The cast of The Outsiders at La Jolla Playhouse, photo by Rich Soublet II
San Diego audiences have long enjoyed the opportunity to experience world-class, Broadway-bound theatre at the internationally-acclaimed La Jolla Playhouse. Since its rebirth on the UC San Diego campus in 1983, the Playhouse has launched more than 100 world premieres and 37 Broadway transfers. The 2025/26 season looks to be another banner year, featuring five world premieres and a Tony Award-nominated Broadway hit.
The cast of Come From Away 2017, photo by Matthew Murphy
This season also marks Artistic Director Christopher Ashley’s final one at the Playhouse, ending a thrilling 18-year tenure as leader of the Tony Award-winning institution. During that time he directed more than 20 productions, oversaw the development of 50 world premieres and shepherded 20 shows to Broadway, among them the hit musicals The Outsiders, Redwood and Come From Away, for which he won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Director.
Christopher Ashley, photo by Emilio Madrid
Ashley also spearheaded the creation of the Playhouse’s popular and widely-acclaimed Without Walls (WOW) program of immersive and site-inspired work, including the annual WOW Festival. In 2013 Ashley launched the Playhouse’s DNA New Work Series, creating an incubator for playwrights and directors to develop their works – many of which have later been programmed as part of the Playhouse’s subscription season. A champion of the San Diego theatre community, Ashley established the Resident Theatre Program in 2010, which provides a home and resources to an itinerant local theatre company each year. His vision has also helped launch such programs as the annual Director Fellowship, paid internships, and the Veterans Playwriting Workshop.
Downstream (tributaries) by BANDALOOP, at WOW Festival 2024, photo by Anthony Tran
The upcoming season features two new musicals directed by Ashley, along with a wonderful mix of new voices, Playhouse veterans, theatrical rock stars…and one actual rock star. All six subscription offerings are truly heart-forward while engaging with complex issues and thought-provoking themes.
JaJa’s African Hair Braiding at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, photo by Ben Krantz (Tiffany Renee Johnson, Awa Sal Secka in focus, with Aisha Sougou, Melanie-Brezill, Mia Ellis, Bisseratt Tseggai in background)
“We’ll kick off the subscription slate with Jocelyn bio’s Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a Tony-nominated Broadway hit that I feel is a can’t-miss experience for San Diego audiences. We’ll also be mounting three world-premiere plays by three riveting writers: Indian Princesses by Eliana Theologides Rodriguez, All the Men Who’ve Frightened Me by Noah Diaz, and The Recipe by Claudia Shear. Each playwright brings their singular vision to works that are at once deeply personal and universally relatable,” remarked Ashley. He added, “I’m delighted to be directing two brand new musicals this season: Working Girl, based on the beloved ‘80s film, but very much in conversation with our current moment; and The Heart, an adrenaline-fueled, genre-defying show that is unlike any project I’ve directed before.”
Emmy/Grammy/Tony winner Cyndi Lauper, writer of music and lyrics for the upcoming musical adaptation of Working Girl at La Jolla Playhouse, photo by Rebecca Miller
These six productions – along with the eighth annual WOW Festival in April – make for an unforgettable slate that epitomizes the Playhouse’s commitment to developing new work for the American theatre. Subscriptions for the 2025/26 season, which runs from May, 2025 through March, 2026, are on sale now, so don’t miss the chance to see this unforgettable celebratory season - the final one with Christopher Ashley at its helm.
La Jolla Playhouse ● 2910 La Jolla Village Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037 ● 858-550-1010 ● lajollaplayhouse.org
Photography by: Courtesy of of Rich Soublet II, Matthew Murphy, Emilio Madrid, Anthony Tran, Ben Krantz Studio, Rebecca Miller
