Before her official start in theatre, Ashley Hughson said she would put on plays with her brothers in her basement as a child, where she would be both the star and the director.
Now, at 46, she is directing her first production with Etobicoke Musical Productions, Love is an Open Door.
Despite this, Ashley said she did not come from an artsy family.
She said her mother was a tap dancer and both of her parents had an appreciation for theatre, but neither of them performed until she and her siblings got involved.
Then, her father landed his first and only role in one of Ashley’s plays. They needed an adult in the children's play, and he had driven Ashley to every rehearsal and knew the role well.
Ashley was just eight when she was in her first official theatre production.
After her mother signed her up for an audition for The Sound of Music production at a dinner theatre near her family in Connecticut, Ashley got the role of Gretl after performing 'So Long, Farewell' for her audition, paired with a dance choreographed by her mother.
Her father drove her to the audition, where there were about 400 kids for seven roles, according to Ashley.
After she finished her audition, she said her dad remembers asking if she was nervous. Ashley said that as soon as she stepped onto the stage, she was fine.
“And I think for me, that’s just how it is ... there’s a comfort level of being on stage ... it’s where I belong. It’s where I want to be.”
After that, she said that she never turned back.
“We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into,” she said.
Now, her son Tyler Hughson performed The Sound of Music's '16 Going On 17' inspired by her start in theatre, Ashley said.
At nine or 10, Ashley said she remembers seeing the musical Chorus Line with her neighbour at the time. By the end of the show, she said she was crying.
When her neighbour assumed Ashley had been brought to tears out of love for the show, she was quick to correct.
“I’m crying because I’m sad I’m not up there,” she said, “I loved watching it, but I’d rather be up there right now.”
Ashley said she loves to teach kids, for that reason, watching them find that same connection she found.
This has become true for her son, Tyler, whose first performance with EMP was also Love is an Open Door.
“This was ... exhilarating ... performing in that kind of environment was just surreal,” he said.
Tyler auditioned with his friend, Leo Jazzar, singing Agony from Into the Woods, which they had performed in middle school, he said.
“To be able to bring him along on this kind of journey of performing again was just so much fun.”
Love is an Open Door also served as a celebration for EMP, marking 60 years of production.
A slideshow played before the first performance of the production showcased every play EMP has done, starting in 1966 with Oklahoma!
Tyler said this made him realize “the scope” of what he performed.
“It’s such a fun feeling to be able to be a part of something that you’re proud of,” he said.
Being surrounded by performing arts his entire life and seeing the people he aspires to be performing and creating, Tyler said, made him feel the need to be a part of the community too.
Tyler was in his first role as Woodstock in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, at the Interprovincial Music Camp in Camp Manitou in McKellar, Ont., where Ashley works during the summer.
A lesson he learned from his parents, he said, was to learn about different perspectives in the craft. Because of this, he’s performed live in theatre, directed, helped build props, and acted on screen.
Tyler’s 18-year-old brother, Parker, also worked on props for the EMP production, making the Audrey II puppet for The Little Shop of Horrors performance "Grow for Me", Ashley said.
Their father, Barry, comes from the ballet world.
Playing Sister Amnesia in Nonsense in Connecticut at 23, Ashley said, is when she got to know her husband, Barry, who ran the theatre at the time.
During their next show, they were together.
“We did How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and he proposed to me at the end of the run,” she said.
After graduating from the University of New Orleans and getting an office job, Ashley said she found herself “very sad” and had to get back to theatre.
“There’s something very different about a group of people that are committed to putting together a show that’s just for them,” she said.
As for her sons' connections to the arts, Ashley said it's been interesting to watch them evolve as artists.
She said her sons have been interested in acting, film production, visual arts, instruments, and have even been in a band, where Tyler is the lead singer.
Ashley said she sees the arts in their future for generations to come.
“I think we’re stuck with the arts,” Ashley said.
