Christopher Ashley (born July 6, 1964) is an American stage director. Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

Career

Ashley graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1986, with a Bachelor of Art in Theatre.
American Repertory Theater, accessed January 29, 2022 In 1987, he completed The Drama League program for directors. He was appointed artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse, California, in 2007.Boehm, Mike
"La Jolla Playhouse names artistic director"
''Los Angeles Times'', April 11, 2007 Ashley directed the musical '' Memphis (musical), Memphis'', which opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in October 2009, receiving the Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Director and

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination, Best Direction of a Musical. He previously directed the musical version of the cult 1980 film '' Xanadu'' (2007) on Broadway, receiving a Drama Desk Award nomination, for direction, as well as several other plays and musicals. He has directed many stage works Off-Broadway, including at the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has g ...

. He directed ''Jeffrey'' by

Paul Rudnick Paul Rudnick (born December 29, 1957) is an American writer. His plays have been produced both on and off Broadway and around the world. He is also known for having written the screenplays for several movies, including '' Sister Act'', ''Addams ...

Off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in 1993, for which he received the

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

, Outstanding Director. He also directed the

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

, which was released in 1995. He directed the Sondheim Kennedy Center Celebration productions of ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

'' and '' Merrily We Roll Along'' in 2002. He directed the new musical ''

Come from Away ''Come from Away'' is a Canadian musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carryin ...

'', which premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in June 2015, and opened on Broadway in February 2017 at the

Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, formerly the Plymouth Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 236 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was ...

, receiving a

for Best Direction of a Musical."Tony Awards 2017: Complete Winners List"
''Variety'', June 11, 2017, retrieved June 15, 2017 He was originally set to direct a film adaptation of the musical, which was canceled on February 2, 2021, because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Instead, he directed a live stage film recording of the show at the Schoenfeld Theatre in front of an invited audience including survivors and first responders from the 9/11 attacks, which was released on

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

on September 10, 2021, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the attacks. He directed the new musical stage version of ''

Freaky Friday ''Freaky Friday'' is a comedic children's novel written by Mary Rodgers, first published by Harper & Row in 1972. It has been adapted for several films, including versions in 1976, 1995, 2003, and 2018, and was reinterpreted as a horror film f ...

'', which premiered at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia in October 2016. The 2021 film musical '' Diana'', directed by Ashley, was released on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

on October 1, 2021.

Personal life

Ashley is openly gay.

Work

;Broadway *'' Diana'' (2021) *''

Escape to Margaritaville '' Escape to Margaritaville'' is a 2017 American jukebox musical by Greg Garcia (producer), Greg Garcia and Mike O'Malley, based on the songs of Jimmy Buffett. The plot revolves around a part-time bartender and singer who falls for a career-minded ...

'' (2018) *''

'' (2017)

, Best Direction of a Musical *''

Leap of Faith A leap of faith, in its most commonly used meaning, is the act of believing in or accepting something outside the boundaries of reason. Overview The phrase is commonly attributed to Søren Kierkegaard; however, he never used the term, as he ...

'' (2012) *'' Memphis (musical), Memphis'' (2009) *'' Xanadu'' (2007) *The 24 Hour Plays (2005) (Special Benefit): That Other Person" *'' All Shook Up'' (2005) *''

The Smell of the Kill ''The Smell of the Kill'' is a play by Michele Lowe that premiered at Cleveland Play House in 1999.
Cleveland Play ...

'' (2002) *''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...

'' (2000) (Revival)

nomination, Direction of a Musical *'' Voices in the Dark'' (1999) *''Jackie'' (1997) (Production consultant) ;Off-Broadway (select) *''Blown Sideways Through Life'' written by

Claudia Shear Claudia Shear (born September 12, 1962) is an American actress and playwright. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Play and Best Actress for her play '' Dirty Blonde''. Early life Shear was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 12, 1962 ...

(1993 and 1994), also TV film (1995) *'' Jeffrey'' (1992 and 1993), also the film (1995) *'' Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities'', written by

Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in '' The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in the Showtime series ''N ...

(1992) Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director *''

The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told '' The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told'' is a metaphysical/existentialist comedy written in 1998 by Paul Rudnick. Plot Original Production The play was originally produced at the Williamstown Theatre Festival on the Nikos Stage, opening on ...

'' (1998) *''

Communicating Doors ''Communicating Doors'' is a play written in 1994 by Alan Ayckbourn. The setting is a hotel suite that moves through time from 1974 to 2014. The central character, Poopay, must save herself from the murderous Julian by preventing the murders ...

'', written by Alan Ayckbourn (1998) *''Valhalla'' (2004), written by

;Sommer, Elyse
"A CurtainUp Review 'Valhalla'"
CurtainUp, February 4, 2004 Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outstanding Director ;Regional *''

'', La Jolla Playhouse (2017) *''

'', Signature Theatre (2016) * ''

'', La Jolla Playhouse (2015)

References

External links

*
Internet Off-Broadway Database
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Christopher 1964 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American theatre directors Tony Award winners LGBT theatre directors Yale College alumni 21st-century LGBT people American artistic directors