Words From the Wings: Tala Ashe of BREAKING THE STORY

BroadwayWorld is bringing you Words From the Wings, a new series of interviews that take fans behind the scenes of some of their favorite Broadway stars' backstage routines!

Today we're chatting with Tala Ashe who is currently appearing in Breaking the Story off-Broadway. Tala told us all about her backstage must-haves, favorite moments, and more!

Check out her answers, along with photos taken by BroadwayWorld's Jennifer Broski, below!

What’s the first thing you do when you arrive to the theatre?

I try to find a reasonably quiet spot (ideally on our delightfully soft astroturf stage) to meditate for 5-10 minutes and then warm up.

What’s the last thing you do before you go on stage?

Shove a Grether’s pastille in my mouth- they’re my safety blanket.

What’s your must-have backstage snack? 

I love gummies and this show has very strong Gummy Game- onstage and off. I may be permanently damaging my tastebuds from eating too many sour patch kids.

Pre-show ritual that others may think is weird? 

I’m very superstitious about lying down onstage before half hour. If I don’t, I’m convinced (and have non-peer-reviewed evidence) that I’ll have a bad show. 

What are five must-haves in your dressing room? 

Photos that bring me into the world of the play, photos of loved ones, aforementioned Grether’s pastilles, my cat-printed dish towel placemat (which has been a dressing-room companion for years), and some sort of craft for off-stage lull periods (currently cross-stitch).

What’s your favorite moment from the show to watch from the wings? 

Maggie (Siff) and Matthew (Salvidar) have a couple of brilliant dancing moments, and I am well positioned to see the first one- it makes me grin every time.

What has been your favorite backstage moment in your time with this show so far?

In early previews during the final(!) climactic(!) serious(!) scene of the show, we were all supposed to leave the stage at the same time and the delightful Geneva (Carr) confidently exited about a page too early leaving me standing next to no-one-at-all and summoning every cell in my body to keep from laughing. The backstage release you get after moments like this (which surely went unnoticed by any audience member) is true joy.

About Tala Ashe

Tala Ashe received a Best Actress Drama Desk nomination for her performance in English, Sanaz Toosi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama at the Atlantic Theatre Company, and will reprise her role for the Broadway transfer in 2024. Soon to be seen in the upcoming “Girls on the Bus” for HBO Max, she was notably a series regular on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.” Ashe has worked at numerous Off-Broadway theaters, including Atlantic Theater, The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, and LCT3.