La Jolla Playhouse

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

Background

La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under the leadership of Des McAnuff. Since then, the Playhouse’s repertoire has included forty-four world premieres, twenty-four West Coast premieres, and seven 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.

La Jolla Playhouse provides a number of educational opportunities for children, teens, and adults interested in theatre arts, both as performers and behind-the-scenes. In addition, the Performance Outreach Program brings professional productions to schools, libraries, and community centers throughout San Diego.

Among the productions that originated at the Playhouse before finding success on Broadway are "Big River", The Who’s "Tommy", Matthew Broderick's revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", "Jane Eyre", "Dracula, the Musical", "Thoroughly Modern Millie", "Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays" and "Jersey Boys".

La Jolla Playhouse also has many opportunities for children and young adults interested in theatre. High-schoolers can be part of its Education and Outreach program by becoming part of the La Jolla Playhouse Student Board of Trustees. There are additional opportunities through the La Jolla Playhouse Summer Conservatory, Young Performers' Workshop (YPW), POP Tour, Residency Programs and many other educational workshops and classes.

Page To Stage

La Jolla Playhouse began the Page To Stage 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 five 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. [cite web | author=BWW News Desk | title=Sorkin and McAnuff Collaborate on LaJolla's 'Invention' | url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=14438 | work=BroadwayWorld | date=15 December 2006 | accessdate=2007-01-02]

Artists

Artistic Directors

*1947-1959: Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, Mel Ferrer (founders)
*1983-1994: Des McAnuff
*1995-1999: Michael Greif
*2000-2007: Des McAnuff
*2007- : Christopher Ashley

Actors

La Jolla Playhouse has been home to many up-and-coming performers early in their careers.

* Amy Aquino
* Stephen Bogardus
* Phoebe Cates
* Kim Cattrall
* Dann Florek
* Sutton Foster
* John Goodman
* David Marshall Grant
* Neil Patrick Harris
* Linda Hunt
* Holly Hunter
* Laura Innes
* Bill Irwin
* Laura Linney
* Jon Lovitz
* Jefferson Mays
* Marin Mazzie
* Cynthia Nixon
* Peter Paige
* Amanda Plummer
* Alice Ripley
* Wynn Harmon
* Campbell Scott
* Helen Shaver
* Gary Sinise
* Nancy Travis
* Vivian Vance
* Daphne Rubin-Vega
* Sherie Rene Scott
* Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Productions

2007-2008 season

*"Carmen" - by Sarah Miles - music by John Ewbank
*"The Deception" - adapted from La Fausse Suivante by Pierre Marivaux
*"After the Quake" - by Haruki Murakami
*"The Adding Machine" - by Elmer Rice
*"Cry-Baby" - by John Waters
*"The Seven" - by Will Power, music by Will Power, Will Hammond, Justin Ellington
*"Most Wanted" - by Jessica Hagedorn, music by Mark Bennett

2008-2009 season

*"33 Variations" - by Moises Kaufman
*"The Night Watcher" - by Charlayne Woodard
*"The Third Story" - by Charles Busch
*"Tobacco Road" - play by Jack Kirkland based on the novel by Erskine Caldwell
*"Xanadu" - by Douglas Carter Beane
*"The Edge Series"

References

External links

* [http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/ La Jolla Playhouse official website]
*
* [http://cac.ca.gov/ California Arts Council]
* [http://americantheatrewing.org/downstagecenter/detail/christopher_ashley Christopher Ashley, La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director - "Downstage Center" interview] at American Theatre Wing, October 2007