Lisa Peterson is well-known in Southern California for her work at La Jolla Playhouse and the Mark Taper Forum, though her professional accomplishments have a much wider scope. This Obie-winning director (for Caryl Churchill's Light Shining in Buckinghamshire) boasts extensive credits in New York and in professional regional theatres across the nation (Guthrie Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and many more). She served as associate director of La Jolla from 1992–1995 and as resident director of the Taper from 1995–2005, where she helmed diverse shows including the Lorca classic The House of Bernarda Alba and Luis Alfaro's Electricidad. She still accepts freelance directing assignments at the Taper—most recently last season's award-winning Culture Clash play Water & Power.
Born in Boston and raised in Aptos, Calif., Peterson now maintains residences in Manhattan and L.A. "I started out wanting to be an actor," she says. "I was also a musician. In college I discovered directing. It felt like the right fit." Her tastes veer toward "plays that matter." She notes, "I like big-idea plays. I don't tend to do much pure realism. I like plays that one way or another ask a social question or a political question or a mythic question."
She explains that her jobs at La Jolla and the Taper were somewhat different: "At the Taper, there was all kind of play-development activity the years I was there, whereas at La Jolla my work focused more on directing plays, though I also did a little bit of associate producing. It was a very small staff. At the Taper, I had all of these colleagues on the artistic staff to work with, which was very exciting."
What does she look for when casting a show? "It, of course, depends on the play and the role. I respond to intelligence and a sense of humor in pretty much everything. I look for actors who have reached a sense of confidence and peace with themselves, so it doesn't feel like they're working too hard—to please me or the audience. And I like actors who have a point of view. I like it when someone says, 'This is a little crazy, but I'm going to try it.' " She concludes, "Right now is the first time I've been a full-time freelancer. I kind of miss having a home base, but working this way also has its rewards."
—Les Spindle