LA JOLLA, Calif. (KGTV) — After 18 years of transforming San Diego's theater landscape, Christopher Ashley is stepping down as Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse to lead New York's Roundabout Theater Company.
Ashley's tenure has been defined by seven words: To turn the Playhouse into a "safe harbor for the unsafe and surprising."
"I think we have a great mission statement. It's bold and muscular," Ashley said in an exclusive interview with ABC 10News anchor Jared Aarons. "It's very much about 'what kind of theater do we want to be and what impact do we want to have on the world?'"
Under Ashley's leadership, the playhouse has been the driving force behind nearly 100 new plays and musicals. He personally directed 21 productions and took 20 to Broadway, expanding on it's long history as a regional and national powerhouse.
His most successful production was "Come From Away," a musical about a small town in Canada that welcomed thousands of stranded airline passengers after 9/11. The show earned Ashley Broadway's highest honor in 2017 — the Tony Award for Best Director.
"I think there's something about that show, so much about generosity and taking care of other people, particularly kindness to strangers, that feels like it's a really good moment in our culture to tell that story," Ashley said.
The playhouse produced dozens of other standout shows under his direction, including "The Outsiders," which won the Tony for Best Musical in 2024.
Rather than picking a favorite production, Ashley said he's most proud of the festivals he helped launch to bring theater into the community, including "Without Walls (WOW)" and the DNA New Work Series.
"There's something so exciting about not knowing what (a show) is going to be until it meets its first audience, and that sense of discovery between the audience and the actors. That's one of my favorite things," Ashley said.
Ashley is heading to New York to lead the Roundabout Theater Company, the country's largest non-profit theater, which focuses mostly on Broadway revivals. The position gives him a chance to reach an even bigger audience.
"You can make an older play mean something fresh at the current moment," Ashley said. "The impact you can have on the conversation of what's happening in America from a theater like that, is so incredible."
Ashley said he'll miss San Diego and its theater community, but hopes he's leaving it as his mission statement describes — a safe harbor for the unsafe and surprising.
The playhouse has already announced two-time Tony nominee Jessica Stone as the new Artistic Director. She takes over later in 2026.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
