A Few Questions With Caroling by Gaslight Actor Ashleigh Goff

Caroling by Gaslight opens on December 2nd, 2022! Everyone knows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the tightfisted old miser. But if you thought he was bad, wait until you get a load of his neighbors. Find out what really happened that fateful night in this hilariously devious R-rated retelling of the Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol.

We reached out to Ashleigh Goff to find out more about her and her experience working on this production!

What is your favorite or least favorite holiday season tradition and why?

I love almost everything about the holidays! The atmosphere is collectively lighter and more unified. I love having a Christmas tree and reading by tree lights in the evening. I love the silly traditional music and the traditional carols. I love the whole secular vibe that Christmas has become. But my favorite thing, and this is SO embarrassing (but not really) I LOVE cheesy, stupid Holiday Hallmark movies! Getting cozy and watching bad acting and overly predictable plots just somehow feels like Christmas. If you've seen one you have most definitely seen them all, but I don't care. I will have that channel on almost all season. Sometimes I make my husband join me, I'm pretty sure that's the antithesis of Christmas to him, but it's a small gift he gives me every year. But then I HATE how focused Christmas is on consumerism. It's bad enough year-round, but it intensifies around the holidays. Two years ago I saw a local bank advertising holiday loans up to 20,000 and I was horrified! People are taking out personal loans up to 20,000 just to buy stuff to give to other people, in what feels like, an attempt to buy love. That's not Christmas to me.

Do you relate to your character or to any character in the show? How similar / different are you?

Hahaha, I'm pretty sure Mistress Bates was written for me........so we're alike in a lot of ways. While I don't have 8 children and a circus tent vag, I'm snarky, silly, Sweet, (a tad selfish and greedy at times...) and I'm very quick to wash my hands of things I want no part in. I'll help when and where I can, but not to the detriment of my own well-being. It only took me 30 years to learn to set boundaries, Mistress Bates has no problem setting those boundaries right from the beginning. Also like Bates, I'm up to my eyeballs in debt (thanks Obama.....j/k) but seriously, college loans did a lot of damage to what could have been my finances, so I can totally understand the desperation of her and of the rest of the characters, in being willing to commit murder to be free of it. I personally wouldn't be able to off someone, but I do understand it and may have had daydreams of burning things to the ground, you know in a scorched earth kind thing.

What's your favorite line in the show? Why?

Um....that's hard. There are so many great lines but ...I'm gonna say, 'Gimpy's got a gun!' I laugh every time!!

What is your favorite version of A Christmas Carol (film / TV / stage)?

Nope. I hate A Christmas Carol. I hate it. I generally go out of my way to not have to watch it, BUT if I'm going to watch any version, it has to be the Muppets! (Or any of the weird mutilations we do in Moppets)

What are your favorite non-traditional holiday season activities?

Lights. I love looking at Christmas lights. One of my favorites things is when I'm driving back from rehearsals during the holiday season and I get to see all the decorations and lights on the way home. It feels special.

How did you get into theatre?

That's a very long and complicated answer involving being a troubled kid and a lot of therapy. But I found it in the 5th grade, when I desperately needed something that asked me to take responsibility for my behavior and contributions to the community. It allowed me a place to be trusted to do what needed to be done. I was a part of something bigger than myself and it gave me a purpose.

How is working with The Magnetic different from working with other theatres?

I love working with magnetic. The support staff is incredible, the communication is thorough and the willingness to try something completely out of the ordinary is rarely seen in our local theaters.

There's a lot of talk about gruel and gin in this play... What is your favorite dish to cook (or eat) during the holiday season?

All of it! But a particular favorite holiday cocktail is hot buttered rum, but add ginger!

Do you have any upcoming projects that we should check out?

The Moppets! Through the year most of my theatre work is with the Moppets, an all youth Shakespeare theater company. These young actors, stage managers and designers are incredible to watch and work with!! You should absolutely come check out one (or all) of their shows!

Biography

Ashleigh has been doing theater in one way, shape or form for over 20+ years. She's acted, designed, crewed, stage managed, directed, and taught. Most recently, she directed Starbright on The Magnetic stage and was last seen on-stage as Colombia in 'Spanko: A Tex-mex Comedia' way WAY back. Most notably Ashleigh is the Founding Artistic Director of The Moppets, an all-youth Shakespeare theater company, which she is extremely proud of and highly recommends you see their family-friendly production of A Christmas Carol. A big thank you to her husband Skyler, for always being himself and sharing this insanely wonderful project with her, which may have finally gotten her to enjoy A Christmas Carol...... maybe.

Caroling by Gaslight is showing at The Magnetic Theatre in Asheville, NC December 2-17, 2022. Grab your tickets here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=132413