Christopher Ashley

Christopher Ashley (born July 6, 1964) is an American stage director. Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse.
Career.
Ashley graduated from Yale University in 1984, where he studied Math and English. In 1997, he completed The Drama League program for directors. He was appointed artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse, California, in 2007.
Ashley directed the 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, receiving a Drama Desk Award nomination, for direction, as well as several other plays and musicals. 
He has directed many stage works Off-Broadway, including at the Manhattan Theatre Club. He directed "Jeffrey" by Paul Rudnick Off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in 1993, for which he received the Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director. He also directed the film version, which was released in 1995.
He directed the Sondheim Kennedy Center Celebration productions of "" and "Merrily We Roll Along" in 2002.
He directed the new musical "Come from Away", which premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in June 2015, and opened on Broadway in February 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, receiving a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. He was originally set to direct a film adaptation of the musical, which was then cancelled on February 2, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he will direct a live stage film recording of the show that will be released in September 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
He directed the new musical stage version of "Freaky Friday", which premiered at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia in October 2016.
Personal life.
Ashley is openly gay.