Meet Lear deBessonet

Lear deBessonet is a Tony-nominated theater director with a deep commitment to community engagement and accessibility.  She is the artistic director of Encores at New York City Center, and the Founder of the acclaimed Public Works program at the Public Theater (now in its 11th year, with iterations in multiple cities).  deBessonet has directed many large-scale, pageant-style musicals featuring 200 performers, and also recently directed Into the Woods on Broadway and Annie Live for NBC.  She loves her hometown, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.