David Ellenstein, who has led the Laguna Playhouse as its artistic director since 2023, announced on Monday, Sept. 15, that he will leave his post in November.
“I have truly enjoyed my time leading this historic institution and remain committed to supporting the organization, but it was time for me to step away to pursue other life opportunities,” Ellenstein said in a statement.
Ellenstein will remain as the artistic director for the North Coast Repertory in Solana Beach, where he has worked since 2003, before also joining the Laguna Playhouse, first as the organization’s interim director in September 2022.
Ellenstein’s directorial credits at the playhouse include “Honky Tonk Angels,” “The Remarkable Mister Holmes,” “Eleanor,” “A View From The Bridge,” “Holmes And Watson,” “A Shayna Maidel,” “The Angel Next Door,” “Chapatti, Alexandros” and, as an actor, playing “Einstein” in “Picasso At The Lapine Agile.” Future productions at the playhouse are “Beside Myself “and “Red.”
Karyn Philippsen, who served on the theater’s board from 2008 to 2012 and was the 90th Anniversary chair, called Ellenstein a “wonderful man and shot in the arm for the playhouse.”
She said she especially enjoyed one of his most recent productions, August Wilson’s “Fences.”
“He made my experience memorable,” she said.
Playhouse spokesman Tom Horvath said it will be “hard to see him go,” and that Ellenstein was precisely what the organization needed after the pandemic, when it was challenging to bring theater subscribers back into the venue.
“He held us up on a higher pedestal, people liked working wth him and he had a great vision,” Horvath said.
But more recently, playhouse officials and their board decided to go into a different artistic direction, and Ellenstein agreed, “it was his time,” Horvath said. Ellenstein often commutes from San Diego County, where he lives, Horvath said, while also remaining heavily involved at the Solana Beach theater.
The theater under Adele Adkins, its managing director, is shifting some of its programming to appeal to a younger audience and, with that, focusing on offering more musical and blockbuster-type titles.
With no creative director, Horvath said Adkins will take over some of those tasks and has forward-thinking ideas for the next season.
“While my time working alongside David was brief, I valued the insights he shared and his commitment to the playhouse,” Adkins said in a statement. “As we mark this transition, I am confident in the strength of our board, team, and our community. Together, we will continue advancing the mission of the Laguna Playhouse and I am excited about the opportunities ahead to shape a dynamic and sustainable future for the organization.”
Horvath said playhouse officials view the future as an opportunity for a “renaissance” and that the organization is already hard at work to attract new subscribers and investors to make sure the theater company remains in Laguna Beach for the next 100 years.
Beyond musicals and titles most households will recognize, Horvath said the theater will also look at bringing in farce and comedy shows.
“We need to get back up to the contender we need to be,” he said.
The playhouse opens Sunday with “Gentlemen’s Guide,” a title that is probably mainly known by theater aficionados, Horvath said. “We need to think about shows like ‘Waitress’ or ‘Legally Blonde.’”