We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Gage recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started out at Keene State college, which is a small Liberal Arts school in NH. It’s a small program but they really care about it. It immediately felt exciting to be in a room of other creatives who loved what they did.

When I started classes in the fall there was a sense of excitement but also a feeling that I had started too late. Everyone else had theater stories from high school or community theater, and way more experience doing shows. I barely had any. That held me back the first year I think; I had already decided everyone else was better than me and there was no way I was going to catch up. I’d love to tell my 18 year old self that that’s nonsense. She had every right to be there.

Another huge influence came from The Stella Adler Studio in NYC. I always like to tell people that my undergrad gave me a puzzle with all the pieces in the box, but no clear image of what I was trying to make. So you start with the edges so you have a space to work within. When I attended Adler, it was like someone said, “oh, by the way, here’s the picture you’re trying to make.” It’s like a lightbulb went off. I felt like I had such a stronger sense of who I am as an artist and what I’m really capable of. The one thing they’re great at teaching actors there is how to trust ourselves. All our instincts are already there, we just have to listen to them. I stopped worrying about doing something “wrong” and started asking myself “what do you think about this?” “How does this make you feel?” And following my instincts without shame. I started working on a whole new level after that.

Ashley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Sure! My name’s Ashley Gage but most people call me Gage. I’m a New Englander turned New Yorker who always has multiple projects running at the same time. My parents like to joke that I haven’t sat still since High School (which was a very long time ago). If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that my parents are right and you will never catch me with nothing to do.

I moved to NYC in 2021 to attend The Stella Adler Studio for the summer conservatory. When I finished that, I quickly found myself working in Broadway promotions and marketing, and I’m still with the same company four years later. I’ve become a manager there and work with a fabulous team of creatives who all love theater. We basically help people from all over the world see Broadway shows, while also running special events and getting to see shows ourselves. The job is also flexible enough that I can work there while still pursuing an acting career full time. It’s kind of a dream job.

I’m also on the board of a theater company. We’re called City Gate Productions and we’re the first professional theater company in Queens. I did some shows with them over the past few years, and they approached me saying “how can we keep you forever?” So I joined the board! This company was founded by actors and we all care so deeply about putting on good work and making sure everyone feels supported and listened to. It’s abundantly clear how important independent theater is, especially now in the political climate we find ourselves in. Our mission is to create exceptional theater that inspires and challenges people, while reflecting the diversity of Queens. I feel so honored to be attached to a group that is committed to doing challenging, exciting, professional theater.

On top of all that, I write sketch comedy, and do stand up across the city. I’m also light designing a production of Hamlet in the fall. If there’s one thing I could tell anyone wanting to get into this industry: make your own work! As much as I’d love to sit here and tell you I’m booking large project after large project, that’s just not the case. I’ll get there some day, but while we’re waiting for those calls, I’m putting all my creative energy into making stuff I enjoy. Being an actor is hard, so creating your own work feels essential. I have a work ethic that won’t quit, and too much creative energy to sit still. A friend just approached me about writing and producing our own short film, so add that to the list!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Inclusion, inclusion, inclusion. Acting has never felt like a competition to me. I think that’s because I’m so community and collaboration minded, that I’d rather a casting director find the perfect cast that really excites everyone in the room than shoehorn me into a role that may not fit just because I really wanted it. This doesn’t mean I’m not fighting for every audition I get, and yeah, I’ll be upset that I didn’t book the role, but how exciting for that casting team! I’m such a fan of good art, it’s hard for me to stay upset for too long. And maybe next time It’ll be my turn to book the role, and I hope other people will be rooting for me like I’m rooting for them.

I’m always bringing up names of people who aren’t in the room. If we need a replacement actor, or a crew member, or a dramaturg, and I know someone who could fill the role, you know 100% of the time I am dropping their name. I want people in my circles to know that I’m thinking about them and championing them to people they’ve never met before. I’ve always been that way. My success is their success, and vice versa. And if something doesn’t work out for me, guess what? I’m giving that production team the name of ten other people they should be looking at. I’m building the network I wanted to see when I first got to NYC, and I will never stop.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think as a society we’re always sold the idea of “making it.” You can find articles and interviews with big name celebrities talking about when they “made it.” Which implies a level of consistency in booking jobs that a lot of actors never get to. I remember one year I booked three projects literally back to back to back and I thought to myself, “this is it. This is the moment. I’ve made it.” And then didn’t book a single project the whole next year. And that’s the reality for a lot of actors in this industry. We can have very successful, fulfilling, lucrative careers and never be house-hold names.

A lot of people ask me what my “dream role” is. And while I have some that I’d love to take on, my actual dream is to be consistently booking roles to the point that I can live off my acting and not have a day job. That’s my dream role. I think reframing my career in this way has really helped me lock in for the long haul.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Ashleymariegage.com
• Instagram: @a_m_gage
• Other: Tiktok: @shakesqueer22

Image Credits

Allison Winkel Photography @allisonwinkelphoto