Shanta Thake is the Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, charged with expanding Lincoln Center's cultural reach within New York City. Thake launched the organization’s Summer for the City Festival in 2022, which brings live programming across Lincoln Center’s campus to 10 stages. Under her leadership, Lincoln Center has significantly increased the organization's free and Choose-What-You-Pay ticketing for all their programming. Thake's influence has led to regular collaborations with Lincoln Center’s resident organizations, including the first ever cross-campus celebration of a single artist, Terence Blanchard. Before taking the Lincoln Center position in September 2021, she was Associate Artistic Director/ Director of Artistic Programs at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: ...

. In this capacity, Thake oversaw the growth and development of Public Works, Mobile Unit, Under the Radar, Joe's Pub, The Shakespeare Initiative and Public Forum. Previously, she spent 10 years as the Director of Joe's Pub at The Public, The Public Theater's cabaret space named after Theater founder

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp is a pioneering figure in American theater, known for creating Shakespeare in the Park, which aimed to make classi ...

. Under Thake's direction, Joe's Pub produced events at The Delacorte Theater in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

and in collaboration with Make Music New York, Under The Radar and DanceNOW, among other organizations. In 2011, Thake established ''New York Voices'', a commission program that provides musicians with tools to develop original theater works. Recipients include Ethan Lipton, whose 2011 ''New York Voices'' debut ''No Place To Go'' went on to win an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

, (Off-Broadway Theater Award). Other commissioned artists include

Toshi Reagon Toshi Reagon (born January 27, 1964) is an American musician of folk, blues, gospel, rock and funk, as well as a composer, curator, and producer. Early life Born January 27, 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia, Reagon grew up with her parents Bernice Joh ...

Bridget Everett Bridget Everett (born April 21, 1972) is an American comedian, actress, singer, writer, and cabaret performer. She began her career appearing and co-writing alongside Michael Patrick King the Off-Broadway musical comedy ''At Least It's Pink: A ...

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descr ...

and more. Thake also serves as one of three producers of globalFEST, a world music festival and non-profit organization. The organization has curated stages at

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

Bonnaroo Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) far ...

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

and Festival d’Ile de France and administers a touring fund to world music artists touring new markets in North America. Thake acted as board chair for the theater company Waterwell, was the co-creator of Weimar New York and is an active member of the Middle Collegiate Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir. Thake has been the recipient of the

Association of Performing Arts Presenters The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (previously the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, also known as APAP), based in Washington, D.C.,

''Emerging Leader'' award, APAP's 2024 William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence and Sustained Achievement in Programming, and the Theater Communications Group’s ''Leaders of Color'' grant. She received a BA in Theater as well as a degree in management from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

and currently lives in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thake, Shanta 1979 births Living people Indiana University Bloomington alumni American theatre directors American women theatre directors