La Jolla Playhouse’s Ashley to Depart in 2026 for New York’s Roundabout Theatre Co.

Artistic Director Christopher Ashley will leave the La Jolla Playhouse to take on the same role with New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company, the playhouse announced Wednesday.

He will not depart immediately – Ashley plans to remain at the playhouse through Dec. 31, 2025 so he will still be responsible for programming the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons.

Sheri L. Jamieson, chair of the theater’s Board of Trustees, called the development “very bittersweet news” in an email to playhouse supporters.

Ashley arrived at La Jolla Playhouse in 2007 and helmed more than 20 productions, overseeing the development of 50 world premieres. Twenty of the shows made it to Broadway.

He also spearheaded the creation of the widely-acclaimed WOW program of site-based and immersive theatre, and launched the DNA New Work Series, creating an incubator for playwrights and directors to develop their works, some of which ended up as part of the theater’s subscription season.

In addition, he helped launch numerous programs, including the Veterans Playwriting Workshop, while fostering community partnerships with the Native Voices Play Festival and the Latinx New Play Festival, to name a few.

“Chris’s legacy of innovation, community engagement and new work development has cemented La Jolla Playhouse as the place to see what’s next on the American theatre landscape,” Jamieson said. “As an artist, colleague, friend and leader, Chris’s singular vision and incredible warmth and generosity have made working with him a delight for nearly two decades, and to say we will miss him dearly is an understatement.”

Ashley, a Tony Award winner, directed numerous world premieres, including Come From Away, Diana: The Musical, Memphis and Escape to Margaritaville. He also has feature film and broadcast credits, including directing Come From Away for AppleTV+ and Diana: The Musical for Netflix.

“It has been my deepest honor, privilege and joy to serve as the playhouse’s artistic director for the past 18 seasons,” he said in the theater’s email. “While I am excited for this new chapter at the acclaimed Roundabout Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse will always remain a cornerstone of my career, both as an artist and a member of this extraordinary creative community.”

The Roundabout is one of Broadway’s most renowned theaters with 38 Tonys, 59 Drama Desk Awards and two Pulitzer Prizes for drama. The most recent Pulitzer was for 2023’s Primary Trust, which opened in previews at the La Jolla Playhouse on Tuesday.

Ashley’s future home operates five major theaters in Manhattan with productions both on and off Broadway.

He followed Des McAnuff, his heralded predecessor, who left the La Jolla Playhouse to become artistic director at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. McAnuff, a director on Broadway, has maintained a relationship with the playhouse and last helmed this summer’s world premiere of The Ballad of Johnny and June.

Jamieson, in the playhouse’s email, promised to keep patrongs “closely informed as we begin the search process for (Ashley’s) replacement.”