For more songs from Shakespeare plays, visit withmusicbyash.bandcamp.com

CRUMBS

music and lyrics by Ash

A sung-through, one-act musical inspired by the tale of Hansel & Gretel.  

A relentless examination of family, grief, and survival, Crumbs challenges cis-heteronormative models of family, explores how communities experience grief and resilience, and examines how queer and trans identities are threatened by fear and real-world tragedies.

After a queer, polyamorous throuple of color runs away from an oppressive world and builds their own utopia, they raise their two children, Handsome and Graceful, and all is well for many years. But when one of the three parents suddenly dies, their idyllic endeavor is shattered, and grief threatens to tear the family apart. Now the family must make a terrible decision: restore their broken dream of the future, or return to the nightmare of the past…

MAGNETIC ELECTRIC

play by Mikki Gillette with music by Ash

Trans woman Celine owns a college bar where she performs her music. Drama arises when a romance with Rain, a new adjunct professor, destabilizes her relationship with Cole, and Archer, a white nationalist provocateur, targets her venue.

THE DARK STUFF

play by Mikki Gillette with music by Ash

When the suave professor Bodkin adopts trans student Izzy as a protege, the aspiring poet is swept into his erudite world. His advances cross lines, however, and their histories and present lives blur in this new play with songs.

THIS SIDE OF THE DOOR:
A Song to break out of the Cycle

book, music, and lyrics by Ash

A collection of musical snapshots in the lives of four characters on the threshold of change who must navigate choices both big and small.

Taylor has just moved to the big city, come out as trans, and wants to wear a dress outside for the first time. Forest has lost everything and is stuck inside their grief and depression. Kaiden is struggling to make ends meet. Sam (our token cis character) navigates unexpected romantic feelings that find him out of his depth. As each character weaves in and out of each other's lives, they must make the choice – again and again – to open the door to whatever is next.

MOVE - BEND - FALL

short play trilogy by Ash

1. Move Forward

2. Bending the Rules

3. Falling

   From first dates to fiery finales and the moments in between, friends and lovers (and sometimes their ghosts) weave in and out of the bedroom as they uncover what it means to be queer and in love.

   “Move Forward” is a comedy centering around two couples: one on a first date and the other post-breakup. “Bending the Rules” is a non-linear, dance-like, and dramatic tale of an entire relationship. “Falling” is a ghost story about the roles we might have played in our own tragedies and the songs we sing about them.

“The mood and modern sensibility are enhanced by an evocative sound design, mostly percussive electronic effects and wordless vocals, supplied by erstwhile Portlander and now NYC denizen Ash.”

— OR Arts Watch on BEGINNINGS & ENDINGS

“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I loved the eerie sound design of Ash in this show: they perfectly captured the dark political tone of the show with bass reverberations and haunting musical echoes.”

— Some Scripts Literary Magazine on BEGINNINGS & ENDINGS

“... beautiful original tunes… Chaves' closing “cuckoo song” solo is especially lovely...”

— OR Arts Watch on LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST

“Composer [Ash] has written some lovely, lilting tunes for this production.”

— Artslandia on LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST

"I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the beautiful music written by [Ash] and very well performed by the entire cast. Bravo."

— Notes from a Shakespeare Nerd on TWELFTH NIGHT

“Ambient music and the sounds of tropical birds between each scene also add an emotional richness to the space.”

— OR Arts Watch on SAPIENCE

“A wonderful array of music adds depth and warmth... Actors play instruments, offstage and on, and composer and sound designer [Ash] has provided Elizabethan music and Aztec flight and drum riffs. A well-paced vocal phrase, the ring of a bell, add to the stage magic.”

— The Oregonian on ¡O ROMEO!

“Props to Musical Director, [Ash].”

— Notes from a Shakespeare Nerd on TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

“The idea of adding music from this period is quite a stroke of genius. Not only does it illustrate the feelings of the characters but it quite entertaining in itself... the addition of music [by Ash] is the icing on an already deliciously layered dessert.”

— Dennis Sparks Reviews on TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

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