Ashley Smiley
Ashley Smiley (She/Her), Playwright — Holding a B.A. in Performing Arts and Social Justice (Double Major in Theology/Religious Studies, University of San Francisco) and an M.A. in Drama (San Francisco State University), Ashley Smiley is a full spectrum creator with a focus on the living written word, currently serving as the Theater Manager for the Bayview Opera House: Ruth Williams Memorial Theater in the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood in San Francisco’s newly minted African American Arts and Culture District. Smiley began her career in Performing Arts first by working with the Colored Ink Hip Hop Theatre collective that was based at the Brava! Center for Women in the Arts (San Francisco) and took part in their Running Crew program and their Acting Academy while attending Lowell High School (2004-2008). During that same time, she began working with Youth Speaks, participating in writing workshops, and competing in slams. Once enrolled at USF she was hired as a House Technician, Stage Manager, House Manager, and Sound Designer for PASJ and College Players Productions. While at USF Smiley also started her professional career, first working on Blackbird: Honoring a Century of Pansy Divas (Eye Zen Productions) at Mama Calizo’s, then going on to work with various organizations such as the Bay Area Playwrights Foundation, African American Shakespeare Company, Youth Speaks/Life is Living, Intersection for the Arts, A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes, San Francisco State University, Z Space, the SF International Arts Festival, Youth Speaks, PlayGround, TheatreFirst and many others in a variety of roles ranging from Production Stage Manager to Designer to Performer.
Smiley has worked with artists such as The Last Poets, Edris Cooper Anifowoshe, Aaron Davidman, Rashad Pridgen, Devorah Major, and Ellen Sebastian Chang. Smiley finds her creative home in the Campo Santo Familia under the tutelage and support of Joan Osato and Sean San Jose having acted as Production Manager, Stage Manager, Sound Designer and Assistant Director and now acting as a Playwright and the coordinator for the Clika New Work Development group. In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the huge pivot to ZOOM, Smiley, in collaboration with BVOH (Bayview Opera House) and Campo Santo, created an original web series titled “The New Normal” which ran for two seasons, landed a spot in the SF Chronicle Datebook and featured guests such as Margo Hall, Brian Rivera, Britney Frazier, etc.