Jessica Stone

Jessica Stone (born July 30, 1970) is an American theatre actress and theatre director. She began her career as a Broadway performer in shows such as Grease, Anything Goes, and The Odd Couple before transitioning to directing. Her directorial work has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at major regional theaters across the country. She made her Broadway directorial debut in 2022 with the musical Kimberly Akimbo, based on the play of the same name, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical. In 2024, she directed Water for Elephants on Broadway and garnered her second Tony Award nomination in the same category. She will take on the role of La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director in early 2026.

Early life

Born in Rochester, New York, Stone began her career as an actress, with her first credit on the 1991 national tour of Bye, Bye Birdie that starred Tommy Tune and Ann Reinking. She then made her Broadway debut in the 1994 Broadway revival of Grease as Frenchy, alongside Rosie O'Donnell and Megan Mullaly. Her performance received acclaim, being singled out in the New York Times review of the show as "winsome".

Career

Stone continued on Broadway in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as a replacement for the role of Rosemary Pinkington. She then performed in several Off-Broadway productions, including two New York City Center Encores! productions, Babes in Arms and Tenderloin.

She found further success on Broadway in the 2000s, including the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Design for Living as Helen Carver, The Smell of the Kill as Molly and The Odd Couple as Cecily Pigeon, along with several Off-Broadway performances.

She also served as assistant director for the 2004 Broadway production of Match, which would later inspire her to direct herself. Her final Broadway credit as a performer was as Erma in the 2011 Sutton Foster-led revival of Anything Goes, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

Stone's first directing credit came in 2022 as the director of the Broadway premiere of Kimberly Akimbo, for which she was nominated for her first Tony Award that year for Best Direction of a Musical. Her direction garnered acclaim, with New York Times critic Jesse Green calling it "exceptional", and stating that she "has turned up the hilarity dial as well, to keep all that emotion in balance".

Just two years later, in 2024, she directed her second Broadway show with Water for Elephants. Her direction yet again received widespread acclaim, with Vulture critic Sara Holdren calling her direction "exuberant" and the New York Post noted "watching (the cast) artfully pitch their tent in director Jessica Stone's production is a pleasure". For her direction of the production, Stone was nominated for a Tony Award, and won an Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical.

Stone is set to return to New York, directing the 2026 New York City Center Encores! production of High Spirits.

On November 18th 2025, La Jolla Playhouse announced Stone was appointed the new Artistic Director. She succeeds Christopher Ashley, who is set to take on the role at New York’s Roundabout Theatre. Stone will officially begin her role at the Playhouse in early 2026.

Credits

Awards and nominations