Christopher Ashley
Christopher Ashley (b. July 6, 1964) is a stage director. Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse.[1]
Biography
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 will open on Broadway in February 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.[11][12]
He is directing the new musical stage version of Freaky Friday, which premiered at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia in October 2016.[13]
Work
- Broadway
- Leap of Faith (2012)
- Memphis (2009)
- Xanadu (2007)
- The 24 Hour Plays (2005) (Special Benefit): That Other Person"
- All Shook Up (2005)
- The Smell of the Kill (2002)
- The Rocky Horror Show (2000) (Revival) Tony Award nomination, Direction of a Musical[14]
- Voices in the Dark (1999)
- Jackie (1997) (Production consultant)
- Off-Broadway (select)
- Blown Sideways Through Life written by Claudia Shear (1993 and 1994), also TV film (1995)[15][16]
- Jeffrey (1992 and 1993), also the film (1995)[16][17]
- Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities, written by Anna Deavere Smith (1992) Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director
- Communicating Doors, written by Alan Ayckbourn (1998)
- Valhalla (2004), written by Paul Rudnick;[18] Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outstanding Director
- Regional
- Freaky Friday, Signature Theatre (2016)
- Come from Away, La Jolla Playhouse (2015)
References
- ↑ "Christopher Ashley Named Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse" broadway.com, April 10, 2007
- 1 2 "Christopher Ashley — Nominee for Best Director of a Musical" broadway.com, accessed October 9, 2016
- 1 2 Boehm, Mike. "La Jolla Playhouse names artistic director" Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2007
- ↑ BiographyVariety, accessed June 22, 2009
- ↑ Gans, Andrew."Memphis, La Cage, Zeta-Jones, Finneran and More Are Outer Critics Circle Award Winners" playbill.com, May 17, 2010
- ↑ "Nominations, 2009-10" tonyawards.com, retrieved May 18, 2010
- ↑ Holden, Stephen. "Review/Theater; Laughs That Mask the Fears of Gay Manhattan" The New York Times, January 21, 1993
- ↑ James, Caryn. "Film Review; Comic Side of Sex in Age of AIDS" The New York Times, August 4, 1995
- ↑ "The Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration" sondheimguide.com, retrieved May 18, 2010
- ↑ McNulty, Charles. "Generosity overcomes terrorism in unpretentious 'Come From Away'" Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2015
- ↑ " Come from Away Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed October 9, 2016
- ↑ Viagas, Robert. 9/11 Musical 'Come From Away' Books a Broadway Theatre" Playbill, September 15, 2016
- ↑ Rothstein, Mervyn. "What To Expect from 'Freaky Friday 'the Musical" Playbill, October 4, 2016
- ↑ "List of 2001 Tony Award Winners" The New York Times, May 15, 2001
- ↑ " 'Blown Sideways Through Life' Film Overview" tcm.com, accessed October 9, 2016
- 1 2 Internet Movie Database listing imdb.com
- ↑ " 'Jeffrey' Film, 1995" tcm.com, accessed October 9, 2016
- ↑ Sommer, Elyse. "A CurtainUp Review 'Valhalla'" CurtainUp, February 4, 2004
External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Christopher Ashley at the Internet Movie Database