Los Angeles Times: Jessica Stone, a Tony-nominated director (“Kimberly Akimbo,” “Water for Elephants”), has been named the new artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse, succeeding Christopher Ashley at the helm of one of the nation’s preeminent regional theaters. The Board of Trustees of La Jolla Playhouse made the announcement on Tuesday.
4 comments:
It is absolutely awesome to see a woman taking on this role. In all of th regional theatre artistic directors I am aware of I can’t think of one woman. Transitioning leadership in a company is always scary, however it si also such an exciting time. It is clear that Jessica Stone is accomplished and established in the field. THe article seemed to highlight how Jessica Stone fits into the mission of La Jolla Playhouse and it seems very promising. I hope to work at La Jolla one day and it is amazing to see them continuing their mission of establishing new work as well as ushering in a new era of leadership. Especially in today’s society, being a leader within an artistic field comes with its challenges and I always feel that someone new coming in can hit the ground running hard with a renewed enthusiasm and excited energy.
I live 5 minutes from La Jolla Playhouse. I went to school across the street from LJP. I have many fond memories of seeing plays there, and it's one of my bucket list items to design for them. As a woman, seeing a female creative director in my hometown at one of my favorite theaters of all time makes me absolutely ecstatic. When I saw her first post on the LJP Instagram, I cheered out loud. I know that the Southern California theater scene is so male-dominated, and such a successful woman at the helm of my hometown regional theatre makes me so happy, and really excited about the next few seasons to come out of the playhouse! Water for Elephants and Kimberly Akimbo are both beautifully directed musicals, and someone with that creative mind in San Diego just shows how much La Jolla Playhouse cares about their theater. Also, yay women in management roles! Let's go!
It is great to hear about the shifts in Southern California beginning with La Jolla Playhouse with the naming of Jessica Stone as the next artistic director of this acclaimed theatre, especially as she becomes the only female artistic director in the region which falls behind in leadership diversity for theatres. It was also interesting to hear her take on artistic direction and her experiences with Kimberly Akimbo and Water for Elephants that had brought her closer to artistic direction and that years ago those at La Jolla were wondering why they hadn’t brought her to that theatre long ago to participate in a similar mission that they believed in for artistic creation. I’m interested to see how the pieces that are produced here many change in the coming years once Jessica Stone takes the reins and how she will continue the legacy of those that have come before her to further propel La Jolla in the pursuit of artistic excellence.
Ok, first, I LOVE Water for Elephants. It has been one of my favorite new musicals that I have seen in a long time! I am so excited that the director is the new artistic director for La Jolla Playhouse! I have been following this company for years and have been looking into jobs and internships for the summer/after college. I love what they produce and the quality of their performances. It would be a dream come true not only to work with this company but with the director of Water for Elephants! Not only is she amazing, but she is also ending the record of male artistic directors, trailblazing, and opening doors for young female directors! I am soooo excited to see what is to come from her and this company! I think it is so cool that this wasn’t on their path or vision, and how this job more or alike found them.
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