Ashley Smiley

A B.A. in Performing Arts and Social Justice (Double Major in Theology/Religious Studies, USF) and an M.A. in Drama (SFSU), Ashley Smiley is a full-spectrum creator focusing on the living written word. Finding her creative home in the Campo Santo Familia under the tutelage and support of Joan Osato and Sean San Jose as Production Manager, Stage Manager, Sound Designer, and Assistant Director, she’s a Playwright and coordinator for the Clika New Work Development group. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in collaboration with Bayview Opera House (BVOH) and Campo Santo, Smiley created an original two-season web series titled “The New Normal”, landing a spot in the SF Chronicle Datebook and featuring guests Margo Hall, Brian Rivera, Brit Frazier, and more. Smiley is the Theater Manager for BVOH in the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood. Current projects include: Breathe My Black, collaborating with Black alumni and current USF Performing Arts students; “Oh Really?!”, a 12-week radio series with CCA Wattis debuting The Dub Notes; and creative projects with Campo Santo and BVOH. Currently fundraising for play-turned-film Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad, Smiley willl begin her doctoral program in Fall 2021 at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, in the Historic and Cultural Studies in Religion program, concentrating in Art and Religion.