Ashley Everhart is a comedian, musician, and actor, based in New York City.
(00:00) Moving to NYC, COVID eviction, 2020 return
(02:31) Fordham at Lincoln Center; sister’s pull toward theater
(04:58) Teenage UCB obsession—Askat DVD, note-taking pilgrimages
(07:12) Discovering training grounds—“adults doing comedy” clicks
(09:55) Why institutions fit: structure, study, community
(12:18) Ministers at home, musician’s regimen, creativity + tradition
(15:03) “Why comedy?”—mixed motives, first laughs, SNL spark
(18:07) Comedy vs the rubric—feedback, collaboration over isolation
(21:40) Plan A: choral clinician; school bureaucracy disillusions
(25:12) Teaching drama clubs; self-doubt and finding footing
(28:33) Stand-up attempts vs true love: sketch & character
(31:05) Costumes, spectacle, precision; respecting a paying audience
(33:58) What separates performers—team players and teachable character
(37:22) Joy vs nerves; the “little secret,” Tina Benko, Aquamarine mix-up
(40:31) The call from UCB; debuting Will.i.am’s wife, lyric logic
(44:12) Dusty reopening, tepid reception, Bernadette Peters vibe
(47:06) Defining success in two years—funnier, collaborative, joyful
(49:28) Closing banter—family bits, Billie Holiday riff, sign-off
