Roundabout Theatre Company has named Christopher Ashley as its incoming artistic director. Ashley, who has served as artistic director of San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse for 17 years, will succeed Scott Ellis, who has served as the nonprofit’s interim artistic director since the passing of Todd Haimes in 2023.
“I am honored and exhilarated to step into the role of artistic director at Roundabout Theatre Company,” said Ashley in a statement. “Under Todd Haimes’ leadership, Roundabout has become a home for an extraordinary array of artists, working in five beautiful theaters on and Off-Broadway. As we navigate this moment of immense change in the American theater, I hope that Roundabout can be a town square, where urgent questions can be investigated, the joy of live theater can be shared, and we can together find community and hope.”
Ashley will join Roundabout in July 2026, collaborating with Ellis for the 2026-2027 Broadway season, before fully taking the reins for the 2027-2028 season.
Roundabout’s board of directors conducted a yearlong search, in collaboration with the organization Management Consultants for the Arts, in finding its new artistic director. The search committee included Kitty Patterson Kempner, Thomas E. Tuft, Lawrence Kaplen, Stephanie Kramer, Johannes Worsoe, LaChanze and Mary C. Solomon. The committee aimed to find an individual to not only build on Haimes’ legacy within Roundabout, but also someone who could strengthen the organization’s place in the New York theater ecosystem.
“As our country’s largest and most influential not-for-profit theater company, we understand how important this decision is to the cultural landscape of New York City and to the future of theater,” Kempner said. “We are proud of the thoughtful process we took to name Christopher as our incoming artistic director. Christopher impressed us with his appreciation for Roundabout’s history and for our potential as a theatrical community with many unique voices—and as a national theater for America. He also leads with kindness and compassion, two qualities Todd treasured most.”
Ashley, who joined La Jolla in 2007, won a Tony Award for directing “Come From Away,” which had its world premiere at La Jolla. Under his leadership, La Jolla produced many other shows that landed on Broadway, including 2024 Best Musical Tony winner “The Outsiders,” as well as “Lempicka,” “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,” “Indecent,” “Peter and the Starcatcher,” “Bonnie and Clyde” and the upcoming “Redwood.” The organization’s Without Walls program, which produces site-specific and immersive work, launched in 2011 under his leadership.
In addition to his Tony win for helming “Come From Away,” Ashley received further nominations for directing “Memphis” and “The Rocky Horror Show.” His other Main Stem credits include directing “Xanadu,” “All Shook Up” and “Smell of the Kill.”
Ashley will remain as artistic director at La Jolla through Dec. 31, 2025, and will program its 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 seasons.
“We are profoundly saddened to see Chris depart the Playhouse, but we wish him well on this wonderful new adventure,” said La Jolla board chair Sheri L. Jamieson in a statement. “He has been a true visionary, a dynamic leader and a beloved Playhouse artist and colleague over the last two decades, growing the Playhouse’s reputation as one of the most vital and esteemed theaters in the country. Chris is leaving on a supremely high note.”
The board of La Jolla will launch a search for Ashley’s successor in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Roundabout’s board, in collaboration with Ashley, Ellis, executive producer Sydney Beers and chief advancement officer Chris Nave, will next focus on a search for a new managing director.
The leadership change at Roundabout is part of a wave of new heads across Broadway’s nonprofits. Lear deBessonet was recently named the incoming artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, replacing André Bishop. Evan Cabnet succeeded Carole Rothman as artistic director of Second Stage Theater in September. In 2023, Manhattan Theatre Club welcomed Chris Jennings as its new executive director, taking over for Barry Grove.
Roundabout’s Broadway offerings in the 2024-2025 season include a revival of Samm-Art Williams’ “Home,” which concluded its limited engagement in July, the upcoming Main Stem premieres of David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” and Sanaz Toossi’s “English,” as well as a revival of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.”
