La Jolla Playhouse

History

La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under the leadership of Des McAnuff. Since then, the Playhouse's repertoire has included 120 world premieres, thirty-two West Coast premieres, and eight American premieres, and has won more than three hundred honors, including the 1993 Tony Award as America's Outstanding Regional Theatre. It is supported, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the City of San Diego, and the County of San Diego. It was announced on April 10, 2007, that Christopher Ashley would succeed McAnuff as artistic director.

Among the 37 productions that originated at the Playhouse before finding success on Broadway are The Who's Tommy, Come from Away, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Big River, Matthew Broderick's revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Freaky Friday, Bonnie and Clyde, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, 700 Sundays, Jersey Boys, Memphis, Peter and the Starcatcher, SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical, The Outsiders and Redwood with Idina Menzel which opened on Broadway in 2025.

Programs

La Jolla Playhouse is nationally renowned for the development of new work. In addition to a robust commissioning program and ongoing workshops and readings, the Playhouse annually hosts programs that foster the development of new plays and musicals, such as the DNA New Work Series, which offers playwrights and directors the opportunity to develop a script from its earliest stages; the popular and widely acclaimed Without Walls (WOW) series of immersive and site-inspired work; as well as the Veterans Playwriting Workshop, Latinx New Play Festival and biennial Director Fellowship.

La Jolla Playhouse also offers a number Learning & Engagement opportunities for children, teens, and adults interested in theatre, both on and off the stage. The Performance Outreach Program (POP Tour) annually brings a professional, world-premiere production to schools, libraries, and community centers throughout San Diego. There are also opportunities for youth through the La Jolla Playhouse Conservatory, student matinees, teen council, and numerous school workshops and classes.

Page to Stage

La Jolla Playhouse began the "Page to Stage Play Development Program" in 2001 to facilitate the development of new plays and musicals, offering audiences the rare opportunity to experience the "birth" of a play and take part in its evolution. As a Page to Stage workshop, a production will feature minimal sets and costumes, and will be revised throughout its entire process, including performances. After the performance, audience feedback sessions will provide insight and suggestion for both the creative team and the actors. In the 22 years since the program began, two Page to Stage Productions have gone on to win Tony Awards. Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Leading Actor in a Play (Jefferson Mays); and Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, a 2004 Page to Stage Production, won the 2005 Tony Award for Special Theatrical Event.

Management

Managing directors

• 1981–1991: Alan Levey
• 1992–2004: Terry Dwyer
• 2005–2008: Steven Libman
• 2009–2018: Michael S. Rosenberg
• 2018–current: Debby Buchholz

Artists

Artistic directors

• 1947–1959: Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, Mel Ferrer (founders)
• 1983–1994: Des McAnuff
• 1995–1999: Michael Greif
• 1999–2000: Anne Hamburger
• 2000–2007: Des McAnuff
• 2007–2027: Christopher Ashley

Notable actors

• Amy Aquino
• Tallulah Bankhead
• Heidi Blickenstaff
• Stephen Bogardus
• Christian Borle
• Matthew Broderick
• Danny Burstein
• Phoebe Cates
• Kim Cattrall
• Anna Chlumsky
• James Coburn
• Billy Crystal
• Ariana DeBose
• Dana Delaney
• Dann Florek
• Hunter Foster
• Sutton Foster
• Beth Gallagher
• John Goodman
• David Marshall Grant
• Ann Harada
• Neil Patrick Harris
• Linda Hunt
• Holly Hunter
• Laura Innes
• Bill Irwin
• Joanna Levesque
• Laura Linney
• Jon Lovitz
• Groucho Marx
• James Maslow
• James Mason
• Jefferson Mays
• Marin Mazzie
• Idina Menzel
• Cynthia Nixon
• Peter Paige
• Jennifer Paredes
• Jim Parsons
• Amanda Plummer
• Alice Ripley
• Wynn Harmon
• George Salazar
• Campbell Scott
• Helen Shaver
• Gary Sinise
• Alexandra Slade
• Nancy Travis
• Vivian Vance
• Daphne Rubin-Vega
• Sherie Rene Scott
• Malcolm-Jamal Warner
• Ron Richardson
• BD Wong

Productions

Main article: La Jolla Playhouse production history

La Jolla Playhouse to Broadway

References

References

1. "Playhouse Highlights". La Jolla Playhouse.
2. Epstein, Robert. (1991-06-20). "A Plan Comes Together at La Jolla Playhouse".
3. Monteagudo, Marie. (2022-07-08). "From the Archives: La Jolla Playhouse launched 75 years ago".
4. (2024-06-13). "Idina Menzel to Return to Broadway in New Musical ‘Redwood’".