La Jolla Playhouse

Experience excellence in performance and production at this Tony-Award winning regional theatre, enthralling audiences for more than 75 years. From its tree-dotted district on the UC San Diego campus, the venue originates entertaining and thought-provoking plays and musicals — many Broadway bound.

Founded by Hollywood luminaries Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer in 1947, the theatre initially enjoyed more than a decade of performances starring greats from stage and film. The Playhouse then went on hiatus from 1964–1982. While shuttered, a handful of dedicated supporters worked to keep the Playhouse alive, eventually seeing it revived on the campus of UC San Diego in 1983. Importantly, the Playhouse would be led by Des McAnuff, who served as artistic director from 1983 to 1994, and again from 2001-2007.

La Jolla Playhouse has since risen to prominence as one of the most celebrated regional theatres in the country. Under McAnuff, many new works have gone on to Broadway, including Big River, The Who’s Tommy, and Jersey Boys. In 1993, the Playhouse was awarded the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. This period also saw the beginning of the Playhouse’s acclaimed Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour, in which a brand new, Playhouse-commissioned work brings the magic of theatre into San Diego schools. The Playhouse also launched its Page To Stage Development Program in 2001, as part of its commitment to developing new plays and musicals. Two Page To Stage Productions have garnered Tony Awards: I Am My Own Wife (also a Pulitzer Prize winner) and Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays.

Today, under the artistic direction of Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley, the internationally-renowned nonprofit continues its mission of advancing theatre as an art form to tell stories that inspire empathy and create a dialogue toward a more just future. Following are synopses of the Playhouse’s remaining 2025/26 Season, which features several world premieres:

• The Heart (August 19-September 28), a breathtaking new musical centering on 24 suspenseful hours in San Diego, and one precious heart on its vital, life-saving journey from donor to recipient.

• The curtain then rises on All the Men Who’ve Frightened Me (September 16-October 12), about young married couple Ty and Nora, whose preparations for parenthood begin to collapse when three mysterious men from Ty’s past inexplicably begin appearing in their new home.

• The smart and witty adaptation of the iconic 1988 film Working Girl (October 28-November 30) takes the stage next. The feel-good musical focuses on ambitious New York City receptionist Tess McGill, who works to reclaim the business idea stolen by her boss.

• The new year will cook up The Recipe (February 10-March 8, 2026), a funny, colorful and delicious new play about the early life of the endlessly fascinating Julia Child, a girl from Pasadena – and her path from confusion to discovery, fear to strength, failure to success.

The Playhouse will also hold its annual WOW Festival in April 2026. The signature performance program takes art outside traditional theatre walls and into unique spaces. The WOW Festival offers site-specific and interactive performances, installations, and workshops, ranging from plays, musicals, and exhibitions to puppeteering, silent discos, and dance. Innovative and immersive, many WOW events tap audiences in as part of the show.

Each of the four La Jolla Playhouse theatre spaces has fewer than 500 seats. The venue is at 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. View all shows and purchase tickets at lajollaplayhouse.org.