Ashley Matthews: Interview With A Multitalented Performer

Ashley Matthews is an actor, dancer and model who has performed on stages across the states and all over the world. Ashley’s credits include the Rock of Ages 10^th Anniversary NYC Revival at New World Stages as Constance Sack, The Las Vegas Company of Rock Of Ages as Waitress #1/Sherrie US, Mamma Mia! at the Hollywood Bowl starring Dove Cameron & Jennifer Nettles, Sweet Charity directed and choreographed by Tony award winner Kathleen Marshall and Miss Saigon in Macau. Ashley’s background (heritage) is half Chinese/Taiwanese and half Caucasian (English and Scottish), her mother immigrated from Taiwan and met her Canadian father. Ashley was born in Canada and immigrated to the US with her family in the 90’s to Southern California and she currently calls NYC home. As part of our series celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, we are shining the spotlight on our AAPI friends working across the Arts and entertainment industries.

Hi Ashley, thanks for talking with us at TheatreArtLife! How are you doing, and how are you coping with the pandemic at the moment?

Hi, thank you so much for having me! Any answer to “how are you doing during the pandemic” seems so strange doesn’t it? Every day has just been such a different kind of journey! I am doing pretty good for the most part – I can’t complain. I have a roof over my head and life to be grateful for. But this experience has been challenging: losing my normalcy of theatre life and community has been interesting to cope with, and I think so many of us have been approaching it from different angles.

I think it’s safe to say this year has challenged each and every one of us in ways we never expected.

I try to look at the positive: this time has given me an opportunity to rest in a way I have never had and really connect with myself and those I care about, and after a career of 8 show weeks, who doesn’t love a good rest? I also had the opportunity to get LASIK eye surgery, which is something I’ve been putting off for years because of work. So reframing this time as a long vacation with 20/20 vision has helped me feel a little less anxious!

Your career has spanned across various disciplines – you are an actor, dancer, model, and voiceover actor, so how did you get your start in the industry, and what first inspired you and drew you to the Arts?

My love for the Arts started pretty young. I come from a business oriented family so it has always seemed a bit odd for me to be the odd man out, but I actually attribute my love for theatre to my father. He always made sure to bring my family to see touring musicals and take us to New York to see our first Broadway shows, and that kind of changed everything for me.

On our first trip to NYC he took us to see The Phantom of the Opera and I was forever hooked. Like playing my CD of act 1 everyday all day pretending I could sing the ending note of the title song (I could not.)

I had always been involved in dance and competition dance as a hobby and discipline, and when I realised how both art forms intersected with musical theatre (and that I had inherited a singing voice from my mother) I had found my calling and the thing that made the most sense. I knew then I was never going to be happy sitting behind a desk in a 9-5.

How did your path progress from starting out in the industry to where you are now, and what did that journey look like?

I’d say my first big step from hobbyist to professional was being hired at Disneyland as a parade dancer at 19 years-old. It had taken years for me to finally get a job there, and was like a dream come true. The basis of my professional working and auditioning knowledge came from that experience and really taught me some invaluable real world/industry lessons I think a lot of people don’t get if they don’t really put themselves out there besides dance studios or college programs. It was like the best commercial entertainment job bootcamp! Everything after that just fell into place onto the path to continue forming all those tools into a legitimate career.

The connections made with other performers and access to more knowledge about how the industry worked lead to more job opportunities and avenues to try out. I soon started working at Universal Studios and joining my first union, exploring commercial dance opportunities.

I started modelling for clothing companies owned by fellow employees, or helping others build their photography portfolios. I started auditioning for professional and community theatre and meeting others heavily involved in that scene- which led to finding agents and kind of making myself known to casting directors, directors/choreographers and production companies in Southern California and NY. I made the move to NYC after joining The Actors Equity Association and that’s when I booked my first sit down production of Rock of Ages in Las Vegas.

It certainly has been a long journey in the industry, but one that felt very natural. I’m absolutely lucky to have been supported by my family along the way to make that happen.

I’m one of those stories that doesn’t involve conservatories, expensive theatre BFAs or degrees, no showbiz family with connections, and it worked for me. But it was hard work, and when they say you need a thick skin and a lot of drive and support to make things happen in this industry they aren’t lying, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world!

You’ve had such an interesting career, is it possible to choose your favourite moments or career highlights so far?

It definitely is hard to pick any favourite moments! Being able to travel to Asia with Miss Saigon, telling the story of a moment of Asian history with a mostly Asian cast was very special. The bond that company had was one of like family and getting to share that experience in a place as beautiful as Macau is a once in a lifetime opportunity as not only an actor but an actor of Asian heritage.

Also being able to move to Las Vegas (where my sister lives) and get to be a part of an AMAZING and FUN show like Rock of Ages, AND get to regularly go on for the role of Sherrie?

Unbeatable. It felt like I had made it! My time in Vegas was incredible.

I got to live a fairly “normal” life, which is something a lot of theatre actors don’t get. Live near my family, purchase my first home with beautiful mountains as my backyard, live in a friendly suburb, and get to be a part of a Broadway calibre dream show on The Las Vegas Strip? That experience really changed my life. Plus, I don’t think there are many shows more fun to perform than Rock of Ages, and to get to call it my job? And I also got to do it as my NY theatre debut? Definitely a highlight!

Additionally I had the opportunity to perform and dance the iconic role of Cassie in A Chorus Line at age 19 with the original choreography. At the time, I don’t think I realised how special that was, what an honour it was to don that red skirt and do that backbend! If I ever find myself back in front of those mirrors (now with more life experience and more age appropriate for the role) I can only imagine how full circle it will feel!

And conversely, what has been the biggest obstacle or challenge you’ve overcome in your work?

Actors all face so many different obstacles. Whether it’s accessibility, representation, or just so many road blocks. Being a mixed performer has its pros and cons. A lot of the time, this industry is stuck in a place where things are seen as black and white, and the people calling the shots are overwhelmingly not BIPOC or diverse, and shows are cast according to audiences who accept those same limited narratives of the world.

It’s absolutely difficult for all BIPOC, diverse performers, or anyone who doesn’t “fit the mould.”

And mixed heritage performers face their own challenge there. We are often at the mercy of the genetic lottery of our appearances for people to tell us if we are “enough” – “Asian enough, Black enough, Latinx enough – enough of what people think this ethnicity should look like” (whatever that means) to tell the stories of our own culture, stories that make up a small percentage of the work that is already out there.

It often can feel like a very emotional and personal obstacle when I am seen as “not Asian enough” to represent my own culture or heritage for a casting table or audience, and though change and representation in the media is changing, it’s still a slow race to be run. I’ve found myself being an advocate for BIPOC and Mixed performers in this industry, not exactly the path I thought would be on to “The Bright Lights of Broadway”, but the world of the Arts needs to reflect the world that we live in, and I can only hope that the next generation of diverse talent finds it easier to get into audition rooms, on stages, on marquees or see themselves in the Arts (and not just in the back or playing the quirky best friend!)

What advice would you give to your younger self if you could go back in time? What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

The best advice I could give to my younger self is to continue to believe in yourself and really BE yourself. I know, sounds so cheesy right? The problem with how we move through the industry is that we are all forced to see each other as competition, and focus on what we can’t do instead of what we CAN do.

The reality is: every person is different. Your strengths as a performer are different than the person next to you or who is next to audition.

Often material and training make us feel unworthy or bad about ourselves if we can’t hit a note, or do a specific dance trick, or look a certain way and we focus on how that makes us feel rather than focusing on “I may not be able to kick my face, but I CAN do this really well. That’s awesome too! I should celebrate that. That person may be able to do one thing I can’t do, but I can do things they can’t and vice versa.”

Your fellow performers aren’t competition, and don’t limit yourself by what you can’t do – find ways to showcase what you CAN do.

I know if I had switched to that perspective when I was younger it would have saved me a lot of heartache and moments of self doubt. Being yourself is more important than trying to be someone next to you. Riffs and high notes and flexibility don’t make someone a better performer, they just make them a performer that can riff, sing high or kick high. Keys can be changed, choreography can be altered, costumes and wigs can be changed- and it’s much easier to change that than it is to change yourself! A younger me would’ve loved to be told that a few times- and I make sure to reinforce that with any young performer I meet who asks for advice.

And looking to the future, what can we look forward to next from you? Are you currently working on anything?

Currently I’m not working on anything in particular- that “Pandemic Pause” is real! I’ve taken a lot of this year to rest, and connect with myself and those around me. I also took this opportunity to explore some things I’m passionate about besides theatre and the Arts. For example, I got myself certified as a “companion animal end-of-life doula”. After losing one of my beloved cats in an accident, I realised I wanted to have the right tools to help others through difficult experiences like this. It was an incredibly fulfilling experience – not to mention an enlightening and healing one.

I don’t see a career change for me in the near future, but knowing I now have the ability to support others during difficult but inevitable life changes is something that I am very grateful for.

I know that’s probably not what most artists would say they’re doing with their time, but we all have our odd hobbies, and mine happens to be educating others about the death industry!

We’re all awaiting news of the possible re-opening of Broadway and theatre, and fingers crossed that means heading back to my dressing room station at Rock of Ages that has been untouched for over a year! (I’ll have to bring some cleaning supplies I’m sure!)

I’ve been having a lot of fun working on developmental online musical projects, exploring different opportunities like voice over auditions and projects which I’ve never had the time for before, working with some amazing creators over at HAPA Mag (an online magazine soon to become Mixed Asian Media), and taking this time to help elevate voices of Colour and diversity in this industry. As crazy as this experience and pandemic has been to Broadway and the entertainment industry in general, it has also given us an opportunity to really reflect on what maybe wasn’t actually working and what can be changed – for the better.

The universe handed us a restart button and we should take advantage of that.

This could be a time to really introduce new ideas and processes and voices that will only make this industry work better for *everyone* and maybe even result in a “Diverse Artistic Renaissance” that’ll change the world! At least, that’s what I’m hoping!

And final thoughts from you Ashley, what resources have you found invaluable for getting you and your peers through this last year as Arts professionals “on pause”?

I definitely would love to shout out to some advocacy groups like the Broadway Advocacy Coalition who are lifting up BIPOC voices in this industry for change, and also The Actors Fund who have been providing invaluable support for people in this industry from financial aid, mental health resources and support, to healthcare support – they truly have been heroes during this time for so many and any donation going their way will help an artist during this unprecedented pandemic experience!

Links:

Ashley’s Website

@ashleyematthews on Instagram

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