New La Jolla Playhouse Season Debuts with Five World Premieres

The San Diego theater scene has a new programming roadmap as La Jolla Playhouse released its 2027-28 schedule on Tuesday. The season features five world premieres and one West Coast premiere, marking the first full lineup planned by Artistic Director Jessica Stone.

Stone took over the role last winter after Christopher Ashley, who served for 18 years, departed to lead New York City’s Roundabout Theatre. The 2026-27 season, which was designed by Ashley, concludes in March 2028 with the world premiere musical “Particle Fever.”

The new season begins in May 2027 and runs through March 2028. It includes a play by Pulitzer and Tony winner Doug Wright about Jonas Salk’s polio research. The production will debut in November 2027, just down the street from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Stone will also direct a new musical adaptation of “Silver Linings Playbook” in February and March 2028.

The remaining productions include “A Magical Orange Grove in a Nightmare” by Noah Haidle, a world premiere play exploring psychosis and imagination. “Palm Springs” by Jeff Augustin, a commissioned work set in California, will run in June and July. The West Coast premiere of “The Attic” by Montreal’s 7 Fingers is scheduled for July and August. “I think Big Cat is stealing my words” by Daniel Zaitchik, a musical memoir, will open in September and October.

Stone described the process of selecting these six shows as a steep learning curve. The Playhouse shares its facilities with UC San Diego, which limits the number of mainstage productions per season. She stated that narrowing down the choices was her biggest challenge. Her goal is to honor the university partnership by featuring work from UCSD students and graduates.

The season will be preceded by the annual WOW Festival from April 15 to 18, 2027. The festival is co-presented with UCSD and includes free events on the university campus. Subscriptions for the 2027-28 season are currently on sale to current subscribers.

New subscriptions will go on sale in the coming weeks at lajollaplayhouse.org. Stone said she wants to amplify new voices while linking arms with her predecessors, including Ashley and Des McAnuff. McAnuff, who led the theater from 1983 to 1994 and 2001 to 2007, will direct the Doug Wright play. Stone called the season a mix of mental and physical health explorations and a nod to mortality.