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

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 in October 2009, receiving the

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

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 In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal ...

1980 film ''

Xanadu Xanadu may refer to: * Shangdu, the ancient summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire in China * a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem ''Kubla Khan'' Other places * Xanadu (Titan), ...

'' (2007) on Broadway, receiving a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

nomination, for direction, as well as several other plays and musicals. He has directed many stage works

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

, including at the Manhattan Theatre Club. He directed ''Jeffrey'' by Paul Rudnick Off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in 1993, for which he received the Lucille Lortel Award, 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 dial ...

, which was released in 1995. He directed the Sondheim Kennedy Center Celebration productions of '' Sweeney Todd'' and '' Merrily We Roll Along'' in 2002. He directed the new musical '' Come from Away'', which premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in June 2015, and opened on Broadway in February 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 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 identified ...

. 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+ on September 10, 2021, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the attacks. He directed the new musical stage version of '' Freaky Friday'', which premiered at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia in October 2016. The 2021 film musical ''

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...

'', 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 ...

on October 1, 2021.

Personal life

Ashley is openly gay.

Work

;Broadway *''

'' (2021) *'' Escape to Margaritaville'' (2018) *'' Come from Away'' (2017)

, Best Direction of a Musical *'' Leap of Faith'' (2012) *'' Memphis (musical), Memphis'' (2009) *''

'' (2007) *The 24 Hour Plays (2005) (Special Benefit): That Other Person" *'' All Shook Up'' (2005) *'' The Smell of the Kill'' (2002) *'' The Rocky Horror Show'' (2000) (Revival)

nomination, Direction of a Musical *''

Voices in the Dark ''Babylon 5: The Lost Tales'' was intended to be an anthology show set in the ''Babylon 5'' universe. It was announced by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of ''Babylon 5'', at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2006. Straczynski has described the ...

'' (1999) *''Jackie'' (1997) (Production consultant) ;Off-Broadway (select) *''Blown Sideways Through Life'' written by Claudia Shear (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 (1992) Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director *'' The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told'' (1998) *''

Communicating Doors ''Communicating Doors'' is a play written in 1994 by Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2021, more than eighty full-length plays in Scarb ...

'', written by Alan Ayckbourn (1998) *''Valhalla'' (2004), written by Paul Rudnick;Sommer, Elyse
"A CurtainUp Review 'Valhalla'"
CurtainUp, February 4, 2004 Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outstanding Director ;Regional *'' Escape to Margaritaville'', La Jolla Playhouse (2017) *'' Freaky Friday'', Signature Theatre (2016) * '' Come from Away'', 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