Ashleigh Gray
Encyclopedia
Ashleigh Gray is a British
musical theatre
performer who recently appeared as the standby for Elphaba
in the London
production of Wicked
.
, Scotland
and educated at Newbattle Community High School
in Dalkeith. In 2003, she graduated from the Guildford School of Acting
, where the received Margaret Veale Award for Singing and the principals award for Musical Theatre. In 2001, Gray returned to Newbattle High School to give a talk to pupils, during which she was surprised by a TV crew and BBC TV star Jane McDonald
who were filming her for a series called Star for a Night.
musical Taboo
. She was also a soloist in the concert Notes from New York. Prior to this she played the role of Kirsty in Only You Can Save Mankind
at the Edinburgh Festival
. In 2006, she appeared in NHS the Musical
at the Drum Theatre
Plymouth and covered Rizzo and Jan in the UK national tour of Grease
. In 2007, Gray performed the role of Emily in the European première of Myths and Hymns
and again that year at the Finborough theatre
.
On July 16, 2007, she joined the London company of the musical Wicked
at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
, where she performed in the ensemble and understudied the role of Elphaba. She played her first performance as Elphaba on February 6, 2008. She then became standby for the role of Elphaba, replacing Cassidy Janson on June 9, 2008. She left the show on March 27, 2010, with her last performance as Elphaba taking place on March 12. Ashleigh then made a special one night return to the role for the evening performance of October 28, 2010, due to all of the current actress at the time being ill. Most recently, she returned unexpectedly for the performance on February 18, 2011 after standby Nikki Davis-Jones
left mid-act one due to illness and the understudy was not rehearsed.
Gray has also been part of the Notes From New York
series including shows at the Trafalgar studios. On 9 December 2007 she also appeared in the Christmas version of the show Christmas in New York, at the Lyric Theatre
, singing alongside her Wicked co-star Oliver Tompsett
, Julie Atherton
and Rachael Wooding
. Gray's songs included Grown up Christmas List and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with Oliver Tompsett
. Along with stage musicals, Gray has worked with Oliver Tompsett on his debut album, Sentimental Heart, for which she recorded a duet with him.
On September 26, 2010 Gray joined composer Scott Alan at his concert " Simply The Music of Scott Alan" in London's West End. The concert also featured Louise Dearman
, Patina Miller
, Sierra Boggess
, Jodie Jacobs, Alex Gaumond and Hadley Fraser. Gray performed the song "Please Don't Let Me Go".
On April 25, 2011, Gray hosted her first solo cabaret "Easter With Ashleigh Gray". In which she performed a host of songs from her career, new songs written for her and some of her personal favourite songs. In the Summer of 2011 she took part in a workshop and reading of the the musical "Girlfriends" by Laurence Mark Wythe
.
She recently finished playing Miranda in Betwixt! at Trafalgar Studios.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
performer who recently appeared as the standby for Elphaba
Elphaba
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little...
in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
production of Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
.
Early life
Gray was born in FifeFife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and educated at Newbattle Community High School
Newbattle Community High School
Newbattle Community High School is a non-denominational secondary state school located in Easthouses, Dalkeith, Scotland on the B6455 road. It is run by Midlothian Council and has approximately 900 pupils on roll in six year groups from ages 11 up to 18...
in Dalkeith. In 2003, she graduated from the Guildford School of Acting
Guildford School of Acting
Guildford School of Acting is a drama school located in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an affiliate of the University of Surrey and is an accredited member of the National Council for Drama Training and The Conference of Drama Schools.-Overview:...
, where the received Margaret Veale Award for Singing and the principals award for Musical Theatre. In 2001, Gray returned to Newbattle High School to give a talk to pupils, during which she was surprised by a TV crew and BBC TV star Jane McDonald
Jane McDonald
Jane McDonald is a British singer, actress and media personality and broadcaster, who first became famous following her appearance on the BBC docusoap The Cruise...
who were filming her for a series called Star for a Night.
Career
In 2004, Gray made her professional début as Kim in the UK national tour of the Boy GeorgeBoy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
musical Taboo
Taboo (musical)
Taboo is a stage musical with a book by Mark Davies , lyrics by Boy George, and music by George and Kevan Frost....
. She was also a soloist in the concert Notes from New York. Prior to this she played the role of Kirsty in Only You Can Save Mankind
Only You Can Save Mankind
Only You Can Save Mankind is the first novel in the Johnny Maxwell trilogy of children's books and fifth young adult novel by Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld sequence of books. The following novels in the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy are Johnny and the Dead and Johnny and the Bomb...
at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
. In 2006, she appeared in NHS the Musical
NHS the Musical
NHS The Musical was premiered in May 2006 at The Drum Theatre, Theatre Royal, Plymouth. It began its life in 2002 and took years of research and eventually opened and played to sold-out houses...
at the Drum Theatre
Drum Theatre
Drum Theatre were a British pop group, active in the mid 1980s. The band released four singles and one album, after which they disbanded.-Singles:* "Eldorado" - European number 1, UK #44 ITA#2* "Living in the Past" - UK #67 ITA#25...
Plymouth and covered Rizzo and Jan in the UK national tour of Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
. In 2007, Gray performed the role of Emily in the European première of Myths and Hymns
Myths and Hymns
Myths and Hymns is a song cycle by composer Adam Guettel, based on Greek myth and lyrics found in an antique hymnal....
and again that year at the Finborough theatre
Finborough Theatre
The Finborough Theatre is a fifty seat theatre in the Earls Court area of London, United Kingdom , which presents new British writing, UK and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada, Scotland and Ireland, music theatre, and rarely seen...
.
On July 16, 2007, she joined the London company of the musical Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
Apollo Victoria Theatre
The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Wilton Road near Victoria station in the City of Westminster. Opened as a cinema and variety theatre, the Apollo Victoria became a venue for musical theatre, beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, and including the long-running...
, where she performed in the ensemble and understudied the role of Elphaba. She played her first performance as Elphaba on February 6, 2008. She then became standby for the role of Elphaba, replacing Cassidy Janson on June 9, 2008. She left the show on March 27, 2010, with her last performance as Elphaba taking place on March 12. Ashleigh then made a special one night return to the role for the evening performance of October 28, 2010, due to all of the current actress at the time being ill. Most recently, she returned unexpectedly for the performance on February 18, 2011 after standby Nikki Davis-Jones
Nikki Davis-Jones
Nikki Davis-Jones...
left mid-act one due to illness and the understudy was not rehearsed.
Gray has also been part of the Notes From New York
Notes From New York
Notes From New York is a successful London based concert series, created primarily to showcase the output of contemporary musical theatre writers.- Creators and Collaborators :...
series including shows at the Trafalgar studios. On 9 December 2007 she also appeared in the Christmas version of the show Christmas in New York, at the Lyric Theatre
Lyric Theatre (London)
The Lyric Theatre is a West End theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster.Designed by architect C. J. Phipps, it was built by producer Henry Leslie with profits from the Alfred Cellier and B. C. Stephenson hit, Dorothy, which he transferred from the Prince of Wales Theatre to open...
, singing alongside her Wicked co-star Oliver Tompsett
Oliver Tompsett
Oliver Tompsett is a British stage actor and singer best known for his portrayal of Fiyero in the West End production of the musical Wicked.- Biography :...
, Julie Atherton
Julie Atherton
Julie Atherton is a British actress, who is best known for her work on stage. On the 3rd of October 2009 she finished playing the roles of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the West End production Avenue Q. She released her debut album, A Girl of Few Words on 2 October 2006...
and Rachael Wooding
Rachael Wooding
Rachael Wooding is a Yorkshire born musical theatre performer, best known for her performances in We Will Rock You, playing Meat and understudying Jenna Lee-James as Scaramouche. She most recently played Amber in the original London cast of Hairspray the Musical. Wooding left Hairspray in October...
. Gray's songs included Grown up Christmas List and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with Oliver Tompsett
Oliver Tompsett
Oliver Tompsett is a British stage actor and singer best known for his portrayal of Fiyero in the West End production of the musical Wicked.- Biography :...
. Along with stage musicals, Gray has worked with Oliver Tompsett on his debut album, Sentimental Heart, for which she recorded a duet with him.
On September 26, 2010 Gray joined composer Scott Alan at his concert " Simply The Music of Scott Alan" in London's West End. The concert also featured Louise Dearman
Louise Dearman
Louise Dearman is a British musical theatre performer, currently playing the role of Glinda in the West End production of Wicked. She has a number of other professional stage and television credits, such as Eva Perón in Evita, and released her debut solo album, You and I, in 2005.-Early...
, Patina Miller
Patina Miller
Patina Miller is an American actress and singer.Miller is best known for originating the role of disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End and 2011 Broadway productions of Sister Act the Musical.-Early life:...
, Sierra Boggess
Sierra Boggess
Sierra Boggess is an American theater actress and soprano singer. She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, with her two sisters, Summer and Allegra. The three of them were members of the Colorado Children's Chorale. Her parents are Kellun Turner and Michael Boggess...
, Jodie Jacobs, Alex Gaumond and Hadley Fraser. Gray performed the song "Please Don't Let Me Go".
On April 25, 2011, Gray hosted her first solo cabaret "Easter With Ashleigh Gray". In which she performed a host of songs from her career, new songs written for her and some of her personal favourite songs. In the Summer of 2011 she took part in a workshop and reading of the the musical "Girlfriends" by Laurence Mark Wythe
Laurence Mark Wythe
Laurence Mark Wythe is an award winning English composer, lyricist and writer for West End and Off-Broadway musicals. He is principally known for the off-Broadway musical Tomorrow Morning and Through the Door seen in the West End at the Trafalgar Studios starring Julie Atherton...
.
She recently finished playing Miranda in Betwixt! at Trafalgar Studios.