Tony Award-winner Christopher Ashley has served as La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director since 2007. During his tenure, he directed the world premieres of Come From Away, Diana: The Musical, Memphis, Escape to Margaritaville, The Squirrels, A Dram of Drummhicit, Restoration and Chasing the Song, as well as His Girl Friday, Glengarry Glen Ross, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Freaky Friday and Xanadu. He also spearheaded the Playhouse’s Without Walls (WOW) initiative, the DNA New Work Series and the Resident Theatre program.
Mr. Ashley recently directed Come From Away for AppleTV+ and Diana: The Musical for Netflix. Other screen credits include the feature films Jeffrey and Lucky Stiff, and the American Playhouse production of Blown Sideways Through Life for PBS.
Mr. Ashley’s Broadway credits include Come From Away (Tony and Outer Critics Circle Awards), Diana: The Musical, Escape to Margaritaville, Memphis (Tony Award nomination), Xanadu, Leap of Faith (Drama Desk Award nomination), All Shook Up and The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations). He also helmed productions of Come From Away in London (Olivier Award nomination), Toronto, Australia and on national tour. Other national tours include Escape to Margaritaville, Memphis, Xanadu, All Shook Up and Seussical: The Musical. Additional New York stage credits include Blown Sideways Through Life, Jeffrey (Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards), The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla (Lucille Lortel Award nomination), 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 is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Director Fellowship and an NEA/TCG Director Fellowship.
was appointed La Jolla Playhouse’s new Managing Director in 2018 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, D.C. 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.
Eric Keen-Louie (he/him/his) joined the Playhouse in September, 2018, after seven years at The Old Globe, where he started as Associate Producer and later became Associate Artistic Director. At the Globe, he helped guide nearly fifty productions, including the pre-Broadway productions of Bright Star, Allegiance and the Tony Award-winning A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. He co-created the theater’s new play development initiative The Powers New Voices Festival and helped launch the arts engagement programs Community Voices and Globe for All. Keen-Louie spent three years at The Public Theater as the Assistant to the Associate Producer and then Director of Special Projects, working on world premieres by Richard Nelson, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Stephen Sondheim, as well as the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Hair and the creation of The Mobile Unit. Independently, he produced Kingdom and the GLAAD Media Award-winning when last we flew. He also assisted Broadway producer Margo Lion on Hairspray and Caroline, or Change. He is a recipient of The Edward & Sally Van Lier Arts Fellowship for Producing and an alumnus of American Express’ Leadership Academy. He serves as Secretary for the National Alliance of Musical Theatre’s Board of Directors and chairs the organization’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Committee and New Works Committee. He graduated with a B.A. in Dramatic Literature from New York University and an M.F.A. in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University, where he received a Dean’s fellowship. He shares his commute to La Jolla with his husband Anthony Keen-Louie, an administrator in student affairs at UC San Diego. He is a proud third-generation Chinese-American.
Gabriel Greene 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 The Squirrels, 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.
Mia Fiorella joined the marketing team at Jolla Playhouse in 2011 and has worked on many hit shows like Come From Away, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Blueprints to Freedom, Junk and Miss You Like Hell – and all Without Walls projects. Her passion is bringing audiences and artists together to share stories, culture and experiences. Mia previously worked as the Audience Development Manager at The Old Globe, and in Chicago as a Publicist with John Iltis & Cheryl Lewin Associates (a film and theatre PR firm) and as the Marketing & Publicity Director for The Noble Fool Theatre and Trinity Irish Dance Company. She is a proud graduate of the Theatre Management program at DePaul University in Chicago. Mia spent the last twenty years playing women’s ice hockey until recently, when she discovered rowing on Mission Bay. Before all of these many journeys, she danced for the Delia Stewart Dance company in Houston, TX (now the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center) and studied modern and jazz dance in New York City.
Jacole Kitchen is the Director of Arts Engagement and In-House Casting at La Jolla Playhouse, spearheading numerous community-based programs. In addition, she teaches acting, improv and professional development for actors through UCSD Extension. Directing credits include the Playhouse’s Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour production of Light Years Away, Cardboard Piano (Diversionary Theatre), An Iliad (New Village Arts), among others. She was recently named Executive Director of the San Diego Performing Arts League.
A native New Yorker, Julia B. Foster has dedicated the majority of her career to the non-profit arts, in both performance and administration. After earning a B.A. in dance at Washington University in St. Louis, she pursued a professional career in modern dance, musical theater, singing and acting, including six years as a soloist with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company. Later transitioning to arts administration, Foster most recently worked at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, as Vice President of Development, overseeing their successful annual fund campaign that raised a record $10.5 million goal in FY18, and leading the Center’s annual Candlelight Concert gala to its highest net profit finish in its 44 year history. While at the Center, she previously served as the Director of the Capital Campaign, where she oversaw the Center’s $73 million Next Act Capital Campaign, and planned and implemented successful campaign events, including the groundbreaking and opening celebrations for the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. Past positions at Segerstrom Center include Director of Major Gifts and Director of the Annual Fund. She also co-chaired the Orange County Association of Fundraising Professionals’ National Philanthropy Day fundraiser luncheon. Prior to the Segerstrom Center, Foster held the post of Chief Development Officer at both Project Access and at Irvine Barclay Theatre and served as the Cultural Development Manager for the Vail Valley Foundation in Colorado.
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, Huffington Post and NPR for the Playhouse’s numerous world-premiere, Broadway-bound productions, including Come From Away, Lempicka, Indecent, Diana, Hands on a Hardbody, as well as the Playhouse’s acclaimed Without Walls (WOW) Festivals. Prior to working at the Playhouse, she served Public Relations Director at The Old Globe and has held communications positions at UC San Diego, Boston’s Citi Performing Arts Center and New York City Opera. She is a graduate of Carleton College and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
Stephanie is thrilled to join La Jolla Playhouse in 2022. A native Australian, she has enjoyed a career in arts and non-profit marketing in Australia, the UK and USA. She has held leadership positions at premiere organizations including Miami City Ballet, Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Australia, The Royal Academy of Dance and The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. At Miami City Ballet, she developed and implemented some of the most successful campaigns in the company’s history, notably attracting over 64% new audiences to The Nutcracker. At Sydney Theatre Company, she spearheaded an innovative loyalty program for 20,000~ subscribers, and created campaigns for over 80 theatre works including Muriel’s Wedding the Musical, The Present starring Cate Blanchett, numerous classics and new works. Stephanie is passionate about making extraordinary artistic experiences available to everyone.
Bridget has been with La Jolla Playhouse since 2017, first as a Teaching Artist, and now as the Director of Learning. She is a San Diego based educator, improviser, and facilitator and has been performing and teaching improv theater and communication strategies to adults and children since 2005. She has been a Master Teaching Artist with Arts for Learning, San Diego, La Jolla Playhouse, and San Diego Junior Theatre and is a performer and teacher with Finest City Improv. She is the former Education Director for the Baltimore Improv Group as well as a former Teaching Artist for Young Audiences of Maryland. She was a Baltimore County Public Schools High School (MD) English and theater teacher for seven years. Bridget is a graduate of the Young Audience of Maryland Teaching Artist Institute and has extensive training in inclusion, professional development, and arts integration. She holds a masters degree in Communicating in Contemporary Cultures and teaches adjunct at the college level. She has performed improv in Baltimore, DC, New York, Chicago, Austin, Philadelphia, London, and San Diego.
Ryan joined the Playhouse in October 2018. Most Recently Ryan was the Associate Managing Director at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company. Prior to the Denver Center, Ryan was in the General Management departments at New York’s Public Theatre and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and worked with Off-Broadway’s Second Stage Theatre and Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company. He graduated from the Theatre School, DePaul University in Chicago with a B.F.A. in Theatre Management, and was part of the 2015 artEquity Facilitator Training Cohort. He is a Trustee of the San Diego Theatrical Health and Pension Funds.
Ben Seibert (he/him/his) joined the Production Management team at La Jolla Playhouse in 2014. During his time with the Playhouse, he has overseen production activities for dozens of Playhouse-born plays and musicals including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Darrel Hammond Project, Come From Away, JUNK, The Last Tiger in Haiti, Blueprints to Freedom, Escape to Margaritaville, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Diana and Fly. He began his career as a technician in the Chicago area after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts from Barat College in Lake Forest, IL. Ben has toured nationally as a technical director and technician and worked in theaters across the country of all sizes. He has worked prominently in the past with The Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Production Manager) and the University of San Diego (Production Manager/Technical Director).
Sheri L. Jamieson
Chair
Denise Bevers
First Vice-Chair
Michael Flaster
Second Vice-Chair
Scott M. Stanton
Treasurer
Annie Ellis
Secretary
1947 Founders
Mel Ferrer
Dorothy McGuire
Gregory Peck
Trustees
Christopher Ashley
Michael Bartell
Ralph Bryan*
Debby Buchholz
Randy Camp
Robert Caplan
Ann Cathcart Chaplin
Randall Clark*
Mary Coleman
Stephan Coleman
Doug Dawson
Edward A. Dennis, Ph.D.
Brian Dovey
Susan Dubé
Hal Dunning
Emily Einhorn
Ray Flores
Judy Garrett
Susan Gembrowski
Justin Gleiberman
Lynn E. Gorguze
Luke Gulley
Kay Gurtin
Clark Guy
Dean Haas
Dwight Hare
Osborn Hurston
Debby Jacobs
Joan Jacobs
Pradeep K. Khosla, Ph.D.
Veronica Leff
Bena Leslie
Lynelle Lynch*
Margret McBride*
Lorne Polger
Karen A. Quiñones
David I. Reynoso
Becky Robbins
Shane Shelley
Karen Silberman
Delicia Turner Sonnenberg
Suzi Sterner
Andy Thomas
Erin Trenda
Mary Walshok, Ph.D.
Honorary Trustees
Peter Cowhey, Ph.D.
Ivan Gayler
John Goodman
Jeanne Jones
Julie Potiker
Steven M. Strauss*
Geri Ann Warnke*
Gary Wollberg*
Robert Wright, Esq.
Emeritus Trustees
David Copley (1952-2012)
Ted Cranston (1940-2012)
Milton Fredman (1920-2005)
Ewart W. Goodwin, Jr.* (1938-2019)
Joel Holliday* (1939-2022)
Hughes Potiker (1925-2005)
Roger Revelle (1909-1991)
Jeffrey Ressler* (1943-2022)
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 July 24, 2023
Executive Producer
Eric Keen-Louie
Director of Artistic Development
Gabriel Greene
Director of Experiences and Activations
Mia Fiorella
Associate Producer
Amy Ashton
Executive Assistant to Christopher Ashley
Rick VanNoy
Director Emeritus
Des McAnuff
Directing Fellow
Kat Yen
Artists Currently Under Commission
Todd Almond, Jeff Augustin, Daniel Beaty, Keith Bunin, Guillermo Calderón, Fernanda Coppel, Kara Lee Corthron, Steph Del Rosso, Kristoffer Diaz, Noah Diaz, Ava Geyer, Idris Goodwin, Kirsten Greenidge, Joe Iconis, Hansol Jung, Mike Lew, Rehana Lew Mirza, Martyna Majok, Mona Mansour, Gregory S. Moss, Lisa Peterson, Theresa Rebeck, Claudia Shear, Christopher Shinn, Mat Smart, Octavio Solis, Benjamin Velez, Keith Wallace, Cheryl L. West, Lauren Yee
Director of Learning
Bridget Cavaiola Stone
Director of Arts Engagement and In-House Casting
Jacole Kitchen
Learning and Engagement Manager
Hannah Reinert
Learning and Engagement Coordinator
Danniel Ureña
Teaching Artists
Julie Benitez, Lex Bezdeka, Desireé Clarke, Leticia De Anda, Farah Dinga, Shairi Engle, Kristen Fogle, Shawn Foote, Melissa Glasgow, Kirsten Giard, Jeffrey Ingman, Justin Lang, Grace Lehman, Wilfred Paloma, Vanessa Reibel, Kimberly Ross, Lorena Santana, Mike Sears, Gill Sotu, Emily Stamets, Marjorie Treger, Katie Turner, Bex Walker
Contact Learning and Engagement: [email protected]
General Manager
Ryan Meisheid
Assistant General Manager
Erica Martin
Company Manager
Rosalee Barrientos
Assistant Company Manager
Mia Apalategui
Company Management Assistant
Grace Lehman, Austin Mahn
Corporate/Legal Counsel
Robert C. Wright, Wright & L’Estrange
Theatre/Legal Counsel
F. Richard Pappas, Esq.
Chief Financial Officer
Laura Killmer
Controller
Jared Jackson
Accounts Payable Manager
Sharon Ratelle
Human Resources Manager
Jennifer Boaz
Payroll
Matthew Zapata
Director of Philanthropy
Julia B. Foster
Associate Director of Philanthropy
Keely Daximillion
Assistant Director of Philanthropy, Institutional Giving
Rebecca Pierce Goodman
Philanthropy Operations Manager
Tony Dixon
Individual Giving Manager
Madeleine McManus
Special Events Manager
Nil Noyan
Corporate Relations Manager
James Skeet
Institutional Giving Coordinator
Lyla Iannaccone
Special Events Coordinator
Katie Wallace-Coppo
Stewardship Coordinator
Dominique Kaestner
Philanthropy Administrative Assistant
Sam Dedal
Director of Public Relations
Becky Biegelsen
Director of Sales & Marketing
Stephanie Zappala
Associate Director of Sales & Marketing
Sonia Diaz
Interim Associate Director of Sales & Marketing
Amanda Cantlin
Communications Manager
Grace Madamba
Senior Multimedia Designer
Nancy Showers
Multimedia Designer
Phyllis Sa
Marketing Manager
Kevin Taylor
Marketing Database Analyst
Dani Meister
Marketing Assistant
Mia Van Deloo
Patron Services Sales Specialist
Paul Preston
Sales Concierge
William Guiney
Associate Director of Ticketing Services
Pearl Hang
Senior Patron Services Manager
Travis Guss
Patron Services Assistant Manager/Group Sales Specialist
Bill Washington
Lead Patron Services Representative
Rachel Lasker
Lead Patron Services Representative
Claire Michael
Patron Services Representative
Devon Gonzales
Patron Services Representative
Kita Barrientos
Patron Services Representative
Atalaya Gonzalez
Director of Operations
Ned Collins
Operations Manager
John Craft
Network Systems Specialist
Daryl “Scooter” Davis
Office Administrator
Amanda Casachahua
House Manager
Braulio Fernandez-Flores
Assistant House Managers
Alex Bezdeka, Simonne Darbonne, Hannah Johnson, Amy Marquez, Gemina Soriano
Audience Concierges
Sara Delgado, Chris Ferreria, Sashank Kanchustambam, Angela Park, Teya Searles, Avery Simonian, Nare Terzyan, Maria Torpey, Mia Van Deloo, Alex Walker
Senior Production Manager
Benjamin Seibert
Production Manager
Becca Duhaime
Assistant Production Manger
Dacia Samilo
Production Office Manager
Caren Heintzelman
Scenery Supervisor
Jonathan Gilmer
Scenery Specialist
David Weiner
Shop Foreman
Christopher Chauvet
Lead Stage Carpenter
Molly Whittaker
Carpenters
Michael Brodsky, Joel De La Torre, Jason Foster, Ryan Gordon, Nicholas Jackson, Marcus Laskey, Logan Little, Richard Madrigal, Nicholas Savage, Alex Torretti, Wally Wallace
Charge Artist
Jennifer Imbler
Scenic Painters
Caroline Kvaas, Marie Mateo, Melissa Nalbach, Courtney Ware
Prop Supervisor
Deb Hatch
Prop Design Associate
Zlatko Mitev
Prop Lead Artisan
Rai Feltmann
Prop Artisan
McKenzie Kiser, Ryan Lewis
Costume Supervisor
Jennifer Ables
Resident Costume Design Assistant
Desiree Hatfield-Buckley
Costume Office Assistant
Rebecca Rankin
Costume Office Assistant
Claire Peterson
Draper
Sara Lindsey
First Hand
Keira McGee
Lead Crafts Artisan
Tess Mattraw
Stitchers
Stephanie Gift, Sonya Levin, Faith Steenberger
Wardrobe Supervisor
Junior Bergman
Hair/Make Up Supervisor
Alberto “Albee” Alvarado
Production Electrician
Kristyn Kennedy
Electricians
Valeria Avina, Arlene Banuelos, Jasmyne Birdsong, Alex Cluff, Delaney McCowen, Sandra Navarro, Jenner Price
Head of Sound Department
Daniel Silva
Sound Technicians
Camille Houze, Mae Le, Alfredo Madrigal
Video
Tom Martinez
This theatre operates under an agreement between La Jolla Playhouse 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.
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