has served as La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director since October, 2007. During his tenure, he has helmed the Playhouse’s productions of Hollywood, The Darrell Hammond Project, Chasing the Song, His Girl Friday, Glengarry Glen Ross, A Dram of Drummhicit, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Restoration and the musicals Escape to Margaritaville, Xanadu, Memphis, which won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and Come From Away, for which he won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. He also spearheaded the Playhouse’s Without Walls (WoW) series, the DNA New Work Series and the Resident Theatre program. Prior to joining the Playhouse, he directed the Broadway productions of Xanadu (Drama Desk nomination), All Shook Up and The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), as well as the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along. Other New York credits include: Blown Sideways Through Life, Jeffrey (Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards), The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla, Regrets Only, Wonder of the World, Communicating Doors, Bunny Bunny, The Night Hank Williams Died and Fires in the Mirror (Lucille Lortel Award), among others. Mr. Ashley also directed the feature films Jeffrey and Lucky Stiff, as well as the American Playhouse production of Blown Sideways Through Life for PBS. Mr. Ashley is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Director Fellowship and an NEA/TCG Director Fellowship.
was recently appointed La Jolla Playhouse’s new Managing Director and has served as General Manager of the Playhouse since 2002. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT). In 2009, she received a San Diego Women Who Mean Business Award from San Diego Business Journal. Previously she served as Counsel to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.. She was a faculty member of the Smithsonian Institution’s program on Legal Problems of Museum Administration. Prior to the Kennedy Center, she served as a corporate attorney in New York City and Washington, DC. She is a graduate of UC San Diego and Harvard Law School. Ms. Buchholz and her husband, noted author and White House economic policy advisor Todd Buchholz, live in Solana Beach and are the proud parents of Victoria, Katherine and Alexia.
joined the Playhouse in November, 2014 from Off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theatre Company, where he served for five years as Artistic Associate. Prior to that, he was the founding Artistic Director of FireStarter Productions in Texas, as well as an ensemble member with American Theater Company in Chicago since 2009. His directing credits include The Royal Society of Antarctica at Portland Center Stage/JAW, Tiger Style! at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Dallas Theater Center, Chimichangas and Zoloft at Atlantic Theater Company, How We Got On at Cleveland Playhouse, Welcome to Arroyo’s at The Old Globe and American Theater Company, Red Light Winter at Perseverance Theatre, The Motherf**ker with the Hat at Kitchen Dog Theater, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant at Circle Theatre and Blue/Orange and Sonnets for an Old Century at FireStarter Productions. A Drama League fellow and recipient of the Princess Grace Award and the TCG New Generations Grant, Castañeda holds an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Texas at Austin.
Gabriel Greene (Director of New Play Development) joined La Jolla Playhouse’s artistic staff in 2007. In addition to curating and producing the annual DNA New Work Series, he has dramaturged over two dozen new plays and musicals for the Playhouse, including Wild Goose Dreams, At the Old Place, Escape to Margaritaville, Miss You Like Hell, JUNK, The Last Tiger in Haiti, Blueprints to Freedom, Up Here, The Darrell Hammond Project, The Who & The What, Milk Like Sugar (also off-Broadway) and Memphis (also Broadway and London; four Tony Awards). With Alex Levy, he wrote Safe at Home, a site-specific show which was developed through the DNA Series and received its world premiere at Mixed Blood Theatre in 2017 (Ivey Award). Goosebumps Alive, his immersive adaptation of R.L. Stine’s best-selling novels (co-written and directed by Tom Salamon) received its world premiere at The Vaults (London) in 2016. He is a graduate of University of Michigan and Trinity College, Dublin.
Mr. McCormick completed his Master of Fine Arts in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University in 2001. He has been the Director of Education and Outreach for La Jolla Playhouse since 2006. During his time at the Playhouse Mr. McCormick has commissioned world premiere productions for youth from high profile playwrights such as Will Power, Kathryn Walat and Rhiana Yazzie. Prior to his time at the Playhouse, Mr. McCormick served as Associate Artistic Director and Education Director for First Stage Children’s Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over the course of his 15 year relationship with First Stage Mr. McCormick directed productions including Sideways Stories From Wayside School, Two Donuts, Ramona Quimby and A Taste of Sunrise and appeared in numerous productions as an actor. Mr. McCormick has also worked as an educator and/or performer for Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Nashville Children’s Theatre, Childsplay, Arkansas Children’s Theatre, National Theatre of the Deaf, Arizona State University, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Springer Opera House and the Tennessee School for the Blind. He can also be heard playing various aquatic life in multiple video games for the SpongeBob Squarepants TV series.
Mary joined the Playhouse’s Communications team in 2007. During her tenure she has overseen the launch of the marketing campaigns for the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis, the Page To Stage Production of the on and Off-Broadway hit Peter and the Starcatchers, the West Coast premiere of the Tony-nominated play 33 Variations and the world-premiere musicals Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Side Show and Little Miss Sunshine. Under her direction, the Playhouse was named one of the “Top 100 San Diego Brands” by the San Diego Ad Club and was the recipient of a 2011 Telly Award. She and her team played an instrumental role in launching the Playhouse’s groundbreaking Without Walls Festival in 2013, which garnered major national press coverage. Prior to joining the Playhouse, Mary held a marketing position for Advanced Marketing Services, a national book distributor that serviced Costco and SAM’S Club. In this role she managed a $4 million cooperative advertising budget and launched the in-store promotional campaigns for numerous major book releases, including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Jimmy Carter’s Our Endangered Values. She attended the University of California Irvine where she graduated Cum Laude and was a member of the Humanities Honors Program.
Becky joined the La Jolla Playhouse staff in 2009. During her tenure, she has garnered major national coverage in such publications as The New York Times, Time Magazine, American Theatre, LA Times, USA Today for the Playhouse’s world-premiere productions of Hands on a Hardbody, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Who & The What and the 2013 Without Walls Festival, among others. Prior to working at the Playhouse, she served as Associate Director of Alumni Communications at UC San Diego and as Director of Public Relations Director at The Old Globe. She has also held communications positions at Boston’s Citi Performing Arts Center and WNCN-FM classical radio station. Alongside her career in arts administration, Becky has performed professionally, with credits ranging from a European tour of Jesus Christ Superstar to regional productions of Into the Woods, Once Upon a Mattress and The Gift of the Magi, among others. She is a graduate of Carleton College and the American Musical & Dramatic Academy.
Lynelle Lynch*
Chair
Randall L. Clark
First Vice-Chair
Michael Flaster
Second Vice-Chair
Susan Tousi
Secretary
Dave Bialis
Treasurer
1947 Founders
Mel Ferrer
Dorothy McGuire
Gregory Peck
Trustees
Michael Bartell
Gregg Brandalise
Ralph Bryan*
Robert Caplan
Lisa S. Casey
Linda Chester
Peter Cowhey, Ph.D.
Doug Dawson
Edward A. Dennis, Ph.D.
Brian Dovey
Emily Einhorn
Teri Evons
Mick Farrell
Dr. Lawrence Friedman
Noel Gillespie
Hanna Gleiberman
Jeffrey Goldman
Lynn E. Gorguze
Kay Gurtin
Clark Guy
Dwight Hare
Osborn Hurston
Debby Jacobs
Joan Jacobs
Sheri Jamieson
Jeanne Jones
Pradeep K. Khosla, Ph.D.
Kay Matherly
Margret McBride*
Mark J. Muñoz
Bennett Peji
Karen A. Quiñones
Andy Rasdal
Jeffrey Ressler*
Becky Robbins
Don Rosenberg
Tim Scott
Karen Silberman
Tina Simner
Laura Spielman
Scott M. Stanton
Steven M. Strauss*
Andy Thomas
Mary Walshok, Ph.D.
Sharon Weremiuk
Charlayne Woodard
Honorary Trustees
Richard Atkinson, Ph.D.
Ivan Gayler
John Goodman
Ewart W. Goodwin, Jr.*
Joel Holliday*
Julie Potiker
Geri Ann Warnke*
Gary Wollberg*
Robert Wright, Esq.
Emeritus Trustees
David Copley (1952-2012)
Ted Cranston (1940-2012)
Milton Fredman (1920-2005)
Hughes Potiker (1925-2005)
Roger Revelle (1909-1991)
Willard P. VanderLaan, M.D.* (1917-2012)
Arthur Wagner, Ph.D. (1923-2015)
Mandell Weiss (1891-1993)
Emerita Trustees
Rita Bronowski (1917-2010)
Marian Jones Longstreth (1906-1997)
Sheila Potiker (1930-2011)
Ellen Revelle (1910-2009)
*Past Chair of the Board
As of 4/4/2018
Associate Artistic Director
Jaime Castañeda
Director of New Play Development
Gabriel Greene
Artistic Associate
Teresa Sapien
Artistic Programs Manager
Jacole Kitchen
Executive Assistant to Christopher Ashley
Rick VanNoy
Director Emeritus
Des McAnuff
General Manager
Debby Buchholz
Associate General Manager
Flo Low
Employee Benefits Coordinator
Kathy Silberman
Corporate/Legal Counsel
Robert C. Wright, Wright & L’Estrange
Theatre/Legal Counsel
F. Richard Pappas, Esq.
Company Manager
Samantha De La Riva
Assistant Company Manager
Erica Martin
Company Management Assistant
Jacob Sinclair
Director of Finance
Christine Dolan
Controller
Laura Killmer
Payroll
George Kelly
Staff Accountant
Janet Gray
Sr. Production Accountant
Jared Jackson
Accounts Payable Manager
Sharon Ratelle
Associate Director of Development, Individual & Corporate Giving
Bonnie Broberg
Major Gifts Officer
Jini Bernstein Archibald
Grants Manager
Lita Kleger
Individual Giving Manager
Samantha Wilson
Development Officer
Tony Dixon
Development Coordinator
Adeline McKinley
Assistant to the Director of Development/Stewardship Coordinator
Joe Giovannetti
Interim Special Events Manager
Samantha Watkins
Special Project Coordinator
Melissa Sayviseth
Director of Communications
Mary Cook
Director of Public Relations
Becky Biegelsen
Associate Director of Sales & Marketing
Mia Fiorella
Communications Manager
Grace Madamba
Senior Multimedia Designer
Nancy Showers
Multimedia Designer
Jane Sanders
Marketing Specialist
Sonia Diaz
Marketing Database Analyst
Dani Meister
Direct Sales Associate
Andrew Fink
Associate Director – Patron Services
Nikki Cooper
Patron Services Manager
Travis Guss
Senior Lead Patron Services Representative/Ticket Specialist
Pearl Hang
Lead Patron Services Representative/Group Sales Specialist
Renee Shinske
Lead Patron Services Representative/Group Sales Concierge
Mike Brown
Patron Services Coordinator
Bill Washington
Patron Services Representatives
Deandre Clay, Devon Gonzales, Makayla Hoppe, Devin O’Reilly
Patron Services Sales Specialist
Paul Preston
Sales Concierge
William Guiney
Director of Education & Outreach
Steve McCormick
Associate Director of Education & Outreach
Julia Cuppy
Education & Outreach Manager
Bridget Cavaiola
Audio Describers
Mernie Aste, Brian Berlau, Joanne Brouk, Tina Dyer, Shari Lyon, Kay O’Neil, Deborah Sanborn, Sylvia Southerland, Susan Weekes
ASL Interpreters
Lynn Ann Garrett, Anelia Glebocki, Alycen Haynesworth, Suzanne Lightbourn, Billieanne McLellan, Geri Wu
ASL Usher
Esther Shen
Artist Instructors
Carolyn E. Agan, Bradley Behrmann, Julie Benitez, Bridget Cavaiola, Leo Chang, Leticia DeAnda, Randall Eames, Kirsten Giard, Nadia Guevara, Cory Hammond, Catherine Hanna-Schrock, Becky Hurt, Jeffrey Ingman, Courtney Kattengell, Stefani Langley-Palmer, Blake McCarty, Erika Phillips, James Pillar, Kelli Plaistad, Mary Reich, Tara Ricasa, Lorena Santana, Cynthia Stokes, Skylar Sullivan, Tomas Tamayo, Sofia Zaragoza
Playhouse Teen Council
Laural Cantor, Lindsey Garner, Emre Gumus, Faris Livingstone, Natasha Partnoy, Emily Smedley, Nicole Sollazzo, Alexis Smith, Aneasa Yacoub, Tana Zapf
Director of Operations
Ned Collins
Operations Manager
Jen McClenahan
Network Systems Specialist
Daryl “Scooter” Davis
House Manager
John Craft
Assistant House Managers
Avery Henderson, Sara Lucchini, Amy Marquez, Chastyn Rauh, Mondis Vakili
Audience Concierges
Ashley Carbonell, Cory Kurkierewicz, Michelle Rodriguez, Sultan Saeed, Gemina Soriano
Janitorial Professional Maintenance Systems
Luis Bagshaw, Nora Gomez, Francisco Lopez, Juan Mena, Maria Mena, Santiago Servin, Tony Villafuerte
Production Manager
Benjamin Seibert
Assistant Production Manager
Becca Duhaime
Production Office Manager
Ryan Heath
Interim Technical Director
Will Hartley
Master Carpenter
David Weiner
Technical Designer
Jonathan Gilmer
Carpenters
Ryan Beasley, Megan Birdsong, Preston Brown, Jacob Bruce, Matt Clark, Adam Day, Dave Dick, Dakota Duran, Mark Fillebrown, James Fogarty, Jasmin Guldner, Nick Jackson, Scott Kinney, Stephanie Lee, Tibor Lepes, Paul Mares, Laura McEntyre, Michael Moglia, Clay Nicodemus, Brylan Ranscht, Chris Rowe, Albert Rubidoux, Joshua Saunders, Tim Svetz, Zane Whitmore, Andrew Zenner
Shop Helper
Doug Collind
Charge Artist
Melissa Nalbach
Scenic Painters
Edee Armand, Dwaine Best, Kyle Bowen
Prop Shop Supervisor
Deb Hatch
Prop Shop Foreman
Erick Toussaint
Props Artisans
Zlatko Mitev, Jeffrey Rockey, Gabe Serbian, Zachary Zeringue
Costume Shop Supervisor
Jennifer Ables
Draper
Alexander Zeek
Wardrobe Supervisor
Jeri Nicolas
First Hand
Rebecca Fabares
Stitchers
Jan Blankenship, Keira McGee, Veronica Von Borstel
Craft Artisan
Tess Mattraw
Electrics Supervisor
Jeff Brewer
Master Electricians
Kristyn Kennedy, Ramon Wenn
Electricians
Allison Cluff, Brent McDannald, Miranda Stone
Sound/Video Supervisor
Lane Elms
Sound Technician
Mike Cornforth, Dylan Nielsen
This theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 122.
Photo credit: René Millán and the cast of American Night, The Ballad of Juan José; photo by Craig Schwartz.