Gersten shared the news in an Oct. 15 email to friends of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Gersten, who previously served as associate producer at Williamstown from 1996-2004, became the company's first female artistic director in 2010.

She will depart Williamstown at the end of this year to become the executive director of the New York City non-profit Friends of the High Line. The 2014 summer at Williamstown will be the final season Gersten will plan. She will remain involved to help oversee the execution of the season.

Prior to her role as artistic director at Williamstown, Gersten was an associate producer at the Public Theater. For the Public, Gersten produced the 2009 Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night, as well as Richard Foreman's The Idiot Savant, Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays, Suzan-Lori Parks' The Book of Grace and served as the associate producer of the Broadway and London revival of Hair, which originated as part of Shakespeare in the Park.

Gersten's successor has not been named.

Under Gersten's leadership, Williamstown has guided two major musicals to New York City following their developmental productions at the festival. Far From Heaven was staged at Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway last spring, and The Bridges of Madison County will have its Broadway premiere in early 2014.