Christopher Ashley
Encyclopedia
Christopher Ashley is a stage director. Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse
.In 1997, he completed The Drama League program for directors.
Ashley directed the new musical Memphis
, which opened on Broadway
in October 2009, receiving the Outer Critics Circle Award
nomination for Outstanding Directorand Tony Award
nomination, Best Direction of a Musical.
He previously directed the musical Xanadu
(2007) on Broadway, as well as several other plays and musicals. He has directed many stage works off-Broadway
, including Jeffrey
(1992), for which he received the Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director, and at the Manhattan Theatre Club
.
He directed the Sondheim Kennedy Center Celebration productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along
in 2002.
Off-Broadway (select)
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:...
.In 1997, he completed The Drama League program for directors.
Ashley directed the new musical Memphis
Memphis (Musical)
Memphis is a musical by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro . It is loosely based on Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s...
, which opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in October 2009, receiving the Outer Critics Circle Award
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
nomination for Outstanding Directorand Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination, Best Direction of a Musical.
He previously directed the musical Xanadu
Xanadu (musical)
Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane, music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth. The title is a reference to the poem, Kubla Khan, or A...
(2007) on Broadway, as well as several other plays and musicals. He has directed many stage works off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, including Jeffrey
Jeffrey (film)
Jeffrey is a 1995 American gay romantic comedy directed by Christopher Ashley. It is based on a play by Paul Rudnick, who also wrote the screenplay.Starring Steven Weber as Jeffrey and Michael T...
(1992), for which he received the Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director, and at the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
.
He directed the Sondheim Kennedy Center Celebration productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along
Merrily We Roll Along (musical)
Merrily We Roll Along is a musical with a book by George Furth and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart....
in 2002.
Work
Broadway- MemphisMemphis (Musical)Memphis is a musical by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro . It is loosely based on Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s...
(2009) - XanaduXanadu (musical)Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane, music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth. The title is a reference to the poem, Kubla Khan, or A...
(2007) - The 24 Hour Plays (2005) (Special Benefit):"That Other Person"
- All Shook UpAll Shook Up"All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and composed by Otis Blackwell. Elvis Presley's single topped the U.S. Pop chart on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the R&B chart for four weeks, becoming Presley's second single to...
(2005) - The Smell of the KillThe Smell of the KillThe Smell of the Kill is a play by Michele Lowe that had a run on Broadway in 2002 starring Lisa Emery, Claudia Shear & Jessica Stone.It was directed by Christopher Ashley and played at the Helen Hayes Theatre on 44th Street....
(2002) - The Rocky Horror ShowThe Rocky Horror ShowThe Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
(2000) (Revival) Tony Award nomination - Voices in the Dark (1999)
- Jackie (1997) (Production consultant)
Off-Broadway (select)
- Blown Sideways Through Life written by Claudia ShearClaudia ShearClaudia Shear is an American actress and playwright.The Brooklyn-born Shear first came to prominence with her 1994 self-penned solo performance piece Blown Sideways Through Life, which enjoyed a run of 221 performances at the off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre and won her an Obie Award and a Drama...
(1993 and 1994), also TV film - Jeffrey (1992 and 1993), also the film
- Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other IdentitiesFires in the MirrorFires in the Mirror is a play by American playwright, author, actress, and professor Anna Deavere Smith. It chronicles the viewpoints of people connected to the Crown Heights, Brooklyn, crisis of 1991.-Context:...
written by Anna Deveare Smith (1992) Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director - Communicating DoorsCommunicating DoorsCommunicating Doors is a play written in 1994 by Alan Ayckbourn. The setting is a hotel suite that moves through time from 1974 to 2014. The central character, Poopay, must save herself from the murderous Julian by preventing the murders of Reece's two wives.-External links:*...
written by Alan AyckbournAlan AyckbournSir Alan Ayckbourn CBE is a prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their...
(1998) - Valhalla (2004) written by Paul RudnickPaul RudnickPaul M. Rudnick is an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. His plays include I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla and The New Century. He also wrote for Premiere magazine under the pseudonym Libby Gelman-Waxner, and for Spy.Rudnick grew up in Piscataway...
Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outstanding Director