ABOUT ASHLEY

 

Ashley was born in upstate New York to a couple of (now reformed) hippie parents. She grew up on the Jersey shore in a large extended family, with a black and white cat. She spent her early years as a competitive dancer, making many appearances in various showcases throughout the tri-state area. Her love of dance is what originally fostered her passion for theatre.

 

Her first theatre playwriting and directing credits came at the age of 8 when she wrote and directed "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Sonic the Hedgehog goes to the Moon" with the neighborhood kids in her garage. She performed the role of Sonic in several performances. Nowadays, she still does all these things, but on a larger scale.

 

Her involvement in political activism and experiences abroad have inspired her to create socially conscious theatre. Ashley is a co-founder/artistic director of Co-Op Theatre East, a performance collective that believes in the power of theatre to foster dialogue for social change (www.cooptheatreeast.org).Ashley is also the co-founder and executive director of the Project Girl Performance Collective (www.projectgirlperformancecollective.org), a performing arts collective for young women that utilizes theatre as a tool to empower and discuss pressing social issues.

 

Ashley holds her M.A. in Performance Studies from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and BA in theatre directing and sociology/anthropology, with minors in Middle Eastern and women studies from Pace University. She is an alumna of Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics - EMERGENYC, American Theatre Wing's - SpringboardNYC 2008 and a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab.  

 

Random  Facts:

 

  • She hopes to one day own her own progressive/feminist book store and cupcake cafe, perhaps as part of a larger structure... or a theater space

 

  • She is an avid gardener and birder. On days off she will most likely be found in the woods writing, with a bird field guide close by

 

  • Ashley is a life long X-Phile (X-Files fan) and alien movie enthusiast

 

  • Favorite holiday is Halloween! Send her your address and she'll send you a Halloween greeting card in October!

 

  • During the summer of 2010 she watched the entire HBO series Oz (all 6 seasons) in under a month and found it life-altering. She hopes to personally thank Tom Fontana for creating such a brilliant series, ask him a million questions about it and work with him on a new project.

 

  • She is on a quest to find the best cupcake in New York City!