We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Smiley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Eep!
I’m going to cheat a little bit and throw a few in here actually.
The first truly meaningful project I was a part of was a production called The Streets Have Spoken with Colored Ink at Brava Theatre in San Francisco. I was 14/15 years old and I was a part of a Hip Hop Theatre Company which, if folks think about Hip Hop Theatre now they might just think about Hamilton but no… our version was deeply rooted in not only the aesthetics of Hip Hop (we had a live DJ, most text was in verse/spoken word, etc) but also in the root of Hip Hop being a vessel for Black and Brown communities to voice their truth about the trials and tribulations they are experiencing whether that be gun violence, youth prostitution, environmental racism, housing injustices and more. That particular piece directly spoke to the senseless gun violence occurring in San Francisco and Oakland and to be even more specific, it was taken directly from the lived experience of a cast member. The process and performance of that piece helped me understand just how powerful theatre could be in not only telling the truth of our stories but also its ability to bring community together. The most memorable part of that tho, was actually having members of the local Norteño gang come and not only watch the show, but speak to us, with tears in their eyes, after the show about their own personal experiences with gun violence and WHEW let me tell you, that was epic. THAT was the moment that I knew that this was the way I wanted to effect change in my community and the world around me. Through performance. Through art. Through that person-to-person connection that you can only get in the theatre.
From there, I have to say honestly and truly that every single production I have ever done with Campo Santo has been meaningful and impactful across every facet of my life. Not only am I surrounded by brilliant artists, true masters of their craft, but again, I am in a space where “traditional” theatre is not the way. We work in love. We work in Spirit. We work in truth. I would have to say tho that of all the productions that I love and I am grateful to have witnessed and participate in with Campo Santo, Ethos de Masquerade was… that production was the moment I KNEW for a fact that I would be pursuing a PhD in the convergence of art and religion. Working with Rashad Pridgen and his Global Street Dance Project was something I will hold dear in my heart for the rest of my life. His ability to create worlds within worlds that combined on traditional African spirituality, veneration of ancestors, live music, movement and film and speak about topics like the erasure of Black San Francisco, loss of Black Lives to violence, AIDS, club culture, the Divine Feminine and more. I know for a fact that the experience of not only writing for that piece, designing sound for that piece and experiencing the piece for myself but also through the audience … it changed my life and I know it changed others’ as well. It revealed so much about our ability and responsibility as artists.
Lastly, I will say that most recently, the most meaningful project I have worked on was the writing and world premiere of my first original full-length play Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad which premiered at the world-renowned Magic Theatre in San Francisco. The piece is one dedicated to my hometown of San Francisco and speaks about the physical and spiritual toll that gentrification and Black erasure have on Black SF natives. Following the main character, an AfroLatinx native of San Francisco, we watch as her psyche descends into despair as the hours countdown to having to move out of the City she knows and loves because she and her mother can’t afford it. Through Sloosh I also speak on blipping, the underground drug market, substance abuse, family, loyalty and so much more while maintaining a constant level of Spiritual exploration through Sloosh’s prayers, music etc. I could go on and on and on about just how EPIC it was to have my FIRST PLAY EVER be produced with CAMPO SANTO at the MAGIC THEATRE! It honestly ended up throwing me into a deep depression because I realized that I had accomplished allll of my dreams and now had no idea what to do with my life. It wasn’t perfect, working with human beings never is but the experience of writing something and watching the director and performers and designers interpret my vision and bring it to life, with a heavily native San Franciscan team, in my City, for my City, to my City. Man. Aaand, by that time I had already began my PhD program at the Graduate Theological Union and so it was my first attempt at presenting intentionally Spirit-led work in a typically secular theatre scene and ultimately.. affirming the validity and necessity of my work in merging Spirit and performance for the sake of inward and outward change.
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?
Mmmm, wow. I am always amazed about how difficult this question is for me lol. Hi! I’m Smiley. Major facets of my identity are that I am Black. I am a woman. I am a Christian (theologically more than religiously). I am a San Francisco native. I am a writer. I am an emerging theologian. I love dogs (I have two, a Doberman Pinscher and a Jack Russel Terrier). Actually, I love animals in general and I am deeply in love with the ocean. I love horror and suspense and like many others I can’t get enough of some good True Crime (shoutout to the Sistas Who Kill podcast!)
To be completely honest, I am still trying to define myself. I am a playwright. This is for sure. I am an academic, currently pursuing my PhD at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. My foundation is in the Bay Area performing arts industry as a Stage Manager, Production Manager, Sound Designer, Director… but I am also a bridge-builder and have provided mentorship throughout my entire career. I am a firm believer in resource sharing and breaking down any gate that keeps people from being their highest selves.
I’m proud to be a Black artist that is not competing with anyone. I believe with my whole heart that there is absolutely no reason to not help someone get ahead. It does not stop me one bit. The only person that can hold me back is myself and I think that moving through life and through my fields in that way has garnered a lot of success across the board. To make it plain, I’m not a hater. I love collaboration and experimentation and if there’s a way that I can help you, I most definitely will. But don’t get it confused, I am going to teach you how to fish. I am not going to catch the fish, filet it, cook it up and serve it to you… if you want it, I will help you get it, but you have to want it.
I’m sure there’s more but … I also am one of those weird extroverted introverts that while being physically present and in the mix is something I can and will do… I prefer to let me work and my heart and my intention speak for themselves.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Things I wish I knew about earlier:
1. Grants/grant writing
2. California Lawyers for the Arts
3. Self-care
1. WOW. To be honest I still don’t know as much as I feel like I should about seeking, writing and receiving grants but WOW. The fact that it wasn’t until I was out of school and fully immersed in the “real world” when I finally started learning about grants and how I could create a way to be a full-time artist (and what that actually means) … just knowing more about the possibility and what the different grants were and classes on grant writing… or also understanding that grants, while you may not have to pay them back, do require reporting, navigating online portals, documentation and more. BUT ALSO the fact that you have to report your grants as INCOME to the IRS which means that not only do you need documentation in terms of photos and videos and other data but you ALSO need to make sure you are keeping records of payments, receipts, filling out the correct forms etc. I could have benefited from ALL of that knowledge earlier in my career but now that I am getting it I am also making sure I spread the word as much as possible.
2. Along my career I had heard about California Lawyers for the Arts but it was primarily for their mediation and arbitration services within performance companies and organizations but they are so much more than that. I wish I had known about them earlier so that I could get advice on career decisions or issues of contracts and proper pay but also because they teach classes about copywright infringement, protecting your intellectual property, facilitation skills, etc and they are also deeply involved in trying to change the oppressive policies affecting the incarcerated throughout California. They are an extremely valuable resource for any and every creative no matter where you are in your career and I deeply urge folks to look them up.
3. SELF-CARE. People have this assumption that just because you are in the arts you must have a deep knowledge of self-care but that is not the case. Artists, especially in the performing arts fields, run themselves ragged booking shows, producing events, rotating through various roles. It’s work. And for a very long time, producers and directors, especially in larger/better-known organizations felt free to abuse artists by overworking them, underpaying them, belittling them etc. Even the instructions to warm up, stretch, drink water and tea etc was more about protecting your “instrument” (aka money maker) than it was about protecting your SELF. It took me forever to learn how to voice my boundaries, be honest about my capacity and speak on things that didn’t or don’t set right with me for one reason or another. Right now I am seeing a more and more resources bloom focusing on self-care for artists and what that truly means (like actually RESTING, or understanding the impact of self-medicating) and while it’s overdue, it makes me really happy to see.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
CREATIVE WORK IS WORK.
While we may not be at a desk all day (tho some of us are because creative work does not always pay the bills nor is it consistent and having a stable income is a must!) we are training our minds, bodies and spirits to be a source of education and entertainment and possibly even inspiration for you. We are also tired. We are also developing legitimate skills. We are not all smoking weed in someone’s backyard while somebody plays the flute. The same grind that you are on is the same one we are on. We have rent to pay. Mortgages. Car notes. Utility bills. Childcare. Groceries. Laundry all of that. And with that, there is the constant experience of rejection. Of people poking and prodding at you literally and figuratively. So, whether you are a non-creative or someone thinking about entering the field, understand that this work is not for the faint of heart or flippant of spirit. It is a marriage like no other.
And with all that – support your local artists. The only reason why celebrities are celebrities is because their local community supported them first and helped them rise to the top. Invest in your local artists the way you invest in shoes, expensive dinners and overpriced concert tickets. Your dollar makes a much larger impact when you support local artists. Go do it.
And if your child is a creative. Support them. Show up to their performances. Congratulate them on their successes. I am so blessed that my mother has always fully supported me and my creativity. And the same goes for your physical and emotional support the way it does for financial support. Invest in your aspiring creatives. Show up for them. And this doesn’t mean yuck their yum by trying to make them the “next so-and-s0”, inspire and encourage them to be the first “THEM”. Again… that’s how the people you go pay huge ticket prices for made it. Their parents, their families, their communities, invested in them and showed up for them and encouraged them. DO THAT.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @smileyfromthesco
- Linkedin: https://LinkedIn.com/asmileysf
Image Credits
1. Dirty White Teslas Make Sad flyer – created by Osige Creative
2. Rehearsal photo from the production of Ethos de Masquerade
3. Scene from my undergraduate Senior Capstone Project for my Performing Arts and Social Justice/Theology Religious Studies programs. The piece was titled Transcendence in Retrospect: Method and was focused on physical and spiritual healing from SA.