Ashley is an interesting guy with a CV as long as your arm, husband and father of two.
1. What is home like?
A combination of aesthetic and utilitarianism; of morning school-readying madness, and green, leafy inspiration; books and flat screen, Wood and appliance, bad storage solutions but comfortable spaces.
2. Can you play a musical instrument, if so which?
I am a lazy guitarist; lazy because I have not applied myself! In my head I am Paco Pena.
3. Is Ashley anything like Andrew McBain from Scandal?
Some of the later commitment and romance has a confluence with Ashley - I think. ("Oh, Puh-LEASE" says my wife!)
4. You have a very impressive CV which includes acting, presenting, writing, directing - what do you do what is not on your CV?
I am a dad - a comprehensive commitment
5. What previous jobs have you had?
I have sold super absorbent cloths at a Hypermarket, was once a house cleaner in the Jewish boroughs of London,taught (as an English/Drama teacher) for 5 years, was in sales as a Print rep until an autocratic MD drove me out of my wits by telling me to forget about my dreams of being an actor.
6. Is it true that you were a char in London - is that true?
Yes - I was staying with someone I had met on Kibbutz, who knew people that needed ironing and cleaning done. (This was after he'd offered me a job as an accountant and then discovered I couldn't count.)
7. You are a Shakespeare fan - does Shakespeare inspire your writing and theatre work?
O for a muse of fire! Yes, my first Shakespearean mind blast was watching Antony Sher at the Barbican Theatre, playing Shylock. After that all I wanted to do was be part of the RSC. I went up to Stratford on Avon and stayed with Richard Haines who was with them at the time, but I think I was too young still and not bold enough to audition.
8. What else inspires you?
Being in the mountains, working with people like Sylvaine Strike, watching Andrew Buckland or Ellis Pearson perform, Being in London (some of the time), my sculptor friend Kim Goodwin, the way my kids invent moments, Travel...
9. What do you prefer: nature or city life?
It's biased in favour of Nature
10. What is a day like in the life of Ashley Dowds?
I can usually count on a radio/TV commercial to record about twice a week, so it's getting to studio; I am also project driven: right now it's directing a play with some talented young performers and writing travelogues. I have a few ideas I am developing for theater and for bibliophiles. Most of the time, I respond to work that interrupts all this: filming pilots, meetings etc
11. You do a Travelogue for 'Country Life'- what do you enjoy most about traveling and where is your favourite destination in the world?
The Country Life column no longer - but I still submit on the occasion. I relate to the Drakensberg most. It is familiar and calming.
12. You have received a number of awards for writing, presenting as well as being stylish - which nomination / award meant the most to you?
Not the Stylish - I am very equivocal about what 'stylish' means in SA. People get credence for something outwardly showy, when there are hugely
talented people in this country who don't get recognized at all. Stylish can be ugly.
13. What are your hobbies?
I want to say neuroanatomy, but that's just because I want to tell some stories around this on stage. (Any neurosurgeons out there ready to talk?)
14. How do you relax after a stressful day?
Swim
15. What has fatherhood taught you?
Introspection
16. What are your current projects and future ambitions?
Refer to neuroanatomy above. I've also just returned from work-shopping with a dynamic theatre co. in London, Complicite, which has given me some inspiration for more physical work.
17. Is there anything else we'd like to know about Ashley?
No
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