By BRUCE DENNILL
The cast of the 2026 Janice Honeyman Pantomime Alice in Wonderland was recently announced. Ashley Scott (The Sound of Music, Disney’s The Magic Box, Chicago, Pretty Woman) will play Alice. Written by Lewis Carroll in 1865, Alice in Wonderland has enchanted generations with its unforgettable characters and timeless themes of curiosity, courage, identity and self-discovery.
What is the central aspect of acting as a craft or job that attracted you to it, or which keeps you passionate about it?
I’ve always loved the idea of transporting myself into new worlds and being part of telling a story – being a driving force within it, rather than just watching from the outside. But somewhere along the way, I had a realisation that went far beyond that. What keeps me passionate now is seeing human emotion up close and understanding how my craft can be of service to that in some way. Getting to know myself over the years, I’ve come to understand that I’m a deeply empathetic person – and in this career, that empathy is both a gift and, at times, a real challenge.
How were you introduced to theatre (or television or film) as an art form or space in which you could see value and interest, as well as a place or platform for entertainment?
Honestly, it happened almost by accident. I was at Roedean School for Girls in Johannesburg and going into Matric, I actually had my sights set on studying law. But for our drama practical final, we had to prepare a monologue, a duologue, and a piece of our own choice. At the time, the only ‘performing’ I really did was singing to myself while playing piano at home. I was painfully shy about performing in front of anyone, even for my own family. So, as my own choice, I took a risk and chose a musical theatre number – I Can Hear the Bells from Hairspray. I knew nothing about the industry at that point. But the process of having to sing, dance and act simultaneously was such a thrilling, complicated challenge that I fell in love with it on the spot. I remember going home after that first rehearsal and immediately searching for places where I could learn and grow as a performer – that’s how I stumbled onto LAMTA, almost by fluke. They were only opening their doors in 2019, which happened to be exactly when I would have been ready to enroll. Part of me thought it might be too good to be true, but something told me to take the leap anyway. Looking back now, I owe so much to the lecturers there.
How does acting as a calling sit with people outside of your professional or creative community?
It’s a challenging question, and honestly, a bit of a sensitive topic for a lot of people in this industry. So often, in conversations with people from other career paths, I find my work gets mistaken for a hobby, or I’m asked what my ‘Plan B’ is. There’s this constant cycle of having to explain the value of what we do as performers, and at times, that can be genuinely discouraging. But I’m fortunate to have the most incredible support system around me: my family and friends are my biggest champions. My parents, to this day, will come and watch a show a minimum of four times, whatever production I’m in. I remember after our final show in my first year at LAMTA, walking out to see them, half-expecting to hear, “So, are you ready for law school now?” Instead, they said, “This is what you were born to do.” I’m so honoured to have the family and friends that I do – they’re one of the biggest reasons I keep doing this.
Where does acting sit for you as a tool for teaching – from the practical (a script to instruct workers as a corporate, say) to the profound and emotional (modelling how to grieve, or showcasing the complexities of relationships)?
At its core, acting is the study of human behaviour – learning to understand it, and then applying that understanding to a text. In a way, that’s a slightly strange thing to admit out loud. But it’s given me an incredibly intimate understanding of humanity. I’m able to rationalise behaviours and reactions I see around me in everyday life, which in turn has helped me empathise with people, and sometimes offer perspective on life’s complexities, though I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers. There’s something genuinely beautiful in understanding human behaviour that deeply. And there’s an equal beauty in connection itself – in being able to hold someone’s attention, whether that’s in a one-on-one conversation or across a theatre of 1,500 people. There’s so much we can learn from the stories that have been written – about grief, about unrequited love and about the darker corners of human nature. Acting, for me, is a way of learning those lessons and then passing them on.
Interpretation of text or direction – how do you position yourself or your perspectives in a character you’re playing?
I believe there are many roads to the same destination when it comes to direction; countless ways to arrive at the result a director is looking for. For me, it’s about finding the path that feels most authentic to me as an actress. That said, I will never compromise my morals, my mind, or my body unless I genuinely believe it’s justified or critical to the story. And if it is, then I know I’m being truthful, both to the character and to the story itself. With roles that are very different from who I am, where the character’s values or trauma sit far outside my own, I make a point of ‘washing off’ the character before I go home, so I’m not carrying their weight, their morals, or their pain into my own life.
Backstage, in the dressing room or on set while a show or shoot is in progress: what do you do to keep yourself busy and/or focused? Have you had any tense or amusing situation in that space?
I’m a true creative at heart, so any bit of downtime, I’m either reading my fantasy romance novels, crocheting or journalling. It’s my way of unwinding while still keeping my mind focused rather than idle. I find that if I sit still for too long, I start to overthink or get restless. Turning to the hobbies I’ve grown to love over the last few years has really taught me how to self-regulate. As for tense or amusing moments, I’ve been lucky not to have too many, though one does stand out. During Disney’s The Magic Box, the show simply didn’t allow for bathroom breaks. Between on-stage costume changes behind the curtain and jumping in and out of the box, there was never a spare moment. At one point, I had to run into a tent on stage to shelter from a ‘rainstorm,’ and I remember thinking, ‘It’s now or never, Ashley.’ I had about 30 to 45 seconds to sprint to the bathroom and back before I had to emerge from that tent into a beautiful painted sunrise, with the full company singing Circle of Life from The Lion King. I couldn’t help but giggle to myself, thinking about how the audience sitting there, completely swept up in the magic, had absolutely no idea about the chaos that had just unfolded backstage!
What’s your current dream role?
At this point in my career, my dream role is probably Glinda from Wicked. Her character is so nuanced, so complex and so deeply human. There’s far more beneath the surface than people expect. It would be an absolute dream to step into those gorgeous sparkling shoes one day.