La Jolla Playhouse

La Jolla Playhouse
	Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center at La Jolla Playhouse
Location	San Diego, California;
Website	lajollaplayhouse.org

Last updated February 09, 2025

La Jolla Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater 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.^[1]^[2]^[3] In 1983, it was revived under the leadership of Des McAnuff. Since then, the Playhouse's repertoire has included 108 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 36 productions that originated at the Playhouse before finding success on Broadway are The Who's Tommy , Come from Away , Thoroughly Modern Millie , The Outsiders , 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 , and Redwood with Idina Menzel which is set to open on Broadway in 2025.^[4]

Programs

La Jolla Playhouse provides a number of Learning & Engagement opportunities for children, teens, and adults interested in theatre arts, both as performers and behind-the-scenes. In addition, the Performance Outreach Program (POP Tour) annually brings a professional, world-premiere production to schools, libraries, and community centers throughout San Diego. There are additional summer theater opportunities through the La Jolla Playhouse Conservatory, student matinees, teen council, and many other in-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– : Christopher Ashley

Productions