For a February 2008 interview with Ashley, please click here.
"Collins (is) polished and natural."
—nytheatre.com on the NYC premiere of Living with Betty
"Watching (Collins) on the high wire of romance truly satisfies."
—Backstage on the NYC premiere of Some Unfortunate Hour
"Collins is glorious as the lovely, tortured Diana."
—Gay City News on the NYC premiere of Die, Die, Diana: A Musical
"Collins is adept at facial expressions that reinforce what's going on in the text. (Collins & Mahoney) make these characters their own—no small achievement if you're familiar with the original version."
—Show Business Weekly on Parallel Lives, a NYC version of
The Kathy and Mo Show for which Collins co-starred and co-directed
"Blonde and strikingly tall...Collins succeeds beautifully. Collins visibly shows the audience Billie's thought processes as she drinks in more and more information and computes what it all means and what her life has become...Originally portrayed by Judy Holliday, for which the actress won an Oscar, (it's) a tough act to follow and sure to draw comparisons; but Ashley Wren Collins makes the role her own."
—CC Chronicle on the 2006 revival of Born Yesterday
Ashley Wren Collins is an energetic, evocative, and highly versatile actress who can tackle both comedy and drama with ease; and in addition is a skilled dancer, singer, and choreographer.
Ashley's impressive range is evident in her stage roles, which have included the hilarious portrayal of Billie Dawn in a revival of Born Yesterday, to a singing and dancing Princess Diana in Die, Die, Diana: A Musical, to a heartbreaking portrayal of a woman in a bar yearning to make a simple human connection in the world premiere of the NYC play Some Unfortunate Hour. In a review of the latter, I wrote:
What gives this tale its heart is the thoughtful, feeling performance of Ashley Wren Collins...whose expressive face, intonation, and body language make us understand Charity's deep loneliness and longing to feel alive with more eloquence than any scripted words.
Ashley's other NYC theatre credits include Is There a Comic in the House? (Tribeca Performing Arts Center), The Heart is a Fist (as the lead, at the American Theatre of Actors), and Parallel Lives: Kathy and Mo Show (which Ashley produced, directed, and performed in at the Duplex Cabaret).
In addition, Ashley has appeared on such TV shows as Sex and the City (HBO), 10! (recurring guest host and model, NBC), and Balance Your Body, Balance Your Life (panelist, PBS).
Ashley has also acted in the feature films Kate and Leopold (2001, Miramax), Every Move You Make (2002 indie thriller), and Silver Night (2005 indie vampire film); and was the lead in such indie shorts as Black Lace and The Panther Project.
Further, Ashley has consistently wowed NYScreenwriters.org with her brilliant acting for the workshop's screenplay cold readings. Quickly adapting to any genre, Ashley's performances have run the gamut from the hair-raising, as a dead woman for a horror film; to smouldering, as a young rock goddess for a pop music feature; to laugh-out-loud funny, as an anti-social force of nature for a hip comedy. No matter what parts she's handed, Ashley creates exceptionally memorable characters.
For example, Ashley starred in the NYC play My Life As You, acting opposite Emmy award nominee Jeff Branson—and she took the audience on an emotional journey that transcended the script, alternately sexy, funny, and touching. Ashley's breathtaking performance led to her getting work on As the World Turns, and opposite Susan Lucci on All My Children.
Coming up for Ashley is a staged reading of George Bernard Shaw's Great Catherine with Tyne Daly and John Cullum (with Ashley as Varinka) at NYC's The Players Club on Monday June 23rd, 2008 at 7:00 pm. The reading is produced and directed by David Staller. To learn more and/or to purchase tickets, please visit projectshaw.com.
In addition, Ashley is starring in a comedy video series for the Web, Suzy & Duddy, which is slated to go live later this summer.
Ashley Wren Collins is a brilliantly talented and skilled professional. If you're seeking a superb leading actress for stage or screen, please give this one a close look. Ashley's representation is Jerry Rudes of Mistral Artist Management at email address jhr2001@aol.com.
Ashley's resume appears below; her email address is ashley@ashleywrencollins.com. Please also visit Ashley's Web site at ashleywrencollins.com,
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Copyright © 2008 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
