In Plain Clothes
An interview/discussion style podcast with industry professionals, focusing on the person behind the artist
In Plain Clothes
Episode 13 - Ashlee Irish
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In this weeks episode, Ashlee shares his journey with me and tries hard not to get distracted from my drawing game.
What is up, guys? Welcome back to another episode of In Plain Clothes. We are back with a new guest, and this guest I've actually been trying to get on for weeks, months, actually. So I'm super excited that he's actually here, managed to pin him down. He's always travelling and working across the world, and he's finally back in London. And we've got him on. He has done he spent years building an incredible career in and out of West End with shows such as Hello Dolly, Grandhog Day, The Light and the Witch in the Wardrobe, Tina and Dream Girls, even working in musical workshops with shows including Back to the Future, Paddington, and Midnight. Mr. Ashley Irish, welcome to the podcast. Hello, thank you. Here he is.
SPEAKER_00Well, Well Traveller, you said, and I was like Well travelling.
SPEAKER_01Oh yes. I think it was like last month that tried to get you on and you were off doing Tina in some Switzerland with it.
SPEAKER_00Switzerland, a nice trip to Switzerland, which was very, very nice. Mr.
SPEAKER_01International. There you go.
SPEAKER_00Trying, trying. You know. Yeah, how are you doing? How are you doing? I'm good. How are you on? I'm good, yeah. It's um I was just saying, I was saying to you before, like it's summer, so hay fever is definitely, you know, not my friend right now. But other than that, to turn you down if you do sniffly. Yeah, if I if I start sniffing if my eyes start watering, it's not because I'm crying, it's just because you know even you're not just really emotional for this podcast. Exactly. Because you're because I'm finally here with Joel on his podcast. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01I always forget, you know, where we met. I know it was uh it was midnight. We've done we've done a couple of times we've done midnight together uh for Todric. Uh but the first time I did it, you didn't do it meeting. I watched, that's right. You watched and then we met at was it like the cast party afterwards?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think you had like a little thing afterwards, yeah. And then most of the time we meet on nights out after that, or just on a party stage nights out, and then um obviously ended up working together.
SPEAKER_01Well on midnight 2.0, yeah. Then we just can't really stay away from each other. We're just always always uh yeah, confiding in each other. Exactly, always a beautiful little friendship there. Absolutely beautiful stuff. Well, tell me about you. How did you uh come to be in this industry? What made you want to be a performer? What are your strengths? What are you not? Where'd you train? All that kind of all that business.
SPEAKER_00Wow. Um, I always say, I'm like, where did I actually begin this? Like, how did it start? Where did I get it all from? Um, and what I remember is my sister, my sister went to theatre school um when she was maybe four or five. Um, I'm two years younger than my sister. Okay. Um, so I used to sometimes watch her on her shows and stuff like that. My my mum um used to take me, mum and dad used to take me to watch her shows. And I do remember saying to my mum and my dad, like, oh, I want to do this, I want to be up there, I want to do this. Um, and I think my mum was like, we'll see, because I don't think she was a massive fan of of the actual theatre school my sister went to. She was like, I'll try and I'll find another one for you, maybe. Um, and she did. She found she found a local theatre school. Um uh and I think I was six years old when I started that. Okay. Um, and I literally did I was there until I was like 18 years old. So I was I did three times a week doing all the things tap, jazz, ballet, musical theatre on a Saturday. So very busy doing that for basically my whole um childhood. That was what I what I did. Um, and then I applied for drama school um and luckily got in to Arts Ed. So I went there for three years. Um and yeah, and that and the rest is history, and then I did my first job and then kind of yeah, all it all happened. Yeah. What was that first job that you you wanted to do? Dream Girls was the yeah, it was Dream Girls. So I got I got that on um I was in my third year, yeah, and I think the show had opened in November, okay, and I um so we were just doing our third year shows, and then in about uh Feb, I think it was, they were looking for swings and and someone to cover the role of Jimmy. Um and at that time we were still in in college and and everything. Um and then my head of principals basically was just like, Oh, you've been called in for Dream Girls. And I was like, Okay. Um went in, uh didn't think anything. I was just like, I was still in my third years, still at still at college. Um, and then yeah, ended up booking the job, but we weren't allowed to leave. So basically basically the whole thing was you have to stay and do showcase, right? Um showcases in March.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. But I was like for like agent showcase, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So like yeah, we had like agents coming to um our shows through like November, and I think we did another one in maybe Feb time. Um but we had a showcase in March, then after showcase, that's when you could like sign with an agent, and that's when you can leave um if you had a job. Um, but I yeah, so I was kind of you know, still in my my my time going, okay, I don't know what agent I'm gonna go to, or I don't know where life is gonna take me. But ended up, yeah, getting dream girls and had to double up. I had to do Dream Girls in the morning, so I think from like nine till one at Dream Girls, and then go back to college for the rest of the day until like six and for a month. That's rough.
SPEAKER_01I mean, there's doubling up, but there's doubling up when college is one of them. Is that whole?
SPEAKER_00And it was so weird because like you're like I'm I'm out there doing feeling like I'm like I'm I'm in the industry now, but then you come back to college and you're back in that kind of that world, and it was it was really weird, and obviously everyone was really lovely and excited for me at college, which was which was nice. Um, but it was just so weird like doing both at the same time because I was like, I feel like I'm in it, then I'm out of it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, and then we did our showcase, and that was literally the day I left, and it felt like the quickest goodbye. I was like, okay, I'm not coming back to this place now. I just I'm just on the West End at the Savoy. That was that.
SPEAKER_01Amazing. And and you've you prefer like your singing, your acting to dancing, or you do you like a little bit of three?
SPEAKER_00Well, it's it's weird because growing up I did a lot more, I'd say it was it was more of a dance. Um I'd say like I was an I'm a natural kind of mover, I dance, I don't have mass masses of like flexibility and all that stuff, and that would be the thing. Right. And that would be that would be the thing I'd be like, oh I can't be a dancer because I don't I don't know, my leg doesn't go up there or I can't but I could I could dance.
SPEAKER_01Um but I remember my one of my theatre school teachers was like you need to you need to be able to sing and you need to be able to act if you want to go to drama school and do all that stuff and I was like mmm okay so I didn't really I didn't really start even singing until I was maybe like 16 and that kind of came late because I was like maybe a bit younger than that actually but I was like mmm okay um I guess if I really do want to do this I need to do I need to like brush up on my singing and my acting um and I ended up loving loving that too um I mean as a kid I also did like a lot of uh like child um extra work basically so like from maybe nine till 13 or 12 I did a lot of like extra work on TV shows and like all that business so I I was always in that world of like of acting but I feel like I didn't concentrate on it enough and I did like things like Lambda and all that kind of that kind of thing as a kid um but the dance was the kind of the main thing and then slowly I got more into the singing and the acting and and now you love the singing so much that I believe you've actually brought a song for to sing for us today right I have um absolutely well I mean the floor is all yours please acapella I mean you insisted I mean you're a cappella didn't you're the sing you can sing I know that you can sing I mean I think we we all can we're all we all have to be able to don't we at this point I guess exactly once upon a time the industry used to be dancers singers or actors and now it's you have to be all three or you don't work exactly exactly that's the thing but I remember like actually one thing about um arts were like you you couldn't call yourself like that singer actor or that actor dancer like you had to say you're good at all three even if you didn't feel it they were like you have to say like make sure you believe that you are and yeah um so yeah even if sometimes I didn't always believe it I was like okay I've got to say that I can do all three really well and you know especially when you have shows now that will have like a insane number either as the finale or like the ending to act one and they're like yeah you're gonna be dancing for like uh 50 encounters your most full out like flips turns towards everything and you better be singing like top A's at the same time you're like what the hell no I can't do this I can't breathe it's on it's honestly crazy. It's like please I want to please help help help um ridiculous but no it's um no it's been great and then like I've I've really loved like the journey of like being more in my body with all those things with like this the um I think every job as well you learn so much about yourself you know and every job's different you can't really it's yeah it's just never the same different script yeah no point in that but like every time you can't just repeat the same exact previous one yeah your body feels different in each job as especially as you get older as well you know so yeah so it's this um yeah yeah it's been amazing so I I usually ask um anyone that's on if they have any kind of like side hustles because usually this isn't enough just to you know you can't really make bank in this industry so everyone's usually got a little side hustle coming on whatever is there anything else that you're working on outside of you can still be within performing but not necessarily like your like job in West end or whatever it is do you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Yeah well not over like I do sometimes I teach and I do like workshops and stuff so it's kind of still in that world um but what I do quite a lot is I read at a lot of auditions and and um yeah I do that quite a lot I kind of like fell into it um what does that involve so it just involves me so basically you know when you you go into your audition and you might have some sides yeah um I'll be that that person that reads those sides with you basically um but yeah so I was just asked I think one like a couple of years ago actually maybe it was like even like five years ago now um I was asked if I would I would read um and I I would hate sight reading that was my thing I was like I don't like sight reading I don't like being that person that doesn't know what I'm about to say like even though we had those kind of exercise exercises to do at um like drama school and stuff um I just I just never enjoyed it um so I was a bit like will I be good at this I'm not sure um but I was like do you know what to get over that fear maybe what I should do is just say yes and I'll and do it and then from there I kind of I've just kind of for the last five years I've kind of been helping out with that in auditions and yeah I really enjoy it it's like I don't know whether it's the side hustle um but I do do that quite a lot when I'm when I'm um I imagine it's quite um exposing to like the the other side and like their thought process and the casting decision where where a lot of performers won't get to see that side.
SPEAKER_01You're like oh okay yeah yeah yeah probably like watching and clocking without really you know not saying anything but just kind of like taking note.
SPEAKER_00This is the thing because a lot of people say like you know what do you hear and and honestly I don't actually hear because I'm obviously not on the the panel so it's not like I I don't actually know a lot of the decisions made or like um or hear a lot um but it's just interesting just how they like how a room is run um different how different teams work um and you know I might have an opinion on on someone and go oh I think you know that person's great and then the cast is comes out and then that person's not in the show so you know it's um it is very interesting and it does make you kind of see the industry differently because it I mean you I think one thing we we all know as performers and actors that we are not in control of anything. Like we try to be we feel like you know we we could do an audition and it could be the best audition in the world to our to ourselves um and you might not get the job um and you know then you start having this thing where you kind of go oh is was it me is it because I didn't do this note right or is it because I didn't say this line this way or whatever but it's it's so much bigger than that. It's so do you know when they say like the the jigsaw you hear that a lot.
SPEAKER_01It just depends what it is about yeah genuinely now being on and you know being on the other side sometimes I do I'm like yeah the the jigsaw is actually a real a real thing even though people always go oh they they just say that they just but it's it's genuinely like a it's it really is there's uh there's a show that I was also reading on where I learned that um if I want to specify the name of the show but if you were if you're over a certain height and you don't cover the part that that um that they're looking for the cover for then you immediately cannot be in the show because that you if you're over that height they don't want any girls yeah that are that tall unless you're covering that part and it just immediately wipes out a whole like demographic of girls and it has nothing to do with your talent or how good you are.
SPEAKER_00It literally does come down to those things like height or like the person that you might be opposite or that those things are are so real. And that's something that you can't control you know if you're a certain height or a certain height you can't do anything about about it. So um yeah so that's one thing I think that does like I don't know if it brings some comfort but sometimes you just have to go well right do you know what this isn't made this isn't made made for me meant for me this thing if I don't get this audition it's meant for someone else because of A B C um and that does bring a little bit of of comfort I think now if I don't get that job or whatever I don't let it affect how you feel about your exactly whereas before maybe it could have done I tried never I I've never been that person to like really be like oh man like what's what's wrong with me I didn't get this job um but I think even more so now I'm just like okay cool that's that wasn't obviously meant for me yeah um for whatever reason and that's that's okay yeah you know but yeah well you know what we're gonna move on to you're gonna get your drawing skills out oh dear not the drawing and before you say oh I'm terrible at drawing just like everybody says that some people are actually good I I I genuinely um like I don't I don't draw so we'll see we'll see what happens I say neither do I but apparently people get annoyed with my ability to think online and I'm not sure you've been practicing I feel like that's what you did.
SPEAKER_01You know what I've only got probably if you probably look back to the first episode I've probably got a little bit better each time doing it often enough or maybe at home just like imagine like I'm just gonna show everybody up here. So basically what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna ask you questions um after you've picked a scenario from that cup um and we're gonna draw whatever's on that piece of paper.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Um and you're gonna try and best answer these difficult questions to your best of your ability whilst not getting distracted from from right from drawing this uh scene.
SPEAKER_00Wow that's I know it's kind of funny it's a hard thing to it's a hard topic and it's a hard uh task right okay but yeah give it uh give a little mix and pick pick a little um a zoo enclosure okay I mean they're always hard there's never gonna be like a chair because like I've got to draw an animal that's the well you can pick which animal you want it to be um first question go on what is a moment in your life that changed you forever changed me forever wow um look at me and ready rubbing out what I've just done um so a moment that changed my life forever do you know what I this isn't I don't know whether it changed my life forever but I think it was like a big moment in my life as in just how I I kind of go about life I guess um so when I was in year five I moved school this is hard this is really hard um I moved schools um and I so I was at a primary school from reception all the way up until year five basically and then we basically moved so or we were moving and um my mum wanted my sister to go to a specific school which was quite far away from um uh where we were living yeah so as I said she's a couple years older than me so she finished year six and then my mum was like okay so we're gonna we're gonna move but I I absolutely loved my primary school I was so happy there you know great friends all these things um and I didn't want to believe it I did not want to believe it at all so I think year five started and I went back for a little bit and then it was like okay we found a new school for you um we're gonna leave basically and I was so so so gutted so upset yeah as I said didn't want to believe it so I didn't even say goodbye to anybody so I I literally knew it was my last day but I yeah I just didn't say goodbye to anybody um so then we moved I moved schools obviously it was quite hard being being in year five where everyone in the new schools like already got friends already got all these connections that they've had for all these years and I've just kind of joined as this new this new kid um and I always felt as a kid I was quite confident or like I was I was quite like yeah I can make friends I can do this I can do that yeah but then going to some a school where you don't know anybody and you're literally well you have to like force yourself to make friends um was really hard I was like oh my god like wow some people don't want to be your friend or some people don't care about about about you but I never experienced I didn't feel like I ever experienced that before I moved to this school. Yeah so that kind of made me become a person that was like so basically what I feel like it did for me was the person or the people that I felt like were on the outside especially at this new school on the outside didn't have a lot of friends I was always that person to kind of give them time and give them and you still are that person I noticed that like why have we connected to you in the first place is that you know I seem to know everybody in West End but you also like it's because you're you welcome everybody in in West End yeah I feel like I tr I try to be like I I feel like you know I'm quite a social person I guess but I feel like that that boosted that because you had to look I had to learn to become more social and like not be afraid of putting myself in positions or like situations that might be a bit scary as a as a whatever 10 year old or whatever I was 11 years old. And yeah I feel like it just it taught me how to see other people and how like it just kind of it felt like I was like watching I remember being at my my primary school and I feel like I was watching um screen sorry this this drawing I don't even I don't even I don't even know what's happening right now. It felt like I was watching it from a screen I was going I was like looking at everybody and going wow this is you I can tell are struggling to to fit in you don't have anyone around you you lot are the popular people you lot are the like and I never I've never experienced that before before I didn't or I didn't think I did and then yeah it just kind of made me it turned me into a person that was like okay you know what um just I don't know I was like it's important it's important to make things not always about you yeah and about other people because um I don't know my like for example my mum and felt so bad when I left because I was I was when I tell you I was crying I was like uncontrollably crying I didn't want it my like I even I think I had my mum was like McDonald's today and I was like no you know and you know and I and I had to realise as well like sh you know she did it for good intentions she did it for a reason she didn't want me to feel this way and I had to also know and forgive because it you know it took some time I had to forgive and be like no do you know what? Other people are making you feel that way you know um and yeah it's just it's I think it's just made me into more of like a I'd say a I'm out a very understanding a very understanding person or I like to even if I don't fully get it I always will try to understand even if I don't agree if I don't I will always give people time to for that and I think that's really helped me in my life I'd say yeah um that's a beautiful answer it's really good. Thank you yeah thank you what is a belief you had about yourself that you've had to unlearn maybe that you can do what you put your mind I think you know growing up I I maybe felt like I I had to be in control of certain things or I couldn't I couldn't do certain things and I think I've had to like every single thing I've done in my life especially job wise I've never seen come in like every single thing. Every single job I've never seen come in I've never known like what I'm gonna do year after year. As we don't anyway, but I feel like I feel like when I was younger, I feel like I could control that. Or I felt like I I was in the place of being able to no, I'll I can do this and I'll do this and do this. And I had to learn just to trust and let things be, and um and I can't control everything. And I um yeah, I think just trusting where life will take you and being okay with that. Um and even if you you know sometimes I might feel scared, worried and stuff like that. I d I just have to remember that and go, you know what, your life, everything you've had in your life you've not seen coming. You've not seen happening.
SPEAKER_01When was the last time you felt truly understood by someone?
SPEAKER_00There's been there's been a there's a couple of things that do come to mind. Um but I feel like there's some certain uh friendships I have or certain people that are in my life that uh sometimes they see things in you that you don't see in yourself, um, and they might say something about you that you're like, wow, that is I've not thought about that, but that is exactly what's going on, or that's exactly what maybe I even needed to hear. Yeah. And I've just got you know maybe some specific friends that that have just helped me because sometimes I think I guess I can I can uh uh sometimes not put myself first, yeah, right? And not also and not always realise that I'm not putting myself first in certain situations. And I think uh there are or some friends or specific friend that always reminds me of going, no, it's okay, you can put yourself first. Um I know where your heart is, and don't think that you're gonna be judged if you don't, if you want to say no, if you want to, you know, um if you don't want to do this, if you don't feel comfortable doing something, and um and that kind of sticks out to me to go, do you know what that it was it was really nice to hear because for a long time I hadn't heard that, you know.
SPEAKER_01Um so maybe that what part of your story do people usually get wrong?
SPEAKER_00This is the funny one. I'd I'd say some people, you know how it is in this industry where sometimes people are like, um you it's it's all be it's always been easy. It's like you're you're booked and blessed, oh gosh, you're always working, all this stuff. People don't see the the times where you have uh struggled or you you don't know what's happening, you don't know what's coming, um or times I am judging myself or or things like that. And some people have said, oh no, you know, you know, it's been great for you, you're great, you're you're fine, you've always you've done this, you've done this, but this many Western shows. Yeah, exactly. And that's and I'm always like, Well, like I know that's what it might look like on paper when you you know if you go through my CV or this and that, but you don't understand, like it has taken a lot, and it's and it is really hard, and there's times where I do feel like I I am failing, or like um of course we all do.
SPEAKER_01We all do, you know, and we all have different definitions of what we want to do in success as well. Exactly. If it's somebody else's version of success, exactly, then to them it looks like you're doing really well. But if yours isn't if you're not you haven't reached what you think in your own head, then to you it's not the same thing, exactly.
SPEAKER_00And I think some people um don't always remember that and they just go, oh you know, whatever, whatever, no, you're fine, you've been great. And I and I understand that it can be like that, it can feel like that or hard for certain people and they haven't had um the same success or whatever, but like I do think sometimes when people always go on about oh you know, you're fine about you're non-stop, or this I'm like little do you know that I have actually I have had some breaks, and there have been times where I've not known what I'm doing, and you know what experience made you grow up faster than you should have? I've got a younger sister who is six years younger than me. Um and I had to kind of you know, my mum was working, my dad working and stuff like that. So I had to sometimes pick up my sister from school, even take her to baby ballet, do you know these these little things. Um and it really did make me grow up because I couldn't be some friends would like go out with their friends after school, do this, do that. Um, I couldn't really do that. I had to learn from a young age that like certain responsibilities that I have. Um and it did make me grow up or see things differently and and put you know, sometimes like, yeah, okay, I've got to put my family first or like help my mom do this, yeah, do that.
SPEAKER_01Um do you also feel like even in jobs you kind of take on that role of responsibility because of that? Like you know, like with the um responsible one on the night out or whatever that kind of thing, you know?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, sometimes I do, but yeah, like I do, I do feel like that. I I do feel like I I like to I do want to be the one people can rely on. Someone that people someone can rely on, like if I see someone getting a little bit, you know, ahead of themselves or like you just go, okay, let's not not saying that we don't, especially when we're younger, we don't all fall into that trap ourselves. Yeah, yeah. But I do think um I I yeah it has made me kind of grow up in a way of going, okay, I want to make sure I am being responsible, and I don't want I don't want my my my mum to worry where I am and what I'm what I'm doing because I I haven't thought about it, you know. I had to I had to think about a lot of things and make sure I um gave her peace of mind sometimes when I'd be out and about or whatever. So um yeah, I think it has made me become that person as well.
SPEAKER_01What is a memory you revisit more often than you'd like?
SPEAKER_00All I'm gonna say, and for everyone that's watching this, they'll know what it is, but we don't have to delve into it. Um two brothers, two brothers, um yeah. Do you know what I'm talking about when I say that? As in the number? No, and then think think about singing two brothers in a in a um in a show. In a show. So the number, yeah. Yeah, but like, but I'd say think about me singing two brothers in a room full of people for the first time.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00That memory, do you know what I'm talking about when I say that? Was I my first as a two brothers?
SPEAKER_01I was doubling up, so I was often not there. So I don't know if the first time you sang it.
SPEAKER_00You must you must have, I think you were there. Maybe you you didn't even maybe didn't even clock it. But the first time I remember singing was it not your best? It really wasn't. It really wasn't. Um people will know um so they'll what if they listen to this, you know, they'll but I think sometimes that memory does go in my head. I go, wow. And some people some people do remind me of it sometimes. They'll just go, wow, that's um, I mean, I could laugh it off. I can I can really laugh it off.
SPEAKER_01What until people bring it up, yeah.
SPEAKER_00But it's like, wow, remember that. That's um I do I do revisit that sometimes, can't lie.
SPEAKER_01Are you done? Are you ready?
SPEAKER_00I'm not ready. What is this? Ready to see this? Wow. You get what it is, though.
SPEAKER_01I see I see what is going on. Giraffe enclosure. Yeah, um, yeah, talk me through it.
SPEAKER_00So we've we've um it's obviously a nice sunny day. Um we've got um giraffe, it's taken um stick from a branch from the tree, which has probably been a bit higher than this. That's all right. I love the screen. Um yep, um, put trees in the background and stuff like that. Obviously, we're seeing an enclosure, and we've got um the guys coming to yeah, you've got a hat on, you've got like a um probably would have been better if I um yeah, wasn't talking so much about it.
SPEAKER_01I did it a few a few weeks ago. I did an episode on myself and I had to draw and talk because it's so hard. So hard.
SPEAKER_00Do you know why I just rubbed up, I rubbed up a door, I just put a random door, and I was like, why would there be a door?
SPEAKER_01Um it isn't what I was really struggling with was the fact that there's the cage in front of it, and I didn't want to draw and then just put lines in the middle.
SPEAKER_00So you okay, so great. I did I did what you yeah, go on, let me see yours then. Let me see what you've done.
SPEAKER_01Wow, that's actually that's actually really good. So I went for like a a big cat enclosure. So we've got you know when there was like the big pole where they put the meat on the top and the tigers and stuff would run up and grab it. So we've got a lion here on like makeshift, we've got a pond and some rocks and a log, and we've got a couple of the tigers here on like the big podium that they'd already always sleep on. We've got a tiger swing, some um some trees and bushes. Um and then I I tried to put the bars in the and see what you're doing. So it didn't look like it was the same thing, but yeah, so there was that's uh um animal enclosure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Looking at my lab, I'm like, wow. You thought it was so much more than like I'm like, what yeah, what is it?
SPEAKER_01I tend to see it in my brain whilst I wasn't talking. So it's just but I I also started going, how on earth am I gonna do that? Something always just manages to come out, but it looks crazy. There we go.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um right, we'll throw that down for now. We'll take a bit, don't bother that yet. The discussion of this episode, like the theme of the episode, was um the power of live entertainment um and how relevant is it still in a world where you know AI is replacing a lot of things, and will it stay relevant? Like obviously um social media has taken over, just AI is replacing a lot of um like for f films and CGI like work, um, it's quick, easy entertainment. Um it's being used for you know commercials and stuff. How relevant do you think live theatre will stay um whilst this continues?
SPEAKER_00I think it it it I mean it has to stay. I think it just has to. It's so weird because actually before I came, I was watching something on TV and I was like, hang on, is that it was an advert? I was like, is that real people is that AI people? Like I think it and I think it was, and I was like, wow, that's that's actually a job that uh someone could have like that you could have taken away. Yeah, even like two, three years ago someone would have would have had that job, and now that's being given by someone else to someone to AI basically. Um but I think it's so I think people do love live entertainment. I think people, you know, I I'm I'm hoping that people will always want that and and um and be an advocate for it because it's whatever you can make with AI is it's just it's never gonna be like seeing the real thing. It's like you can watch something on the on a screen and you can watch like a whole stadium tour on a screen, but actually being there, physically being there and hearing the music and the people around you. There's nothing really like that kind of thing.
SPEAKER_01You're right, but they've started to bridge that gap with even like ABBA voyage, yeah. Do you know what I mean? Where you've got like a uh almost like a not it's not AI, but it's uh a filmed version of them that's still appearing on stage, but they're not there, like even that could like start replacing it's like easy, easy. And they can adapt it to be how they want it to be.
SPEAKER_00It is crazy. Do you know what I mean? I think there was like a Black Mirror episode that was kind of a black about something similar to that. Love Black Mirror, it's very trippy, but yeah, it's great. Um but yeah, it it is it is scary, it is scary, and I think there should be, I think there maybe are some like laws already kind of happening, um, but I think there has to be because I think that that is taking away a whole art form if that does happen where it's just easy to just be like, okay, we've got footage of you dancing back in when you did your show, and we'll just put that on Joel on stage, just do it.
SPEAKER_01It's you know, I do think it is uh we do work fortunately in an industry that is very difficult to replicate. I think there's a lot of uh industries out there that can be changed and and replaced. Um anything, especially that's online can be you know altered and AI can be used to replace that because what we do is so specific and unique and provides a feeling that you just can't get from an online version. I think it is something that and I I have enough enough faith in people that they still will want to come to theatres, to arenas, to wherever it's performing to see the real thing because there's just something that you can't get from behind a screen. Yeah, you know. So I don't think I don't think I think things will get more difficult, but I don't think it will ever be completely replaced. I think there will always be a place for live entertainment exactly in whichever format.
SPEAKER_00You still see it like shows still are selling out and and all that stuff, and I think people do love going to like the the act of getting up and going somewhere to see something live or people that they maybe love and cherish um live. And I think hopefully that is what stays. People continue loving that the act of of that on remembering the feeling of that.
SPEAKER_01Um even to a point where social media is actually bringing more awareness to like big artists that are touring around, and then actually there's shows are selling out more, yeah. Um, or like comedians or or or shows or whatever it is, it's actually sometimes it can be used in a positive way of like getting uh the word out to more people for them to come to in-person Exactly, seeing the real the real thing.
SPEAKER_00I think because we spend so much time on our screens now. We it feels like I'm always just seeing you can see everyone and everything on your on your phone, every celebrity, every video of them doing this and them doing that. But I do think that it it is exciting when you're like, oh, that person's actually here in the flesh, they're in they're in my country though. Like I I hope that feeling remains in people to to then make them go right. Actually, as as nice as it is that I can just see them here, uh let me actually uh uh physically see them. And yeah, so I I I'm like it does feel like we are in a bit of a scary time, especially like as as you say, when you see in like adverts with uh these fake fake people, not real people, um that could have been someone else's uh real person's job.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know, um I think we are fortunate that despite not being in a like particularly stable industry or one that even pays particularly well, it is difficult to replace.
SPEAKER_00It is. So we picked pick the right one. Maybe it depends which area if it were in there. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01Alright, we're gonna move on to some quick fire questions here. Oh nice and easy. Okay, these ones don't require thinking. Okay, good off the top of the dome, because you kind of ready. These are A or B answers, though. Okay, fine. Yeah. Sunrise or sunset.
SPEAKER_00Sunset.
SPEAKER_01Train or plane?
SPEAKER_00Plane.
SPEAKER_01Text or call. Text city or countryside countryside. Jean or jeans or shorts.
SPEAKER_00Shorts.
SPEAKER_01Rain or snow?
SPEAKER_00Snow.
SPEAKER_01TikTok or Instagram?
SPEAKER_00Instagram.
SPEAKER_01Coke or Pepsi.
SPEAKER_00Neither. Don't drink either, but um Do you have do you have uh an alternative?
SPEAKER_01Does he drink?
SPEAKER_00I don't really drink many things.
SPEAKER_01Alternative drink, non-alcoholic. Using water, I swear.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, about to say, um do you know what? Sam Pellegrino I I do like. So we'll say that.
SPEAKER_01Um guitar or piano?
SPEAKER_00Piano.
SPEAKER_01Spicy or mild? Spicy. Batman or Superman? You don't care.
SPEAKER_00Superman Marvel more Marvel fan. Marvel or DC was an extra. Oh, okay. Well, yeah, Marvel, Marvel.
SPEAKER_01Uh camping or hotel?
SPEAKER_00I think you know what it's hot hotel.
SPEAKER_01Shower or bath? Shower. Pen or pencil. Pen. That one's on there. I might have got some. Pen or pencil. Oh, tough, tough. Oh, difficult. So, as our last thing, do you have an embarrassing story for us? Or can be audition or on stage, or even just interaction and peace and story.
SPEAKER_00I do have I do have a bit of a silly story. Um, so this was on Dream Girls, first job. Um, and so you know, we finished act one, and you know when you finish act one, sometimes you might have your dressing gown downstairs and you put some slippers on or whatever that business is, then head upstairs or wherever your your dressing room is. Ours was like, right, top, top, top, top. So I think finished act one, went upstairs, chilled out, came downstairs, um still in dressing gown. I know, I think I changed upstairs, but then you put your shoes on downstairs basically. And these we we were wearing, it was like an opening of act two, this like Las Vegas number. So we're in this like shiny top and trousers, and then you wear these like white boots. So I went into the quick change area, took off my dressing gown, like you know, did what I usually do, then headed towards the back for where we entered in the number. So this act two starts, chilling. All the boys at the back are ready to come on. I think I was the first one to come on um doing this like dance move coming on. Um so I'm like ready to go on, chilling, you know. And then someone turns around to me and says, What have you got on your feet? And I was like, Huh? Look down, my slippers are still on. My slippers you'd gone on stage. I hadn't gone on stage. Oh, you're about to about to go on stage, and I feel like I'm like, I bet they all knew. I bet all the boys back there knew because they said it at the like last possible, they were like, What have you got on your feet? And I was like, and I couldn't go on because the stage is actually quite slippy. Without the right shoe, you you'll slip over. And I was like, I've got these slippers on that. And I was like, great. So I literally jumped out the way, they all went on, walked round, and I think it was the day that um one of the producers were in the in the wing. So I walked around and I was like, Yeah, and then they were like just the loads of like everyone in the wings just like shaking their head, put my white boots on and then had to just come on like halfway through the number. It was it was honestly in that moment I couldn't I Joe. When you're like, I can't believe that I've just I've just done this. I can't believe that I'm back here fully with slippers on, like blue slippers.
SPEAKER_01I mean, there are times where you just don't you forget that I've been I've gone on stage with airpods in before. Because you forget that they're there, they're just they're these small little things, and they're just there, and I've I've gone in and it's like a period piece or something, and I've got airpods in my ear, and then I'm like, why are my ears feel and I'm like on stage, and I'm like, I can't put them anywhere, they're pockets, you know what I mean? It's ridiculous. I get it. Fortunately, I don't think anyone's noticed before, but it's been yeah, I get it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it just happened, it happens if red brain's just not playing switched on. I just was like, uh maybe I was just feeling comfortable. I was just like, yeah, I'm I'm good, I'm feeling fine. You were never comfortable again after that. After that, I was like, everyone was like, nope, right, come here now. Yeah, yeah. They're moth, these are yeah, triple thing. But that was that was uh that was a that was a funny, that was a funny, that was a funny story. That was uh I couldn't believe it.
SPEAKER_01Ashley, thank you for coming on today. It's very thank you so much for it. It's so good to actually finally get you in for all this time. I've been trying to get you there, but um it's been really lovely and to see your amazing drawings as well. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think it's fantastic, actually, isn't it? It's it's um brilliant, much better than what you did.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah, yeah. I don't even want to look at my thank you guys for watching. Uh I appreciate all your support. Um feel free to DM me on Instagram um and just let me know your thoughts, what you would like to see, any guests that you would like to see as well. Um, if you a performer and know any other performers that you think would be good on the podcast, let me know. I'm always happy to take your uh messages and yeah, feel free to spread the word. Follow me on uh Instagram and Spotify, whether you get your TikToks, and watch it on YouTube as well because it's nice to be able to you know put a name to a face. Um, and thank you again for coming on, Ashley.
unknownYep.