Christopher Ashley (born July 6, 1964) is an American stage director. Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse. [1]
Ashley graduated from Yale University in 1986, with a Bachelor of Art in Theatre. [2] [3] In 1987, he completed The Drama League program for directors. [4]
He directed many Off-Broadway stage productions, including at Manhattan Theatre Club. He directed Jeffrey by Paul Rudnick Off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in 1993, [5] for which he received the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director. He also directed the film version, which was released in 1995. [6]
He directed the Sondheim Kennedy Center Celebration productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along in 2002. [7]
In 2007, he was appointed artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse, California. [3] He directed the musical version of the 1980 cult film Xanadu on Broadway, receiving a Drama Desk Award nomination for direction.
Ashley directed the musical Memphis , which opened on Broadway in October 2009, receiving the Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Director [8] and Tony Award nomination, Best Direction of a Musical. [9] [2]
He directed the new musical Come from Away , which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in June 2015, [10] and opened on Broadway in February 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, receiving a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. [11] [12] [13] 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. 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. [14] [15] [16] [17]
He directed the musical version of Freaky Friday , which premiered at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia in October 2016. [18]
The 2021 film musical Diana , directed by Ashley, was released on Netflix on October 1, 2021. [19]
In September 2024, Ashley was hired by the Roundabout Theatre Company as its artistic director. He will begin his tenure in July 2026. [20] [21]
Ashley is openly gay. [22]