The two-time Tony Award-nominated director of “Kimberly Akimbo” and “Water for Elephants” succeeds Christopher Ashley and will start in early 2026.

La Jolla Playhouse announced Nov 18 its pick for its next artistic director: two-time Tony Award-nominated director Jessica Stone.

Stone succeeds Christopher Ashley, who has been La Jolla Playhouse artistic director since 2008 and announced his departure in September 2024.

Stone will officially begin her new role in early 2026, working with Playhouse managing director Debby Buchholz to guide the organization’s mission and vision.

“On behalf of the board of trustees and the search committee, we are delighted to welcome Jessica Stone to the Playhouse family,” Board Chair Denise Bevers said in a press release, adding Stone’s “incredible directorial credits, her inspiring and collaborative leadership style [and] passion for making bold, compelling theater make her the ideal choice to take the artistic reins.”

Stone is thrilled at the opportunity, she said in a statement. “La Jolla Playhouse is one of the foremost theaters in the country, and I am honored to be a part of its storied history, to build on … Ashley’s legacy and imagine ways in which to expand its possibilities for nurturing artists and audiences.”

In addition to the Tony nomination for “Water for Elephants” (2024), Stone won the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for Best Director for the same show. In 2023, she received a Tony Award nomination for her direction of “Kimberly Akimbo,” which won five Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Stone worked as an actress on and off-Broadway, in television and in film for decades before transitioning to directing. Her Broadway credits included “Anything Goes,” “Butley,” “The Odd Couple,” “The Smell of the Kill,” “Design for Living,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Grease.”

La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer and is internationally known for the development of new plays and musicals, mounting 120 world premieres, commissioning 70 new works and sending 37 productions to Broadway which have garnered 42 Tony Awards, including the 1993 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.