In Thursday’s (5/16) New York Times, Robin Pogrebin writes, “In a sign that the country’s largest nonprofit performing arts center may be taking a page from the world of commercial theater, Lincoln Center has chosen a Broadway producer as its next leader. Jed Bernstein, who for more than a decade led the Broadway League, the industry’s national trade association, and has produced Broadway shows himself, was named on Wednesday as the successor to Reynold Levy, who is stepping down in January after 11 years as Lincoln Center’s president. Mr. Bernstein has raised money from investors for theatrical productions, but this will be his first time leading a nonprofit arts organization, where courting donors is perhaps the most important part of the job. Lincoln Center must raise nearly half its $118 million budget every year. In his new role, Mr. Bernstein’s biggest challenge may be the renovation of Avery Fisher Hall, which will involve relocating the Philharmonic during construction, redesigning a hall that has been criticized for its acoustics and raising a significant amount of money—a total that Ms. Farley said has yet to be determined, but ‘is not trivial.’ Past estimates have put the project’s cost at more than $300 million.”
Posted May 17, 2013
