Snehal Desai is leaving his post as producing artistic director of Little Tokyo-based East West Players (EWP) to become artistic director of Center Theatre Group (CTG), replacing Michael Ritchie, who stepped down December 31, 2021, and joining Managing Director Meghan Pressman. (Since Ritchie’s departure, CTG has been operating with a quartet of associate artistic directors.) At EWP, Desai produced and directed three of the highest grossing and most attended shows in the company’s 57-year history.