Jessica Stone

Jessica Stone, born July 30, 1970, in Rochester, New York, is an American theatre actress and director whose career spans more than three decades of work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at regional theatres across the United States.

Stone launched her professional career in 1991 on the national tour of Bye Bye Birdie, which starred Tommy Tune and Ann Reinking. Her Broadway debut came in 1994 with the revival of Grease, where she played Frenchy alongside Rosie O'Donnell and Megan Mullaly. The New York Times review of the production singled her out as "winsome." She continued on Broadway in 1995 as a replacement for the role of Rosemary Pinkington in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. During this period she also appeared in Off-Broadway productions, including two New York City Center Encores! presentations, Babes in Arms and Tenderloin.

Stone's Broadway work in the 2000s included the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Design for Living, in which she played Helen Carver, as well as The Smell of the Kill, where she portrayed Molly, and Butley. She played Cecily Pigeon in The Odd Couple. In 2004, she served as assistant director on the Broadway production of Match, an experience she has cited as an influence on her subsequent move into directing. Her final Broadway performing credit came in 2011 with the Sutton Foster-led revival of Anything Goes, in which she played Erma; that production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

Stone made her Broadway directorial debut in 2022 with the musical Kimberly Akimbo, based on the play of the same name. The production earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical, and New York Times critic Jesse Green described her direction as "exceptional," noting that she "has turned up the hilarity dial as well, to keep all that emotion in balance." Two years later, Stone directed Water for Elephants on Broadway, receiving a second Tony Award nomination in the same category. For that production she also won an Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical. Stone is additionally set to direct the 2026 New York City Center Encores! production of High Spirits.

On November 18, 2025, La Jolla Playhouse announced Stone's appointment as its new Artistic Director, succeeding Christopher Ashley, who is set to move to New York's Roundabout Theatre Company. Stone is scheduled to officially assume the role at La Jolla Playhouse in early 2026.