Age: 54
Occupation: Artistic director of Steppenwolf Theatre

At the helm since 2015, Shapiro brings serious stage cachet, having directed plays by Tracy Letts (August: Osage County) and Larry David (Fish in the Dark), as well as Broadway musicals (The Devil Wears Prada, which was slated for summer but will get pushed to next year). At Steppenwolf she’s recently commissioned controversial plays about pedophilia (Downstate), police shootings (Pass Over), and the U.S.-Mexico border (La Ruta), and her boldness is paying off: The theater is nearly two-thirds of the way toward funding a $73 million expansion.