La Jolla Playhouse

La Jolla Playhouse
	Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center at the La Jolla Playhouse
Formation	1947
Type	Theatre group
Location	San Diego, California;
Artistic director(s)	Christopher Ashley
Notable members	Founders: Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, Mel Ferrer
Website	lajollaplayhouse.org

The La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego.

History

The 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

The 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

The 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

Notable actors

Productions

La Jolla Playhouse to Broadway

Production	La Jolla Playhouse	Broadway	Tony Awards
Big River	1984	1985	Best Musical Best Book of a Musical Best Original Score Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Best Direction of a Musical Best Scenic Design Best Lighting Design
A Walk in the Woods	1987	1988
Dangerous Games	1989	1989
The Grapes of Wrath	1989	1991	Best Play
The Who's Tommy	1992	1993	Best Direction of a Musical Best Choreography Best Original Score Best Scenic Design Best Lighting Design
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying	1994	1995 (revival)	Best Actor in a Musical
An Almost Holy Picture	1995	2002
The Green Bird	1996	2000
Harmony	1997	2023
Jane Eyre	1999	2000
Thoroughly Modern Millie	2000	2002	Best Musical Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Best Choreography Best Orchestrations Best Costume Design
Dracula, the Musical	2001	2004
I Am My Own Wife	2001	2004	Best Play Best Actor in a Play
700 Sundays	2004	2004
Jersey Boys	2004	2005	Best Musical Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Doctor Zhivago (premiered as Zhivago)	2006	2015
The Farnsworth Invention	2007	2007
Cry Baby	2007	2008
33 Variations	2008	2009	Best Scenic Design of a Play
Memphis	2008	2009	Best Musical Best Book of a Musical Best Original Score Best Orchestrations
Bonnie and Clyde	2009	2011
Peter and the Starcatcher	2009	2012	Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play Best Sound Design of a Play Best Lighting Design of a Play Best Costume Design of a Play Best Scenic Design of a Play
Ghetto Klown (premiered as John Leguizamo: Diary of a Madman)	2010	2011
Chaplin	2010	2012
Jesus Christ Superstar	2011	2012 (revival)
Hands on a Hardbody	2012	2013
Side Show	2013	2014
Indecent	2015	2017	Best Direction of a Play Best Lighting Design of a Play
Come from Away	2015	2017	Best Direction of a Musical
John Leguizamo: Latin History for Morons	2016	2017	Special Tony Award
Junk: The Golden Age of Debt	2016	2017
SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical	2017	2018
Escape to Margaritaville	2017	2018
Diana	2019	2020
Lempicka	2022	2024
The Outsiders	2023	2024	Best Musical Best Direction of a Musical Best Lighting Design of a Musical Best Sound Design in a Musical
Redwood	2024	2025^[4]

References

^ "Playhouse Highlights". La Jolla Playhouse. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
^ Epstein, Robert (1991-06-20). "A Plan Comes Together at La Jolla Playhouse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
^ Monteagudo, Marie (2022-07-08). "From the Archives: La Jolla Playhouse launched 75 years ago". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
^ ^a ^b "Idina Menzel to Return to Broadway in New Musical 'Redwood'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-08-01.

External links

32°52′15.18″N 117°14′28.77″W / 32.8708833°N 117.2413250°W / 32.8708833; -117.2413250

[1] "Playhouse Highlights". La Jolla Playhouse. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2013.

[2] Epstein, Robert (1991-06-20). "A Plan Comes Together at La Jolla Playhouse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-05-16.

[3] Monteagudo, Marie (2022-07-08). "From the Archives: La Jolla Playhouse launched 75 years ago". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-05-25.

[:0-4] "Idina Menzel to Return to Broadway in New Musical 'Redwood'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-08-01.

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