Christopher Ashley

Christopher Ashley (born July 6, 1964) is an American stage director. Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse.[1]

Career

Ashley graduated from Yale University in 1984, where he studied Math and English.[2][3] In 1997, he completed The Drama League program for directors.[4] He was appointed artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse, California, in 2007.[3]

Ashley directed the musical Memphis, which opened on Broadway in October 2009, receiving the Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Director[5]and Tony Award nomination, Best Direction of a Musical.[6][2] He previously directed the musical Xanadu (2007) on Broadway, receiving a Drama Desk Award nomination, for direction, as well as several other plays and musicals.

He has directed many stage works Off-Broadway, including at the Manhattan Theatre Club. He directed Jeffrey by Paul Rudnick Off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in 1993,[7] for which he received the Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director. He also directed the film version, which was released in 1995.[8]

He directed the Sondheim Kennedy Center Celebration productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along in 2002.[9]

He directed the new musical Come from Away, which premiered at the 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 then cancelled on February 2, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he will direct a live stage film recording of the show that will be released in September 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.[14][15]

He directed the new musical stage version of Freaky Friday, which premiered at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia in October 2016.[16]

Personal life

Ashley is openly gay.[17]

Work
Broadway
Off-Broadway (select)
Regional

References
  1. "Christopher Ashley Named Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse" broadway.com, April 10, 2007
  2. "Christopher Ashley — Nominee for Best Director of a Musical" broadway.com, accessed October 9, 2016
  3. Boehm, Mike. "La Jolla Playhouse names artistic director" Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2007
  4. BiographyVariety, accessed June 22, 2009
  5. Gans, Andrew."Memphis, La Cage, Zeta-Jones, Finneran and More Are Outer Critics Circle Award Winners" Archived 2010-07-21 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, May 17, 2010
  6. "Nominations, 2009-10" tonyawards.com, retrieved May 18, 2010
  7. Holden, Stephen. "Review/Theater; Laughs That Mask the Fears of Gay Manhattan" The New York Times, January 21, 1993
  8. James, Caryn. "Film Review; Comic Side of Sex in Age of AIDS" The New York Times, August 4, 1995
  9. "The Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration" sondheimguide.com, retrieved May 18, 2010
  10. McNulty, Charles. "Generosity overcomes terrorism in unpretentious 'Come From Away'" Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2015
  11. " Come from Away Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed October 9, 2016
  12. Viagas, Robert. 9/11 Musical 'Come From Away' Books a Broadway Theatre" Playbill, September 15, 2016
  13. Variety, retrieved June 15, 2017
  14. Lefkowitz, Andy (17 November 2017). "Come From Away Tony Winner Christopher Ashley to Direct Musical's Film Adaptation". Broadway.com. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  15. https://deadline.com/2021/02/come-from-away-broadway-movie-eone-1234685571/
  16. Rothstein, Mervyn. "What To Expect from 'Freaky Friday 'the Musical" Playbill, October 4, 2016
  17. Folliard, Patrick (15 March 2010). "Exploring diva worship and gay relationships". Washington Blade. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  18. Variety, retrieved June 15, 2017
  19. "List of 2001 Tony Award Winners" The New York Times, May 15, 2001
  20. " 'Blown Sideways Through Life' Film Overview" tcm.com, accessed October 9, 2016
  21. Internet Movie Database listing imdb.com
  22. " 'Jeffrey' Film, 1995" tcm.com, accessed October 9, 2016
  23. Sommer, Elyse. "A CurtainUp Review 'Valhalla'" CurtainUp, February 4, 2004
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