th anniversary! I am deeply humbled to build upon the foundation of magnificent new work at LCT3, stewarded by two brilliant minds—Evan Cabnet and, before him, Paige Evans. I know Lear thinks as expansively about theatre as I do, and I'm thrilled to join such an illustrious team to help bring her remarkable vision to life while also creating my own for LCT3."
“Maria Goyanes’ electric energy and passion for new voices will be transformative for LCT3,” add incoming Artistic Director Lear deBessonet and Executive Producer Bartlett Sher in a joint statement. “A specialist in imaginative producing, she knows how to create an environment that welcomes adventure and new ideas. Her extraordinary vision will elevate LCT3 as a dynamic space for bold, fresh storytelling.”
Schleifer will oversee the company's financial and operational health, working to ensure long-term sustainability and growth. He will also be tasked with identifying and developing new revenue opportunities, to diversify LCT's income streams.
“I am truly honored to join Lincoln Center Theater as its new managing director,” says Schleifer in a statement. “This institution represents the pinnacle of artistic excellence and creativity, built on the foundational legacy of André Bishop and Adam Siegel, whose vision and leadership set the standard for extraordinary theatre and artistic integrity. I am excited to collaborate with this incredible team to continue pushing the boundaries of what theatre can be. I am especially eager to partner in this new chapter with Lear deBessonet and Bartlett Sher, whose visionary artistic leadership inspires bold storytelling and deep community engagement. Together, we will build on this remarkable legacy while exploring new ways to engage audiences and support the next generation of artists onstage and off.”
“Mike Schleifer has exceeded every expectation of what a managing director can accomplish,” add deBessonet and Sher. “With deep experience across both the nonprofit and commercial Broadway realms, he has a unique ability to balance the health, stability, and growth of an organization. His leadership is front-footed, whip-smart and wise, with a contagious spirit that uplifts everyone around him. Mike’s vision and expertise make him an invaluable partner as we look toward the future of LCT, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him by our side.”
Longtime Artistic Director André Bishop is stepping away from the role at the end of the current season, ending a 33-year tenure. The company is currently presenting a revival of Ibsen's Ghosts in its Off-Broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, and is readying a new production of Adam Guettel and Tina Landau's Floyd Collins in its Broadway Vivian Beaumont Theater, with previews set to begin March 27 on the latter. The LCT3 season continues beginning April 19 with the world premiere of Caitlin Saylor Stephens' Five Models in Ruins, 1981, with opening night set for May 5 in the Tow.
Visit LCT.org.
