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5 minutes with a Tony nominee: ‘Ragtime’’s Lear deBessonet

DeBessonet has earned her second Tony Award nomination for direction.

Lear DeBessonet attends the 79th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees Press Event at Sofitel New York on May 14, 2026, in New York City (Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Award Productions)

Lear deBessonet made her Broadway debut directing the 2022 revival of “Into the Woods,” which transferred from City Center’s Encores! series. DeBessonet earned a Tony Award nomination for her direction of that mounting. Once again, deBessonet has successfully transferred a production from Encores! to Broadway, this season with “Ragtime.”

DeBessonet brought the staging from City Centers to Lincoln Center Theater, the latter where she now serves as artistic director. “Ragtime” marks deBessonet’s first production under her new title, and she has earned her second Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Musical with this revival.

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5 minutes with a Tony nominee: Lear deBessonet
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“Ragtime” is nominated for 11 Tony Awards.

The cast of “Ragtime” on Broadway, 2025 (Credit: Matthew Murphy)

The 2026 Tony Awards will take place on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall. P!NK will host the ceremony, which will be broadcast live on CBS and livestreamed on Paramount+ Premium (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). CBS and Pluto TV will present the Tony Awards: Act One, with additional details to follow.

See the full list of nominations here.