NEW YORK CITY: New York City Center has named Anne Kauffman and Jeanine Tesori as co-artistic directors for the 2018 Encores! Off-Center season. They succeed Michael Friedman, who died in September.

“Encores! Off-Center began a new phase last summer under the direction of Michael Friedman, which was tragically cut short,” said president and CEO Arlene Shuler in a statement. “We are fortunate to welcome two of his good friends and colleagues as guest co-artistic directors to lead us through this transitional year. Both Jeanine and Anne have connections to the Off-Center series. As founding artistic director, Jeanine served as a champion for the work of other artists for four seasons and we were delighted to welcome Anne to the Off-Center family last summer as the director of Assassins. It is always difficult to move on from such a loss, but as an institution it is essential that we continue the mission of Off-Center and bring these important works to a new audience.”

Founded in 2013, the Encores! Off-Center presents Off-Broadway musicals that pushed creative boundaries when they were first produced. Past productions include Violet with Sutton Foster, tick, tick…BOOM! with Lin-Manuel Miranda, A New Brain with Jonathan Groff, Little Shop of Horrors with Ellen Greene and Jake Gyllenhaal, Elizabeth Swados’s Runaways, and The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin with Nikki M. James.

The 2018 season lineup will be announced early next year.