Episode Chapters:

1. Audio drama: Static, part one [00:00:00 – 00:22:35]

2. Ashley King and Meg Wilcox introduce podcast [00:22:36 – 00:27:57]

3. Ashley interviews Bruce Horak [00:27:58.5 – 00:56:40]

4. Reflections and episode wrap-up [00:56:41 – 01:02:38]

[thumping upbeat dance music plays — “Like a G6” by Far East Movement. Vocals: “Poppin’ bottles in the ice like a blizzard/ When we drink, we do it right, get slizzered…” Sounds of a crowd at a bar. Music fades and continues under Ashley’s voice]

Ashley [a young, female voice — inner thoughts]

What the fuck? This club is shit. Why is it so dark? Where's Brittany and where the hell is the bar? Oh, there it is.

[stumbling sounds as Ashley slams into the bar]

Ashley [to bartender]

Hiiiiiiiiii!

[the sound of the bar quiets while Ashley is deep in thought]

Ashley [inner thoughts]

That is the hottest bartender I think I've ever seen. Like, ever in my entire life. Like a sexy man muffin. Or a himbo. Or a Brad Pitt DILF. He could be in a crotch novella, you know, like a romance novel for your vagina? He's totally checking me out.

[the sounds of the bar come back into focus]

Ashley

Excuse me. Can I get another? What? Water? No, I don't need hydration. I'm like a cactus. I can survive on tequila alone!

[sounds of clanks and crashes]

Ashley [inner thoughts]

Oops. Sorry there, little coasters. I didn't mean to knock you over. You're like little surfboards for my drink. Hang ten little buddies!

You know what’s funny. Me? I'm so funny. And cute. So funny and cute. And slizzered… I’ll grow on him.

[thumping upbeat dance music continues. Vocals say, “Now I'm feeling so fly like a G6/ Like a G6/ Like a G6…” ]

Ashley

This is Static: A Party Girl's Memoir — written by me, Ashley King. Before we go any further. You should know that this is a true story. Yes, it actually happened! Though I may have changed a few things to, you know, save some reputations and not get in the way of a good story. Later in this episode, you'll hear more about the show and how it came together. But for now, let's head back to me being a little bit extra at the club.

[“Like a G6” transitions into another upbeat dance track, “Levels” by Avicii]

Ashley [inner thoughts]

What is this music, my friend? Next song. This music is killing my cute drunk vibe. EDM techno shit. Why does this bar smell nice? Where's the nostalgic smell of stale beer, sweat and regret? It's so fresh. Oh my God. I wonder if they're pumping oxygen in here. That's why I feel so good… like a warrior party princess! (laughs)

[music continues. Ashley and friends chant “Drink! Drink! Drink! Woo!”, sound of heels on dance floor]

Ashley

I love this song. This is so my song! I love EDM techno shit! What was I saying? Oh, yeah. I want to make out with somebody tonight. Is that guy hot? Is he? Should I just go, like, make out with him? Just, like, walk up and do it? Should I do it? Oh, I need another drink first. And a straw. Could somebody get me a goddamn straw up in this bitch?

[music thumps/ Ashley says “Shots? Shots… Shots! Let’s do shots!” Lots of wooing and glass clinking as the music fades out]

Ashley

It's been scientifically proven that adolescents and young adults are more prone to excessive risk taking. The frontal cortex or some shit… the decision-making part of the brain isn't fully developed until age 25. Age 25! Can you believe that? That's a long-ass time to make some poor-ass choices. If I was 18, then I would have… um, five, six, seven… SEVEN more years to keep on being a dumbass! Yeah.

I'm Ashley. And today, in the year of our Lord, it is 2024 and I am 32.

[upbeat dance music starts: “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO]

But for the sake of the story I'm about to tell you, it is 2011 and I am 18. So, prepare to hear a tale unlike one you have ever heard before.

It's 2011. My jeans are skinny. My bangs are parted to the side. My Blackberry is my third arm, and it's Friday night and I'm drinking mini jugs of vodka slime.

[music vocals” “Party rock is in the house tonight/ Everybody just have a good time…” Ashley gives out a woooooo!]

I'm in that liminal space between high school and university. I pretty much had it all figured out. A young, mature adult making some pretty big adult decisions. I thrived for attention and acceptance. Like Tinker Bell, I would die without it. So remember to laugh and clap for me always.

[crowd clapping and cheering. Ashley giggles]

Oh my God, STOP! Okay, okay, okay.

Anyways, back then, I had been called boy crazy once or twice, but I preferred boy… enthusiastic?! I wasn't irresponsible, I was carefree, I wasn't reckless, I was spontaneous, and I wasn't a ho, I was just fun. Duh. If I'm being honest — and isn’t that the whole point of this whole thing — I had a pretty… uneventful life growing up. Well, that is, except for my overbearing Mexican Nazi mother.

[sound of thunder rumbling, and the beginning of “Como La Flor” by Selena plays, a romantic, almost saint-like tune]

Carolina [older female voice]

Aie, Ashley. Don't be dramatic!

Ashley

Okay, Tequila Carolina — cut the whole saint crap. All TEN of your siblings told me how you snuck booze at your quinceañera.

[Carolina makes Aie! sound of disapproval]

Ashley

I guess she's always been strict. It just got a lot worse once I got to an age where babies could exit my vagina. I'm not kidding. She was a real cock block.

Carolina

Hey! [sound of a record scratch, music cuts abruptly]

Ashley

At five feet, she may be tiny, but don't let her size fool you. She's got… La Chancla on her side!

[Ashley laughs and she and Carolina make whooping noises]

Wait. That's racist. Not all Latino women wave a sandal in the air and viciously beat their child with it. That is such a stereotype. My mom would definitely use a cleaning product instead. Have you ever been slapped with a rubber glove?

[a rubber glove slaps, and Ashley gives a little yelp]

In this Mexican household, it's not child abuse, it's parenting. But I'm only half Mexican, so the whole “traditional Latino establish your parental dominance thing”... Yeah, it didn't really work on me.

Don't get me wrong, I love being Mexican. The food's pretty good, the parties are even better, and we've got an immediate family that could rival a small village. But there are just some things I will never understand. Like how my mom can be so superstitious and religious and just straight up fucking weird. I'm not even kidding. It's like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all have reserved seats at her dinner table. She's always letting her decisions be guided by her “feelings” and her “intuition,” oooooooo!

Just because your flickering candles or prayer beads or some shit told you not to let me leave the house for the week… didn't mean you should listen. Loser.

[Carolina shuffles over]

Here she comes. You'll see what I mean.

Carolina

Wait. Esperate! I can clean unless I have mi musica!

[A cassette tape starts to play “Bidi Bom Bom” by Selena, an upbeat latin rhythm. Carolina sings along while she sweeps]

Carolina

Andalaepuees! Oooo!

Aie, aie, aie, cochina. Oof, she's such a pig! What did I do to deserve this? When I was her age, I was a wonderful girl. Not like Ashley. I did my chores. I was good at school. I never stayed up late, and I never talked to boys. Well… maybe not never. (laughs)

[sound of a harp, suggesting past memory]

When I was 23, I saw a bruja. A woman who knew things other people didn’t. And she told me, “You will marry a man with bright blue eyes, and together you will have one daughter.” And he had the biggest, brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen. Oooo, he was my destiny!

[Ashley says “ewwww!”]

[romantic mariachi music plays, sounds of a busy bar come in]

Carolina

I met Ashley’s dad at Valentino’s in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, on Valentine’s Day, 1989. He sent me a drink from across the bar. I thought he drugged it — no eso esta drogado! — so I sent it back. But he didn’t give up. He came over and I think asked me to go on a date with him? I don’t know because I didn’t speak English and he didn’t speak Spanish. Hm!

I didn’t think I’d ever see him again. But then this crazy gringo rented a car and drove up and down the streets of Escuinapa until he found me. Used one of those paper maps and everything. It's muy romantico, no?

We sent love letters to each other, and we needed dictionaries to write each other’s words of affection. [a paper rustles] He wrote:

[Male voice]

Mi amor, te extranas mucho. Quiero soy Contigo. Te amo.

Carolina

Oooo! He was 18 years older, but it was love. He wanted to marry me, to bring me to Canada. He was a loco crazy gringo. Pero, maybe I was crazy too, because I left everything I knew in Mexico for him.

Iyeeeee, que locura, we were so crazy! (sighs) But now he's fat and old, and I've moved on.

[harp sounds, end of romantic music]

Carolina

I've been in Canada for too many years now. When I first came, I couldn't find a job as a nurse. But I was hired as a nurse's assistant, which is fine. My monkey was even born there.

Ashley

[clapping to get attention] Are you seriously still doing your monologue?

Carolina

(laughs) Si, si, and I still have three more pages.

Ashley

Oh my God. Okay, well, can you hurry it up? This is supposed to be about me.

Carolina

Ay, que nina! Que nina! She thinks I don't understand her, but I do. I had my moments… I was just better at hiding it.

She needs to learn responsibility. She's always leaving things to the last minute.

[Ashley starts to mimic Carolina as she speaks]

Always late. Always missing her phone. And her purse. And her keys. And her shoes. How does someone lose their shoes?! Aie, aie, aie, aie.

[Ashley sighs in exasperation]

Carolina

The chaos that follows her, mmm, that girl is cursed!

[Carolina sweeps]

I tell her I clean your room. Come home on time. Eat less tortillas.

[Ashley, insulted, exclaims “oh!”]

And she rolls her eyes at me. Always never listening to me like my words are not importantes.

[sad music plays]

Pero, it's about teaching her responsibility, making sure that one day, when I’m DEAD, she’ll be okay to take care of herself without me. (dramatic crying)

[sad music builds into thunder]

Carolina

I've done everything to give her the life she has, and she has no idea how easy her life is.

[Carolina sweeps]

¡Hay esta niñita tan gringita! She doesn’t even speak Spanish. Chingada. The only one out of 73 grandchildren who can’t speak to her abuelita. I tried to teach her as a baby, and you know what she did?

NADA! NOTHING! She just stopped talking all together. For weeks. Months. YEARS! We had to take her to a doctor… What kind of Latino kid doesn’t speak Spanish!? Even then she was disobeying me. Sometimes I wonder if this is my karma... from when I smoked. My sins coming back to haunt me. That’s why I need to pray.

[Carolina strikes a match and lights some candles]

Oi! San Judas Tadeo, El Patrón saint of lost causes, te pido cinco minutos por favor...

Ashley

It smells like a dirty church. Stop!

Carolina

San Judas. Por favor, protect this girl from all evil that lurks in this world... y boys, y drogas, y embarazo —

Ashley [interrupting]

And so I said — Can I borrow the car?

Carolina

No!

Ashley

(sigh) Can you ask the Virgin Mary if I can borrow the car?

Carolina

No.

Ashley

Why?! You're so unreasonable.

Carolina

You know what I drove in Mexico? Nothing! I didn't drive nothing.

No driving in Mexico. I took the bus. I rode the bike. I walked in the sun —

[sad music, the sound of footsteps crunching on gravel, buses, a bike bell]

Ashley [interrupting]

— with all the cartel behind you, pew pew pew!

Carolina

No, no, no, no, no! Why do you say things like that? When do you think of Mexico, do you only think of the cartel?

[Ashley enthusiastically says “uh-huh!”, and after a beat the Mexican national anthem begins to play]

Carolina [stern voice]

There is more to Mexico than the cartel. We are more than some drug dealing narcos. We are a country of hard workers —

[Ashley goes “ugh” and yawns]

Beautiful, hardworking people, resilient people who have fought for everything. We have fought for independence and for a better life for our children and our grandchildren and —

[sound of a record scratching; the music and Carolina’s speech are interrupted by Ashley]

Ashley

— And can I borrow the car?

Carolina

No! You can walk.

Ashley

What?! But mom, no one walks anywhere anymore, that's peasantry. And busses… ewwww.

Carolina

I don't trust you. You'll crash your car just like the last car!

Ashley

That wasn't even my fault!

Ashley [internal voice]

That was totally my fault.

Carolina [walks away]

No mas. Ask Britney to drive. She's a good driver.

Ashley

As if! Britney drives like a total bimbo who should never reproduce. Ugh!

(pauses)

Britney is my best friend. Everybody loves her. She's kind of like… like… like….

[Instrumental version of “Milkshake” by Kelis starts to play]

Stick thin, at 5’9”… weighs, like, 90 pounds… Has beautiful, long blond hair, porcelain skin, adorable freckles, perfect teeth… She's like Barbie, but prettier.

Ashley [as Britney]

Ash! I read somewhere that bulimia makes you lose 10 pounds in 10 days. I need to lose six for Saturday. Hm. You could probably lose 12! (laughs)

Ashley

And then there's me, this 5’1”, stubby looking baby-faced Mexican. A pot belly and muffin top I can't lose. Braces that only just came off, and teenage hormonal acne that won't fuck off and, and — oh wait, my tits are way better though. My tits are fantastic! She's got these flat little weird raisin things that are quite unfortunate.

[sad trombone sound]

Anyways, it doesn't matter because Britney's always gotten whatever she's wanted. She's had this superpower that honestly, I've always been in awe of. If you were a guy, you wanted to sleep with her. If you were a girl, you wanted to sleep with her. If you were me, you wanted to spend all of your time with her.

Ashley [as Britney]

Ash, have you gotten your bathing suit for Australia yet?

Ashley

Ew, no.

Ashley [as Britney]

Oh my God, Ash, don't be so dramatic. Nothing can ruin our gap year abroad, not even your muffin top! (laughs) Australia is going to be perfect.

Ashley

Great! A bathing suit, on a beach next to you, wooo!

I was excited for Australia, I really was… Just after I lost 12 pounds and figured out how to tell my mom.

[in a singsong voice] MOM!

Carolina [from other room]

Que?!

Ashley

Come here!

Carolina [from other room]

You're not driving the car!

Ashley

Ugh, just come!

Carolina [shuffles in]

Pero, I'm watching my telenovela. The one with the evil twin.

Ashley

They all have evil twins. Literally all of them.

[Carolina starts to walk back to her show]

Ashley

Wait, what? Oh! Come back! Oh, shit.

Carolina [turns back toward Ashley]

Aie, look at you. You're looking like la Tia Gorda.

[Ashley exclaims, insulted]

Carolina

Que paso?

Ashley

Sooo… I've been meaning to tell you — (pauses for effect) that I'm moving to Australia. YAY!

[sounds of twinking and angelic choirs singing. Ashley notices Carolina is silent, and starts to talk faster and faster]

Oh, okay… So it's only going to be for a few months, and we've already started saving, and we maybe have somewhere to live, and we might even have somewhere to work. It's basically all planned. Really, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you, because this is a first world country and I have rights and autonomy… And I'm just letting you know that this is my plan. Really, I’m being considerate of your feelings because you have a lot of them. And I really need a new bikini. So can I borrow the car?

[pause as she waits for Carolina’s reply]

Carolina

¿Qué te pasa? ¿Estás loca? Me vas a dejar sola?

[sounds of rumbling thunder grow as Carolina’s voice gets louder, echoes]

Australia es muy lejos! Ni se te ocurra... Que niña más bruta! Jamás lo voy a permitir! Esto es ridículo. No vas a ir a ninguna parte. Te voy a encerrar, vas a volver a la iglesia y vas a aprender español!

[sound of telenovela-style DUN DUN DUN! while thunder crashes]

Ashley

Huh?

Carolina

No!

Ashley

No, I can't borrow the car?

Carolina

No, you're not going to Australia!

Ashley

Actually, I kind of am…

Carolina

No no no no, you're not allowed to buy a ticket, and I'm not giving you your passport!

Ashley

Ooo, actually, I already did (laughs)

Carolina

I don't like this.

Ashley

Oh, mom. Come on, you're overreacting. It's not a big deal. And I've been an adult for, like, four months now.

Carolina

I have bad feelings about this. Bad, bad feelings about this.

[Carolina walks away, slams door]

Ashley

So is that a yes for the car?

Carolina [from other room]

NO!

Ashley

So, she wasn't thrilled. But I was an adult now and she would get over it… eventually?

[upbeat dance music comes in — “Levels” by Avicii — with crowded bar sounds]

Ashley [slightly drunk]

Can I get a straw? Can someone get me a goddamn straw up in this bitch?

[the sound of the bar quiets while Ashley is in thought]

Ashley [internal voice]

Have you seen this service here? One after another after another after another… Connect me to an IV and save yourself some time!

[slurping sounds, glass placed on bar]

Ugh, I hate vodka OJ. At least this is free. Wait, is this free? Who's paying for this?

[background, Britney says, “Ash, do I look hot? Ash, let’s go talk to those boys”… the sounds of the bar come back into focus]

Ashley [puts her glass on the bar]

Another one! And can I get a goddamn straw?! (pauses) Oh (giggles) thanks.

[Music fades into sound of airplane taking off, ding inside airplane cabin. Flight attendant: “Thank you for joining us on our flight today as we head to sunny Sydney, Australia…” Sounds of the plane fade into digeridoos, ocean waves crashing, seagulls… then upbeat hip-hop music — “Go Girl” by Pitbull]

Ashley

Ahhhhh! Australia was the shit!

[music vocals: “I party like a rock star, look like a movie star…” glasses clink, champagne bottles pop and pour. Britney says, “Bitch, catch up!”]

Ashley

Beaches, beers, booze and BOYS. So many boys! Bronzed skin, bleached hair, banging bods. It was unreal. [glass clinking] We were schmoozing with professional athletes, partying on super yachts [fog horn], and we even made it on a reality TV show! Girls Gone Wild….? (laughs) No, I'm totally just kidding. But I did make out with that dirty skateboarder, Bam Margera!

[record scratch, music cuts out]

No? Anybody? Whatever. He was cute back then, OK?

[sad trombone sounds, then new upbeat dance music — “Rock This House (Instrumental)” by Anthem of Rain. Sounds of crowds and camera flashes]

I made it on a red carpet. Yes, a red carpet with Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon! I can't make this shit up!

It was so weird, wild and wonderful. We based ourselves in a backpackers’ haven, Byron Bay [ship bell]. There was a lighthouse that looked like a dildo. A guy who brought his pet duck to the club [quacking] and nobody ever wore shoes. I was basically a hippie! (laughs)

And there were just SO. MANY. BOYS.

[sound of whistling, catcalls]

From everywhere! England. Ireland. Spain. Italy. Montreal. So many, in fact, that we had a hard time keeping track. Yeah, so hard that we that had to get a world map — you know, for our fuck flags? Every penis you … [unintelligible gargling]… you stick a little flag up from where they're from. Bin it or pin it! Seize and conquer! Pin them down, and then pin it up! The more unique the penis, the more valuable the flag [twinkle sound and Ashley laughs]

We got to be whoever we wanted. Total yes girls! We spent our days flirting at the beach and then our nights flirting some more while we bartended at the surf shack. Guys, this is what backpacker dreams are made of! It was amazing. We were like some kind of booze-babe-party-princess-queens!

[dance music has faded out. A small pause, and then a new song starts with a drumroll — “God Save the King” — as Ashley continues her monologue]

Well, obviously there can only be one queen, so that was Britney. But I was a princess! And we took our little booze float all through Australia just waving and everybody just saying, “Hello. Hi. We're so cool and popular!” And Britney drank from her chalice, because I guess I didn't get one, but it was all bubbly champagne just going down her face and down to her throat, and all the way down her little titties and down to her little belly and on to her little toes…. where there was me, on the ground, just slurping up all of her glitter and her sparkles and her sunshine and BOOZE!

[Ashley starts to get angrier, louder]

And you know what? You know what? Everybody liked ME! Yeah, they all wanted to be my friend! They all thought my accent was so cute. And all the boys, they all wanted my phone number, and they all wanted to see MY vagina. And did I tell you that I walked the red carpet?!

[“God Save the King” swells to a close. Silence. Ashley catches her breath]

Ashley

Excuse me. (takes a big breath)

If I was being honest with myself, I was starting to get more confident. Yeah! It might have been Britney's idea to come to Australia, but it was going to be mine to stay. That's right, I wasn’t going to go home anymore! I wanted to see more — more of Australia, more of the world, more of Asia and Europe and — oh my God, New Zealand, and oh my God, BALI!

[harp music and angelic choir]

But first I had to tell my mom.

[phone ring tone]

Carolina [voice through phone]

QUÉ!? What do you mean that you’re going to Bali? And then New Zealand?? No, no, no, no. You’re not going anywhere, especially not to Bali! WHO EVEN IS BALI!? What do you need to do in Bali that you can’t do in Australia? Is that near China? Why —

Ashley [interrupting]

— So that was a yes to Bali?

Carolina [voice through phone]

No, you're not going to Bali.

Ashley

Ugh, mom, you're overreacting. It's not a big deal. And besides, I'm not asking ya, I'm telling ya. What are you going to do? Fly over with La Chancla?! You hate flying. And besides, I'm an adult now.

[sound of static starts to fade in]

Carolina [voice through phone]

Ashley, I have bad feelings about this. I don't think you should do this.

Ashley

Mom, It's fine. Everything's going to be fine —

[beep beep beep — the call drops]

Mom! Mom? Hello? Blackberries… what the fuck…

Hello? Hello? Oh, whatever. I'll call her back later.

[text notification]

Oh my God! Britney! The guy with the curved dick from Jamaica just texted me back! I don't have that flag…

[upbeat dance music returns — “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, then fades]

Ashley

I'm still waiting on that flag… the flag that got away.

That's part one of Static: A Party Girl’s Memoir, written by me, Ashley King. You may have noticed that I'm playing myself. Oh, and Britt. Jaime Cesar is playing the one and only Catalina. This podcast is being produced by Meg Wilcox.

Meg, do you want to join me here? And maybe you can help me the credits because I'm horrible at reading credits.

Meg

Yeah, sure. So first off, we want to thank Inside Out Theatre and Chromatic Theatre for their support — they put on the original theatre version of the show. And also thanks to Miranda Martini, who did the sound design for the theatre version, and you can hear much of her design in this podcast as well.

So before we get a bit more into Static, I was wondering, do you want to do a visual description for our listeners?

Ashley

Yeah for sure. So I'm a five foot one, racially ambiguous Mexican Canadian. I've got olive skin, long dark brown hair, dark eyes, and usually a lot of gold jewelry.

Meg

Fantastic gold jewelry, I feel like I should add! And I'm five foot eight, a white female. I'm very pale. You know, my makeup color is normally, say things like “sunlight” or, you know, “sickly Victorian boy.” Blue eyes, and I have shoulder length dirty blond hair.

Ashley

And very good style, if I may add.

Meg

Well, thank you, I try, I try to keep up with you!

So, I mean, we've already hinted at this, Ashley, but this whole podcast started as a play. And so I was wondering, do you want to give maybe a bit of a rundown on how it started?

Ashley

Well, I started writing this play back in 2020, so over four years ago — and since then it's gone through many, many hands. It's seen many, many grants. And it finally was produced September 2024, and it's finally had its world premiere in Calgary, Alberta, being produced by Inside Out Theatre and Chromatic Theatre.

Meg

So, you know, we've seen the first stage version. It was really successful. You had great audiences show up and everyone had wonderful things to say about it. And now we're adapting this play into a podcast. And you and I were both talking, and it's a really great opportunity — I think, you think, we think — to dive a bit more into that back story, because the story is your backstory. It is something that's actually happened to you, both the story and the play. And I'm wondering, you know, having gone through this process, at least partly so far, how has that felt?

Ashley

It's felt pretty incredible. Like, this is my true story — it's an autobiographical show about something pretty traumatic that I went through in my life. But being able to share it as a play and now as a podcast, I've been able to reclaim something really horrible that happened and share it in a way with audiences that I can be really proud of.

Meg

I think you should be proud of it. I think it's a really great story. I've had so much fun, like mixing and editing and putting all of this together.

And, you know, just to let listeners in a bit as they're listening to these episodes — kind of how we're going to structure them, right? Because we've got the play. And so the first part of every episode is going to be the play, which is what you heard for the first, you know, 20 minutes.

So it's very similar to what you would have seen at the theatre. It's been a bit adapted for audio, but for the second half of the episode, Ash, this is where you're going to be interviewing someone who's part of Static in some way, shape or form. Maybe they helped put the show together. Maybe they're part of your real story. And this is where we get to learn a bit more of the nitty gritty and the stuff that you couldn't really put on stage.

Ashley

Yeah, because the background story, I think, is really interesting and we get to speak to some pretty interesting people throughout this podcast.

Meg

And the first guest that you're interviewing today — now, my understanding is he's been around since pretty much the beginning of Static.

Ashley

He was around before Static!

[Meg “ooohs”]

Oh yeah. Bruce Horak is an incredibly talented actor, playwright, visual artist. He literally does it all. He was born in Calgary, but he's based in Stratford, Ontario now. Him and his creative partner, Rebecca Northan, were my first official mentors. When I first started writing Static.

Meg

You were supposed to go to Stratford, right?

Ashley

I was, but this funny little thing called Covid had other plans. So we ended up pivoting the whole thing online. And for the first year, we wrote the first draft of Static all virtually.

Meg

Wow. Now, I feel like I should mention for people who maybe don't know a lot about theatre, that Bruce and Rebecca are very well-known in the Canadian improv theater world, and they co-produce these really cool, fun shows that are known for bringing the audience into the performance. And some of the ones they've put together are Blind Date, Undercover, Goblin Oedipus… and, you know, if Goblin Oedipus wasn't enough, they also did Goblin Macbeth.

Ashley

That's actually how I first met Bruce and Rebecca, but I will let him tell that story in a minute. And funnily enough, that's how Bruce and I both figure it out that we're both legally blind — for different reasons.

Meg

So just to interject, Ash — but where we are in the story so far, listeners might not yet know that you're blind.

Ashley

Oh, right. That's coming later. I guess it's a little bit of a spoiler, but you will still have to hang around to find out how I went blind. So yeah, Bruce is legally blind, and being able to work with another disabled actor was incredible. And it's so inspiring to see the success he's been having. He was Chief Engineer Hemmer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the first legally blind actor I read have a role in the franchise.

Meg

And he was so good in it!

Ashley

So good! So, here's my first conversation with friend and mentor Bruce Horak, who joined me remotely from Stratford.

[podcast theme music — Maarten Schellekens, Salt Lake Swerve]

Ashley

Bruce?! Bruce Horak!

Bruce

It is I!

Ashley

Thanks so much from joining me from Stratford. How are you doing?

Bruce

I'm really good. Yeah. Really good. How are you?

Ashley

I'm good, I'm good. You know, just, in the depths of rehearsals right now, you know.

Bruce

You are producing a show. You're putting it up!

Ashley

I am, it's happening!

Bruce

So great. It's so great.

Ashley

It's crazy. And it all started with you and Rebecca. Really! Like, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for you and Rebecca. Sadly, we don't have Rebecca today — busy, busy, lady —

Bruce

Busy lady!

Ashley

But we’ve got Bruce. We've got the one and only Bruce Horak!

Bruce

I'm here, I'm here. I have to I have to say, Ashley, I think really it this all wouldn't have happened had you not had that incredible experience and were willing to share it. And when you came to Rebecca and I, with the telling of your own life story, I really could not help but jump at the chance to help you work on the project. And, you know, from the moment that we met you at a performance of Undercover at the at — where was it?

Ashley

Vertigo! —

Bruce

— at Vertigo! I mean, you just, you sparkled, you shone, and, you know, you were kind of — well, you weren't kind of — you were fearless in telling your story. And that's pretty rare and is something that I'm so happy to champion.

Ashley

Thank you so much, Bruce. Just so people have a little bit of context, can you say from your memory, what your first memory of meeting each other was? Because it was pretty unusual! (laughs)

Bruce

It is an extraordinary story. So, Rebecca Northan and I created a show called Undercover… a spontaneous theater production. And what the story is, we bring an audience member up on stage and invite them to be a detective, a rookie cop, and go undercover at a swanky party and solve a mystery. And so every night, we bring a new guest up on stage, and we improvise with them and around them and for them, and they sort of go on this adventure and, we brought the show to Calgary — I think we premiered in Toronto and brought the show to Vertigo in Calgary — And one night, as we were out in the lobby before the show, kind of canvasing our potential guests to be on the stage, you were met in the lobby. And you sparkled, you shone, you were — the word that we often use is — reluctantly playful. You were also open to the idea of coming up on stage.

And I had not met you in the lobby, but, I think maybe Rebecca met you first. Or one of the other cast members met you. And then it was brought to our attention, kind of backstage, that you were visually impaired. And, you know, we kind of we as a cast kind of gelled together and said, “Yeah, well, we can do this if she's if she's cool coming up on stage.” And we'll make some adaptations in the show to accommodate someone with a visual impairment being on stage, namely that we would self-describe what we were doing so that you would know what was happening around you. And yeah, we brought you on stage and in the show, we always ask our guests to just play themselves. Be yourself, you don't have to play a character or whatever. And then we take what we call a “time out” and bring the guests kind of outside of the story to check in with them and make sure that it's understood what's expected of them.

And if they have any questions and, and that kind of thing. So I took the first time out with you and chatted about our vision and ascertained the — the, not the limitations of your vision, but just kind of having an understanding of how it is that you see. And I explained how my vision roughly works, as best I could — and we went back into the show and you were phenomenal. I mean, it was a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the show.

(Ashley laughs)

Bruce

And at intermission, we learned a little bit of your story and just kind of kept in touch with you after that, after that meeting. I'll say this, Undercover is a real thrill to do, but I can't imagine what it must be like for someone to come up on stage and leap into a live action murder mystery around them. I would imagine it would be pretty nerve wracking, but you handled it like a champ. Yeah, that is my first memory.

Ashley

Oh, thank you very much (laughs). Yeah. And I guess, yeah, my first memory would be being on stage with you. And I know I grossly underestimated my eyesight to you guys. I told you I couldn't see well in the dark, in the very beginning, which was a, uhhh… me downplaying it a little bit until that final time out, when I actually came clean and was like, “Hahahaha! I'm actually legally blind, and I only have 2% of my eyesight!”

So, yeah, maybe I should have mentioned that before I came on stage. But no, you guys handled it wonderfully. And even at that performance, it was an audio described performance for the blind audience members that were in the audience, me being one of them. And because you guys just did such a great job at describing on the fly, our audio describer who was doing the audio description for that show, didn't have to describe the rest of the show because you guys were just audio describing on stage as you went.

Bruce

Wow.

Ashley

Which worked out so well. But yeah, it was — I felt like I had met my kindred spirits in you and Rebecca and, yeah, stayed in touch with you guys.

Bruce

Yeah, yeah. And we learned about your path in journalism and your trip to Bali.

Ashley

Yeah

Bruce

And how you lost your eyesight and also your desire to get into acting and to be a performer. And, yeah, I think I that kind of path really led us to working on Static and, you know, my history with creating one person shows and Rebecca's history with creating one person shows — you know, kind of personal story, narrative-forward in our tellings. It just made a lot of sense when you started to work on Static and, as a retelling of your own story, and how we might be able to come on board with that.

Ashley

Yeah. That kind of leads me into my next question — that you guys were so willing to work with me. You kind of really answer edit a little bit, but do you do this often with emerging artists? Was it, you know, just the right timing for us to work together? Like, what made you want to come on board during the first stage when I got a grant, you know, to work on creating the show.

Bruce

(laughs) Well, I'm not going to lie. I mean, those things all come together, and I would love to do more of this, absolutely. It's just honestly, flat out it's the funding.

Ashley

(laughs) Yeah.

Bruce

You know, and since I came out of theatre school at Mount Royal College, the amount of self-production and self-propulsion that I've had to do, just as an independent artist has meant that, you know, it's a constant battle to, you know, fill the fridge. And, you know, I would love to be able to just kind of donate the time and all that. But there's, you know, there's bills to pay. And I'd say primarily, solo shows and maybe 1 or 2 person shows are the ticket, as an emerging — I don't know if I have fully emerged yet —

(Ashley laughs)

But as a as a self-producing artist that's like, this is what we can afford to do. The reason why, you know, it's one costume and a chair on the stage is because that's what we can afford. And when an opportunity comes along to actually do this stuff and see some residuals from it, I mean, that's, that's all the long game. It's, it's kind of the boring part of business as, as an artist, but it's kind of the reality of it.

I have created a bunch of one person shows, and they all stem from my own personal experience. And yeah, Rebecca was really the one who kind of highlighted that, telling this, telling my story, which is a story of disability is, you know, it's part of the long game and certainly, maybe isn't going to see a whole bunch of residuals from it. But the residuals you see are the impact and the influence that it has on the next generation of artists who are seeing themselves on stage, who are hearing their story or a similar story or something that they can relate to on a deeply personal level. That maybe, 15 years from now, they're going to create their show or they're going to create their great work of art in response to that.

And so, really, it's an artistic long game. Yeah, I think it's really important. And it's valued not in a financial way, but in an artistic in a creative way, in a way that we connect and communicate with each other. So yeah, your opportunity to create your show is to me is, it's foundational to what the sincere, authentic artistic practice is. Which is don't even think about the money. Tell the story, tell it well and connect with people and influence them to, you know, move through the world in a better, kinder, gentler way.

Ashley

Yeah, I totally agree with that. And we were very thankful — I was very thankful —that I was able to get a grant from the Canada Council to help facilitate working on the first draft of the show that I wanted to produce. And I couldn't think of two better people to work with other than you and Rebecca, because your experience in creating, you know, one person shows and creating work based on personal experience.

And, you know, we haven't really mentioned it in so far in us talking — but you also, you know, are visually impaired. Can you just tell me a little bit about, you know, you spoke about writing shows about disability, how you define yourself as an actor and what you've worked on regarding disability.

Bruce

Well, the first show that I really focused on telling my own story and centering a disabled person in the lead was called What You Can't See, which I wrote for Quest Theatre in Calgary, and that toured to schools throughout the province of Alberta. So it was primarily written for whatever it is —Kindergarten to grade six — I think is what we toured to, but primarily three to six.

And that story focused on a young, 12 year old boy who just moved to a new neighborhood, and he's visually impaired, and he tries to hide it. And then through the course of the story it comes out kind of what his vision loss was. And I based that on my own vision loss, which was bilateral retinoblastoma. So cancer of the eyes when I was, I think it was diagnosed at about a year and a half. So my right eye was removed and my left eye was irradiated, leaving about 9% vision total. So What You Can't See toured for a number of months. I played the lead role, basically played a fictionalized version of myself.

And yeah, it was really revelatory for me. There were a few instances, where I would meet kids who were integrated into the regular school system, who were blind, low vision, you know, even disabled in other ways that would see that show and afterwards would — They would either write to me a few weeks later or say something immediately after the show about how that story really impacted them.

And it was it was really the first time that I had put my own disability forward in a show and play the character with a similar disability. It really shaped me as an artist to kind of dig into my own story, my own narrative, to find the, you know, the authentic truth behind that story. But it was really a tale of friendship and authenticity and telling the truth and not lying, which are themes that, you know, I think pretty much anyone can relate to. So, yeah, that was foundational to that.

And then, most recently, a show called Assassinating Thompson, where I paint a portrait of the entire audience. And then as I paint, I tell them the story of how I lost my eyesight, how I found my way to becoming a visual artist. And, again, that show, pretty much basically me on stage talking about myself — and Canadian history as well, just to, you know, put a little bit of, a little bit of a spin on it.

But, again, like just the, the impact that that's had and the, the conversations and connections I've made with folks in the disability community who are relating to that story. And also feeling empowered to go off and create art for themselves and to maybe tell their own stories or pick up the paintbrush or the guitar or whatever it might be. And to, you know, expand the world a bit through the creative act. I often hear that from people who are losing their vision, or perhaps in some visual trauma, that it feels like the world is collapsing in on them, and there's a great deal of fear. And leaving the circle of comfort — and art can be a great way to push that boundary open a little bit further.

Ashley

Yeah. No, I definitely agree with all of that. And like, seeing the work that you've done has definitely had a profound effect on what I look at my own career, what maybe might be possible for me. I think it's really hard to imagine yourself being on stage or creating a show unless you have people that have come before you and be able to see that they've done it.

And you definitely have set that precedent, I think, for folks like myself. When we started working on the show — it feels like it was eons ago — we were meant to work in person at Stratford. But then that little thing called Covid came our way and we decided to pivot, as everyone did, to working online. I had never written a play before.

I didn't even have really formal theatrical or actor training up to that point. But you guys, you know, decided to work on this with me. And what, if anything, do you remember from that time together when we were working online and you guys were trying to teach me how to be a playwright? Because, to my understanding, I believe there's, you know, traditional ways to write a play and traditional ways to go about creating a story. But I feel like you guys aren't very traditional. (laughs)

Bruce

(laughs) Yeah, we just never learned the traditions. What, if anything, do I remember from that time? It's pretty blurry. I, I believe we did a number of your readings.

Ashley

Yes.

Bruce

And you would read scenes and pull them out of context or just bits and pieces, and slowly we threaded through the material to come up with a general structure to how it was going to run. In terms of the — not the set, but the, the understood way to write and craft and create the play.

Bruce

The best wisdom I ever heard about that was Michael Green, who was the artistic director, one Yellow Rabbit or?

Ashley

Yes. Yes, he was one.

Bruce

He was one of the Rabbits.

Ashley

Yes.

Bruce

And he had commissioned myself and Monster Theatre to create The History of the Future for the High Performance Rodeo. And we had already written The History of Canada and the History of the World, and we thought this was a great third act. And we tried to apply the way that we created the Canada show to create the History of the Future. And it completely fell apart.

We figured, oh, we have a way to do this. This is how — we have a research period, and then we get together and jam on these ideas, and then we get into rehearsal. And that had worked twice before. And the third time we tried it, it just absolutely wasn't working. And Michael said, “Listen, you're creating a new show. You can't use an old process to create something.”

And so, from that time on, I have, you know, an idea roughly of how the process is going to work. I certainly know what the goal is, which is a live presentation in front of the public. But even that goal can be shaped and made malleable to whatever the process is that gets you from starting point to that. Being open to, you know, what is each artist bringing to the room and being really clear about, you know, forward momentum as well. Take time to appreciate what's come before you and then move into the next stage of it. It's, to overuse the organic, it's organic and, I love that about it.

And I especially love working with new artists who have totally different tools in the tool belt, and oftentimes they're not even aware that they have them. I find that really exciting. You know, your gift as a storyteller, as a journalist, as a writer, it's really, really valuable. I mean, and recognizing also like, the power of the edit. Right? I mean, we can all right, 300 words on a paper, but it's the artist that's able to whittle them down to the essential ten, and truly being able to cut through all of the story to find the essential nuggets of it. I mean, I think that is a great skill that a journalist can bring as a playwright (Ashley agrees).

There's oftentimes, you know, a dramaturg will say, “Say it with less — show me, don't tell me,” and you'll hear that over and over again. But it's, you know, it's the God's honest truth. And I can't tell you the number of times I have been guilty of overwriting something. I don't know what genius said it, but, you know, the act of writing is editing.

Ashley

Yes, it totally is. And, oh, could I write on for ages! But that editing process, the editing process.

Bruce

Yeah, it's the real work.

Ashley

So this obviously was a traumatic story based on a traumatic event that happened to me. From your view, how do you know what a traumatic story should be explored or told? When do you think it needs to be out there in the world?

Bruce

(pauses) Hmmm. That's a many-faceted question.

Ashley

(laughs) Maybe there's not an answer to it. Maybe stories just get put out there whether it's time or not time to be told. And somebody gets something from it.

Bruce

Well, I can speak to the artistic impulse to create.

Ashley

Yeah.

Bruce

And I think when, when that impulse comes that it has to be exercised, otherwise it is doing a disservice to the impulse. And you're kind of stopping the flow of creativity by not expressing it. We cannot know the impact that it's going to have. Time and time again — and Rebecca and I have said this.

So she and I created a show called This Is Cancer, where I portray the living embodiment of the disease in, essentially, a one man show. I have a band on stage with me as Cancer and Cancer sings a bunch of rock songs, and he has an assistant who comes out and makes martinis for the audience, and he tells jokes and things. It is a very complicated show in that it's, you know, it's just layered with like, Greek mythology and my own personal story and sharing my own trauma and all of that, but also inviting the audience to partake in this.

So I bring an audience member up on stage at the end of the show, and they beat the living crap out of me with a foam pool noodle. And so there is some pretty heavy expression around trauma there. [It’s] very forward in the marketing materials, that you understand that Bruce Horak is a cancer survivor, and he shares his perspective on cancer by embodying this disease in a comedic way.

There are a lot of laughs in this show. There's also a lot of heaviness to it. 99.9% of the people who came to that show knew what they were going to expect. There were some people who showed up who didn't know what was going to be going on here, some people who were either experiencing cancer themselves or were experiencing it with a loved one. And, oftentimes on their behalf, they would get offended.

I've had, you know, people walk out of that, you know, some pretty negative, nasty criticism from that. But I would say, exponentially more positive feedback from doing that show. That is a traumatic part of my life. It's not just an event in my past. I mean, I still live with the spectre of cancer.

So for me to be able to put that out on stage — and I had this crazy impulse one night where I showed up at a show to do a bouffant clown character, and they told me I had to change my name. So I just, out of spite — sheer, short creative impulse in that moment — decided to call myself Cancer and, you know, 15 years later, I'm still performing as the character. Had I, you know, considered how it might impact someone else — had I thought about whether or not I should be telling this, expressing this story, telling this story, all of that kind of self-censorship — had I run myself through that gamut, I never would have got up on stage. And ultimately that would have done a great service to all those people who were offended by it. But it would have done a great disservice to the people who have been impacted in a really positive way by that show and the message of that show.

I think if a creative impulse has the potential to damage or hurt someone, or has the intention to hurt, let's say that — if it has that kind of intention, then absolutely, there's no room in the world for more of that. I mean, God, there's just so much of that. Yeah. But it's a really complex issue because I can stand on both sides of the fence. I'd say predominantly my life has led in the direction of — let us follow those creative impulses and find fellow artists who not only support you in those creative impulses, but are also able to step aside a little bit and go, yeah, but is that a really good idea? Why are we doing that? Like, you know, kind of helping you to be the editor, because we don't create in a vacuum. If that makes any sense.

Ashley

No, it totally does. And I think that's a really good lesson for me to take away in working on my own show, Static. Because I remember even working with you and Rebecca early on, being a little bit scared to push the envelope a little bit or go really crassly into a direction that felt maybe too vulgar, or that people might not like what they're seeing on stage.

Bruce

Sure

Ashley

But if there's anything I've learned from the two of you, was to just follow those impulses and to make it more, make it bigger. And I think that's really helped where Static is today. And a lot of those early things that you folks helped me out with and guided me through have remained in the show and have encouraged me to continue to be maybe vulgar or crass or a little bit offensive, but in a way that is still serving the show.

Bruce

Mhmm. Great.

Ashley

Yeah, and as a playwright like myself, you know, I've had people call me a playwright and I'm like, “Oh what are you saying. I'm not a playwright, I wrote something, it's not a big deal.” But do you have any advice for emerging playwrights like myself, or maybe there's another person who has a similar disability to you and I that wants to, you know, lean into this career path…. Is there any advice you'd give?

Bruce

Yeah! So much.

(Ashley laughs)

Yeah, take my advice, I’m not using it! Yeah, it's actually advice that that I was given in my 20s, and it's really good advice. I try to practice it, I'm not always that good at it. But forging a career in the arts is about creating a job for yourself, treating it like a job, and the kind of rigor and intention that requires is very serious.

Do it with joy and playfulness, but take it seriously. If you're a writer, then you write, and that’s what you're doing. You're not a writer if you're out, you know, taking photos of pretty flowers… you sit down and you write it. And if you're a painter, you paint. You know, somebody else will call it art later on. But what you do is you get up and you paint. And it's the same with being a musician, it's the same with any creative act. Call yourself that thing; you do that thing. And don't be ashamed — don't be ashamed to call yourself a playwright. If you’re writing a play, if you're working on that play, then you're a playwright.

That's something that I try to practice. I mean — the struggle, of course, is that culturally, we don't necessarily take it that seriously. It can be kind of popularly looked down upon. But yeah, I think it's an internal practice, every day.

Ashley

Totally. It definitely is. You've got to stay motivated to do it.

Bruce

Mhmm. That's the challenge (laughs).

Ashley

Yeah, absolutely. Finding motivation to sit down and create your own schedule. To write. Oof!

Bruce

Right. Yeah. You got to keep working at it, he says to himself. (laughs)

Ashley

No, it's true! (laughs)

Bruce

Stop watching Netflix! Write!

Ashley

Oh, it's so hard sometimes!

Bruce

I'm sure! Yeah, there's a lot of temptation out there. Other things to do.

Ashley

That's amazing. You know, I always imagined the show one day being, you know, directed and produced by you and Rebecca. You know, the way the way funding and all that goes, that wasn't a possibility for this run of the show this time round. How do you feel about that? Do you hate me?

Bruce

No — God!

Ashley

(laughs) Oh good! OK!

Bruce

I'm so happy you’re moving forward — are you kidding? It's so great. And, yeah, you're playing the long game with your show, and I think that's just what has to happen. And you find ways to get it up in front of people — you're going to learn so much from, you know, every day of rehearsal and through presentation. Yeah, I think it's so exciting, and I'm so proud that it's still happening and that you're going through with it. Yeah. Keep going, keep going.

Ashley

Thank you, thank you. It feels pretty insane to have a show being produced with, you know — people are working on the show and they're buying their groceries with the money that they're getting from working on the show. It feels pretty amazing.

Bruce

It feels great to be able to be, you know, responsible for people working.

Ashley

Yeah.

Bruce

I love it. It's that's one of my we were saying before about how nobody creates in a vacuum. And when I'm able to write a check for a fellow artist and to give them that “evil capitalist money!”

But still, like — here we are making art and we're able to support ourselves to some degree — and how wonderful that is. And also, the seed was planted by your story and by your creative impulse, and that is coming to fruition. And, you know, let me just say this: this is your first play, of many. Keep going.

Ashley

(laughs) Oh, yes! Thanks, Bruce!

Bruce

Just keep saying that: I’ve got my first play produced. And what a thrill that is.

Ashley

I appreciate that.

Bruce

Just keep saying that, Ashley. It's the first.

Ashley

First play.

Bruce

First play.

Ashley

First play. First play.

Bruce

Yeah.

[Podcast theme music plays]

Ashley

Bruce is truly so incredible. Like, he's such a poetic speaker, sometimes I feel just flustered talking to him because everything he said sounds so good.

Meg

I find it kind of fascinating that your friendship and mentorship was, like, sort of built on a lie? Like, it seems to have worked out for you, though?

Ashley

Yeah, I guess I was a little bit of a stretch on the truth, but it was all for the sake of theatre.

Meg

Literally! (laughs)

Ashley

(laughs) Yeah, literally.

Meg

So, Bruce and Rebecca were your first supports in writing Static — and what really stuck with you from that online workshop you did with them?

Ashley

I think what stuck with me is that… we haven't gotten to the part yet in the show where things start to get a little bit bumpy for Ashley. And when I started writing this show, I pretty much believed that I had accepted all the trauma that I had gone through. But as I started writing, I realized that I actually had a lot more PTSD than I anticipated.

So writing this show, and especially the first draft of it, ended up being a lot tougher than I was anticipating. And Bruce and Rebecca really helped walk me through that. And they themselves have written some pretty hard shows, are based on personal experience, and they gave me a lot of help in navigating the harder parts of the script, that were a little bit uncomfy to get into.

Meg

Do you remember one of those things that really struck you and surprised you, that it you still held that stress, that trauma?

Ashley

I guess I just thought I wasn't sad anymore about it, but when I started writing it, I was real, real sad about it. And I just remember — I remember having to cancel my very first date with my current partner because I was so distraught from writing this first draft that I couldn't stop crying.

Meg

Wow.

Ashley

But yeah, they really helped me work through the parts that I thought were going to be easy to get through. But, I guess they were kind of my therapists (laughs)

Meg

(laughs) Therapy through art!

Ashley

Yeah.

Meg

You mentioned that he's your current partner, though, so I'm assuming you did end up making it to the date after — er, date later.

Ashley

Yes, he did allow me to go on a rescheduled date with him. So it guess it worked out in my favour. And he was at the final showing of the play. So I guess I can say that my relationship has stood the test of time that it’s taken me to write this entire play.

Meg

You mentioned that, you know, Bruce and Rebecca talked about really diving in and taking things as far as you could, you know, sort of living in that theatrical way. Is there anything in the play that you think of that you could have taken even further? (pause) And I say this having already edited sound of you pretending to jokingly give head to someone. So I don't know if we can take it further, but what might you take further?

Ashley

I don't know what kind of rating the play would have to have if we took it even further. (Meg laughs) I know that I was cringing at the idea of talking about “fuck flags” and being a little… loose with my decisions as an 18-year-old, but, Rebecca and Bruce really encouraged me to do it because they knew that audiences would be able to see a young, naive version of themself in me.

And I really think that it helps with the show and the vibe that we were trying to go with. So I'm glad I listened to them. Although at the time I was absolutely cringing at the idea of giving head on stage — imaginary head on stage.

Meg

It's important to clarify. We wouldn't say it's a family show, but at the same time — (Meg and Ashley both laugh)

Ashley

I think we all cringe at the 18-year-old version of ourselves and look back and think, oh God, like, what was I doing? And not only do I feel that way like everybody else, but I then went and wrote a play which I would perform every single night… and now I'm turning into a podcast. So I can continuously relive the cringe behavior of me at 18. It works for the show, but my God, am I embarrassed by my behavior.

Meg

But I have to say, like as far as cringeworthy at 18 goes, Ashley, like you have such a good story. And I think about how, starting to mix the first part of this episode, and I decided to add in that LMFAO song just because it's 2011 — I was looking at, what were big songs from that time? And then we come in to voice and then you tell me, “Oh yeah, I danced on stage with them!” Like, you partied with LMFAO — 18-year-old Ashley was there with her red solo cup. You've got some good stories.

Ashley

Yeah. You know, maybe there'll be a sequel to this play and I'll go into those ones. But I feel like there are some that just should never see the light of day. (Ashley and Meg laugh)

Meg

Well, that's probably a good place to wrap up this first episode. But where are we going in episode two?

Ashley

We're going to Bali, baby.

Meg

That's awesome.I can't wait.

[podcast theme music]

Ashley

This is Static: A Party Girl's Memoir — written by me, Ashley King and produced by Meg Wilcox.

Special thanks to Jaime Cesar, Michelle Brandenburg, Miranda Martini, Inside Out Theatre, Chromatic Theatre, and the Community Podcast Initiative at Mount Royal University for making this podcast possible.

Be sure to subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts — and don't forget to rate, review and tell a friend!

Find me on Instagram @ashkng or at my website, ashleyjenniferking.com.

See you in the next episode.

[podcast theme music fades]