Andre Bishop

Andre Bishop is a prominent figure in the world of theater, known for his work as a producer and artistic director. He was born in New York City in 1944 and grew up with a love of theater, attending productions on Broadway and Off-Broadway as a teenager. After graduating from Harvard University in 1967, Bishop began his career in theater as an assistant to the legendary producer Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Bishop quickly rose through the ranks at the New York Shakespeare Festival, becoming the company's associate producer in 1973. During his time there, he worked on a number of groundbreaking productions, including the original productions of "A Chorus Line" and "The Pirates of Penzance." He also helped to launch the careers of many young actors and playwrights, including Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, and David Mamet.
In 1981, Bishop left the New York Shakespeare Festival to become the artistic director of Playwrights Horizons, a prestigious Off-Broadway theater company. During his tenure there, he helped to develop and produce a number of important new plays, including Wendy Wasserstein's "The Heidi Chronicles" and Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George." He also worked closely with many emerging playwrights, including Christopher Durang, Richard Greenberg, and Doug Wright.
In 1991, Bishop became the artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, one of the largest and most prestigious nonprofit theater companies in the United States. Under his leadership, the company has produced a wide range of plays and musicals, including "The Coast of Utopia," Tom Stoppard's epic trilogy about 19th-century Russian intellectuals; "The Light in the Piazza," a lush and romantic musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas; and "War Horse," a powerful drama about a boy and his horse during World War I.
Bishop has also been instrumental in bringing a number of important British plays and productions to New York audiences. In 1993, he produced a landmark revival of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, which later transferred to Broadway and won the Tony Award for Best Play. He also produced the American premieres of Alan Bennett's "The Madness of King George III" and David Hare's "Skylight," both of which were hugely successful on Broadway.
Throughout his career, Bishop has been a passionate advocate for new plays and emerging playwrights. He has helped to launch the careers of many important writers, including Tony Kushner, Wendy Wasserstein, and Doug Wright. He has also been a champion of diversity in the theater, producing works by African American, Latino, and Asian American playwrights, and casting actors of color in leading roles.
Bishop's most recent work includes producing the Broadway revival of "My Fair Lady" in 2018, which received rave reviews and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards. He also produced the world premiere of "The Rolling Stone" by Chris Urch at Lincoln Center Theater in 2019, which was hailed as a powerful and timely drama about homophobia and violence in Uganda.
In addition to his work in the theater, Bishop has also been a mentor and teacher to many young theater professionals. He has served as a guest lecturer and teacher at a number of universities and theater programs, including Yale School of Drama, Columbia University, and the Juilliard School.