Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash Davis
Hi Ash, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m going to take you all the way back to when I was 4 years old, my mom was a part of the church’s choir and I loved going to rehearsals with her. During the holidays season, the choir would travel around to local retirement homes and sang Christmas carols so naturally I wanted to go with them. The pastor was avid about making sure I was always well behaved sitting in the corner and being as quiet as possible while they performed. I hated this because I wanted to sing so badly but it was an adult only choir. One evening during their intermission, the choir (and the pastor) all got distracted by the cookies and coco and that’s when I saw it: the microphone was unguarded. No one was looking at me and my time was now. I walked right up to that mic, grabbed it, and then started singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as confidently as I could. Before the pastor could grab the mic away from me, the church’s accompanist started playing with me and that meant it was showtime! I jumped off the “stage” and charmed my way into the hearts of the residents. After I was done, I was expecting to be in trouble but was met with so many hugs and love from my mom and our friends and even that pastor. He later added a few new songs to the setlist just for me.
I knew from that moment on, that performing and specifically singing was the reason why I was put on this planet. I’ve been performing ever since, in every capacity: choirs, theatres, competitions, lessons, and school. I have a degree in theatre from Louisiana Tech University and I have traveled all over the east coast taking any performance jobs that would have me until I found my forever home at Columbus’ own: Shadowbox Live.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As much as I love to perform, I am horrible at auditioning. Most reputable places wouldn’t take me and if I landed an audition, it was common to be bottom of the barrel kind of bookings, truly terrible. I once worked a show for 4 months and was paid a total of $150. I didn’t care though, each shit gig was just another stepping stone in my success so I took every struggle with a positive attitude and I worked as hard as I would have if I had gotten hired on Broadway. I learned so much in my time as a struggling artist: gratitude, hard work, and new perspectives. Plus the people I met along the way are still lifelong friends.
I am not a stranger to rejection in the performance industry and it even followed me to my current job at Shadowbox Live. The first time I auditioned there, I was denied!! I met them at a national theatre conference where over 300 theatres went to hire new performers. I fell in love with this company and what they did just spoke to me. They (the performers) did everything: sing, act, dance, write, run the business, and so much more which is all I had ever wanted to do. I wanted to be a part of a team that was working hard to make meaningful art. So I became determined. I spent the next year cultivating my audition specifically for Shadowbox and I went back to that conference hoping for a second chance. I found out after they hired me that apparently Shadowbox went back to that conference specifically looking for me as well so it was little bit of a kismet moment.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Metaperformer at Shadowbox Live and what that means is that I don’t just sing/act/dance, I also write, wait tables, work the box office, etc.
On the admin side of things, I am the Community Relations Coordinator so it’s my job to find cool and unique ways for Shadowbox Live to give back to the community. I also assist in marketing, social media efforts, and I am an active member of the writing team.
Which is a great segue to the thing I am most proud of: an original 2000’s musical that my partner Zach Tarantelli wrote together and is currently being considered for production. We poured our heart and soul into this project and it’s an incredible feeling to see it be so well received. If it is produced, I’ll even get the chance to audition to be in my own show! This is the kind of creative freedom that I love about working at Shadowbox Live. The creation just never ends and there is always another opportunity right around the corner.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I am not shy to taking risks. After I graduated college, I took my small savings account and I moved to Philadelphia to go live the life as an artist. No plan, no job, and I didn’t know anyone but I knew something else was out there for me and I wanted to find it. I am a fan of risking everything and trusting yourself to land on your feet.
Currently working at a live theatre there are always a risks in the performance but there’s also the risk of the heart. I pour my everything into my performances and that can be a really vulnerable place to be in in front of 200 people each night. Some of these songs are emotional, vulnerable, angry, joyful, any emotion you can think of and it is my job to invite the audience into that part of my soul so we can feel it together. My art is about finding common ground especially during this divisive time and that’s a risk I will continue taking every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shadowboxlive.org/
- Instagram: @ShadowboxLive
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShadowboxLive
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/shadowbox-live-columbus
