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[0:00] Mo Brady: You're listening to My First Time, a miniseries from The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. Welcome, I'm Mo Brady.

[0:27] Mo Brady: Welcome back to My First Time, where we talk to stars who made their Broadway debuts in the ensemble to talk about why that experience helped shape them as an artist. If there was a breakout star from last year's Broadway season, it would undeniably be Ashley Park. Her portrayal of the hilarious and lovable Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls earned Park nominations for seven separate theater awards last season. But as I found out when I sat down to speak with her, those lovable and hilarious qualities are ones that she also portrayed in her first Broadway outing five years earlier, when she was an ensemble member in Mamma Mia! during the show's twelfth year on Broadway. Here's our conversation.

[1:09] Mo Brady: Hi. How are you, Ashley?

[1:22] Ashley Park: Yes. I'm Ashley Park, and I made my Broadway debut in 2014.

[1:29] Ashley Park: No. March. February. 2014. The internet says February. The internet is not always right, but in this case, I believe it. No, you know what? My put in was on Valentine's Day, so yes.

[1:40] Mo Brady: Take us back to Ashley circa January 2014, or when did, where were you when you got this audition notice? What was going on in your life?

[1:48] Ashley Park: I was, I think I'd been in the city for six months now, because I graduated in 2013. I remember I was super sick. I had the flu, and I had no voice. The audition was for the day that I got back in a few days. It was right after New Year's. I was like, you know what? I don't think I'm going to, I'm sick. I'm not going to be able to do it. I ended up going, and I was still a little bit sick, but it was the most fun audition. I'm so glad I won. Couldn't you imagine if I hadn't gone? I hadn't said no to any auditions, but I was just like, I'm so sick. There's no way. I was like, just chug some vitamin C and go for it.

[2:25] Mo Brady: What was the day? What did you do?

[2:27] Ashley Park: It was with Tara Rubin and Eric, and they were the best. I think, honestly, I think it was so fun, because I think we danced to a Rihanna song, because you know what I mean? By that point, I think it was they were in their 12th year, and so all their audition music, no one was going to, no one's going to make you dance to Super Trooper or Waterloo, so they would turn on a current pop song, and you would do a pop combo and improv to that. I think we also had to, because the role I went in for, the track covered Ali as well, or some of the friends, so we did a couple of the scenes, but that was it. Then we sang, I Wish I Knew What I Had Sung, I think, The Climb by Miley Cyrus, and I just was like, you know what? I'm just going to push the tempo a little bit.

[3:08] Mo Brady: All one day?

[3:09] Ashley Park: I think we were at Pearl Studios. It was only, it was a small group of us, so it was super fun.

[3:14] Mo Brady: And you found out a couple days later that you would start when?

[3:18] Ashley Park: Within the next couple weeks. You know, I had also, I'd never seen Mamma Mia, or the movie, so I, of course, knew the songs, but I was actually supposed to leave the next week to start a play at the Long Wharf Theater. Logistics always are like such a, you know when it rains and pours a little bit, and so I was like, I found out a couple days later that I was in my living room by myself, and I got the call, and I was like, oh my gosh, yeah.

[3:42] Mo Brady: And so how was the, what was the rehearsal process like?

[3:45] Ashley Park: I'm so glad I, my first experience was me replacing in a long-running show in the ensemble that Understudied. Like, truly, it was just like, now I understand so much more of like the vocabulary and also the people. I mean, the people who taught me the show were Tony Gonzalez and Lauren Samitaro, who are the two dance captains, and I think the entire eight months that I was in the show, or seven months I was in the show, we had full company, seven shows, or like six, you know, because with a long-running show like that, everyone's always, personal days, vacations, vacation swings, all this stuff, it's like a well-oiled machine, so I learned so many things that we don't, we aren't told in school.

Like, a lot of people come into long-running shows, that's like their first gig, and like, to learn an entire mega-mix with nobody, no other bodies except for one other body in the room is so funny, and I think that's what started my, like, such a high respect for dance captains and swings, particularly, just because they would be doing that with me all day, then go to their show at night, they don't, you know, they all both covered like so many tracks, and I was like, how are they just switching between people, just to be my partner for every section? So, that's what I learned with the stage manager and two dance captains in a rehearsal room.

[4:55] Mo Brady: And how long was the rehearsal process? Do you...

[4:58] Ashley Park: I got the part early January, and then I, my put-in was mid-February, so I think I started a couple weeks after.

[5:04] Mo Brady: What was something surprising about doing the show?

[5:06] Ashley Park: Our workplace and the Broadway community is so much about the people, and about the relationships with each other, and it's not that that surprised me, like, but I guess it's just not something that I thought was gonna be so at the core of everything that happens in a building. The different, like, even just learning what a call board is, and how to ask for a personal day, and like, what the etiquette is, I think that's the thing that surprised me the most, and what I was so excited to learn was, there's just certain Broadway etiquette. It's, etiquette comes from, like, being polite or having respect and giving, you know, the importance of that is something that I learned.

[5:39] Mo Brady: What are your strongest memories of performing the show?

[5:42] Ashley Park: Truly, it's so cliche because it's like a lyrical song, but, Mom, it was the time of my life. Like, truly, it was so fun. I think I remember mostly, it's just so bad of me to say, for Mamma Mia, especially our tracks, I remember more of, like, the backstage happenings than if you, like, literally held a gun to my head and asked me to do the show right now. I couldn't do it. And it's not because I wasn't, I was tuned out or anything like that. I think it's just because I was so, when I was on stage, I was so in it, and I was so with everybody, and that I can't remember, like, what, like, when did I even enter the stage? I'm trying to, like, go through it in my head right now. I don't know.

[6:17] Mo Brady: So what do you remember about all that backstage stuff?

[6:19] Ashley Park: It was just great. It really, I think I was lucky that I was dropped into a family environment I grew up in the Broadway world with, and so that's just something that I've adapted as, like, a necessity, and also the backstage. I mean, we just, we were just so silly. So silly all the time.

[6:35] Mo Brady: Well, it's a silly show.

[6:36] Ashley Park: Yeah, it's such a silly show. I think that was, that's what it was. It's like, you couldn't leave the audience, and you and us, like, couldn't leave the show feeling like, I feel like it was, a lot of people asked later on, like, do you wish that Be Your Bride debut was, like, Top 10 in the King? Do you wish it was something? And I was, and I always say, I feel like it was my freshman year. You're supposed to have freshman year of college, and so you can go into this new campus and, like, mess up. That's what you're learning. It's a safe environment with no pressure where you can learn. And, like, I felt like there was, it was no pressure. It was all fun. But still, I also learned the value of, like, in Mamma Mia, especially, like, take the work seriously, but don't take yourself seriously at all.

And that's just something that's really stuck with me. Because this show's not a serious show, but there, it's all rooted in heart. Like, the show doesn't work if, like, there's no, there's no heart behind the scenes. And, you know, like, I learned so much from being a show with Judy McClain. Like, she led that company with such heart. And, like, like, I do angel cards before every show.

[7:37] Mo Brady: Wait, what is that?

[7:38] Ashley Park: I have, like, a little baggie, and they're little words of direction or intention for that day. Like, peace or patience or light. I would now do this before every show that I have done since. And I take around this bag, and every cast member, every backstage person, conductor, whatever, will pick a word for the day. And it just is because, and Judy did it, I think, because in a long, especially in a long-running show, and when you're doing a show eight times a week, just to have, sometimes you kind of just need a little purpose for that day. Sometimes, you know, sometimes it's just something that somebody needs in their life. Or, like, it's just, but also for me, selfishly, it's a way for me to connect with everybody before we do this thing together on stage. And, you know, in, in other shows that I've done, my character is sometimes estranged from the rest of the cast on stage.

[8:21] Mo Brady: Oh, sure. Tuptim, yeah.

[8:22] Ashley Park: Yeah, Tuptim, for sure. And even, like, the Plastics, like, we enter 15 minutes after everybody else and everything like that. And so, and I, it was, it's really important for me to feel, like, connected to the people on stage. Especially with Tuptim, it was like narrating a 20-minute ballet with all the ensemble, but I haven't seen them the whole show. Like, that doesn't feel right unless you've connected with them in some way. And also just because it gives you a chance to chat with everyone before, check in with everybody. But I loved when Judy, the fact that Judy would do that in the Broadhurst and go up all these stairs and then come down all these stairs and do that, I thought was such class and leadership and so genuine. And I remember how much it meant to me to, like, get to, like, interact with, like, the lead of our show, how gracious she was. And I was like, that is something that I'm definitely gonna, like, carry on with me.

[9:04] Mo Brady: You mentioned, like, slipping up, messing up.

[9:07] Ashley Park: Oh, my God. Memories? Oh, my gosh. Well, I mean, I learned, truly, Mamma Mia was, learned so many life lessons as well. There's one where, where the women in the dressing room, and I loved our ensemble dressing room. Like, that's something that I cherish so much is dressing room time. And in it, like, you know, people like, like to have their quiet time in their dressing room and stuff like that. I would, I would love social time. But, um, one month, we'd all be into, like, brown butter scrubs. And the other one, we all be talking about Pilates and, like, whatever, you know, there's always like a little trend. And everybody would share and win with each other. And one was the coconut oil. Like, everybody really got into coconut oil at one point.

And I was like, I had no idea what that was. And we'd all put it over our bodies. And they would pull, you know, coconut oil pulling is, right, you like put it in your mouth, and you rinse with it, and you spit it out. So I'd watch these ladies like scoop this coconut oil. And I was like, I know, it's like, it's really good for your teeth and everything in your hair. But I thought they were eating it. So I went to Trader Joe's, I'll never forget, I got a jar of coconut oil. And I love the taste of coconut. And I ate like half a jar of it because I thought it was like, it was like, I thought it was healthy. And then that was the show where so all of a sudden, midway through Act One, I was like, well, that's weird.

But they're like, what did you do differently? I was like, well, I had some coconut oil. And someone looked at the jar intermission was like, did you just get this today? And I was like, yeah, like everyone eats that much. And they're like, No, we're spitting it out. And so I had to call out mid call out that show. But I just remember being so scared. Like, I just I didn't even know you could call out a show mid show. And I was like, No, I gotta do it. But like, now I know like, don't eat that much coconut oil. But it truly like it's just like those kinds of life lessons that like have nothing to do with theater. But like, yeah, I just feel like I had those women were so knowledgeable in that room. Like some people were getting their masters somewhere, yoga teachers and everything. So I just felt like I was always learning something, which is really fun.

[11:01] Mo Brady: What was your favorite part of the show to perform?

[11:04] Ashley Park: Oh, the megamix. Yeah, come on. Yeah, I am. I mean, it looks like a marathon. It's like interval training. It's like you have a 20 minute break off stage and you're like, Oh, like backstage. And then you come on in an outfit and you just like go it's like cardio crazy. Like I remember doing the Today Show like doing the megamix in the Today Show. And it was so how random that I got to do that. Like, yeah, it was like their 12th year and they're like probably wait, let's do Mama Mia. It's Mother's Day. You know, but it was it was fun having my first Broadway experience be like not the high pressure. Like the cool thing about it was I also got to see people who have who made like a life out of doing Mama Mia.

Like, you know, I'm saying where it truly was. It's not like it was a second job or a day job. But like they especially in the ensemble, like they could they would be fine doing it for five to seven years. You know, it was amazing. I was like, that's great. Like you just put your kid through college because of this. Like you really made a job out of it. And I like that's the big thing that I learned there was realizing truly that Broadway could be work, you know, in college. And before that, you do a show for like four days and then you're done. And what's the next show? Like, let's get cast in the next show. And it was really cool to be like, oh, this is a really stable job for some, you know, people.

[12:11] Mo Brady: What are some of the things you take from working as in the ensemble of a Broadway show that still feel applicable, still feel real when you're doing, you know, lead work on camera?

[12:20] Ashley Park: It's it's so funny to me, the like the word ensemble being used for a certain group of people in a show, because I absolutely think that every person who's part of a show like a cast or company is the ensemble, especially with theater when you're and in TV and film too. Like if we're all really genuinely there to tell a story together, that's what's the definition of an ensemble. So I find myself always gravitating towards wanting to be part of the company or like, really, I think I was always like the baby sister. And like now getting to step into the role of being like a peer or an older sister, I call them the G words like graciousness, gratefulness, generosity, and being game are such like taboo words.

And people kind of all put them into the same category as just like, Oh, be a good person, another G word. But um, I think they're all like super specific, and they're super important. And I learned by example starting there. I also just learned how to have fun. Like, it's so fun. I love there's nothing better than being in a huge dance number. I think that's where honestly, like, Mean Girls, a lot of the like Gretchen became like the party girl, like in all the big party numbers, because that's just like how I am. And that is what brings me the most joy on stage is just jumping around with everybody. And people can feel that. I think that what we were talking about earlier with theater being it's, it's really a sacred thing.

I'll even use the word sacred for Mamma Mia, because when else are you going to get, you know, a collection of people to really just connect with each other. I think that's what I really cared with me, especially into King and I when it became much more serious, and the part was a lot more demanding, like emotionally. But the only thing that got me through was really just having fun with people backstage and not taking myself seriously, not putting yourself above the work and above the company. That was the biggest thing I learned.

[14:10] Mo Brady: Special thanks to Ashley Park for sharing her stories with us this week. You can learn more about her and how to connect with her online by visiting our website, the Ensemblist.com. The Ensemblist was produced today by me, Mo Brady. You can help others find out about the Ensemblist by leaving us a rating and review on Apple podcasts. Honestly, it really does mean a lot. I've seen the numbers grow and it is makes my heart happy. You can also follow us on Instagram to see the latest posts from our website. We have a lot of great new photo spreads coming out in June. So make sure to look for those there. Thanks for listening. Until next time.