Interview

1. Can you tell me about the time and place that you grew up and lived in?

-I was born on September 28, 1872. My parents were currently aboard the ship Wellesey in the River Tyne, England. I grew up in Canada. Many exciting things happened in Canada while I was growing up. Many new ideas and discoveries were made during this time.

Along with the new discoveries in science, such as the international System of time(Sir Sandford Fleming, 1871), a lot of artistic developments were taking place in the time and place that I grew up in. One of these was the art piece known as After The Bath, painted by the London artist Paul Peel(Peel,1880). This piece is now held in The Art Gallery of Ontario. This kind of art, along with the writing of poems and other such, was very big while I was growing up.

 

2. What events in your early life made you get interested in the arts?

Well, as a young performer, I attended studied music at the Lausanne Conservatoire, Switzerland. Subsequently, I then went on to continue my studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. I went on to perform in many plays while still under the age of 20. As a young women, I starred in many Shakespearean plays. These include King Arthur(1895), Quo Vadis(1900), and Mrs Dane’s Defence.

This introduction into theatre in my earlier years helped lead me to further educate myself in the art field. With the knowledge I had gained from the Conservatory and Academy under my bet, I was able to perform continuously throughout my life. After performing as a young women, I would later star in other productions. These Include plays such as Leah Kleschna and The Schulamite.         I was able to continue my learning experience through performing and was very happy with what I did.

 

3. Did mentors play any part in your interests and talents as an artist?

            I wanted to be a serious performer rather than a musical performer as a long term career. My mentors were the people who had written and/or directed these kinds of plays. They had inspired me to pursue this career path. Some of these include the works of Irving, Tree, Alexander and the Kendals. It was these who influenced her acting and management.

            Other than this, my mentor was really my father. His uncle had been a sea artist and starting the seafaring in my family(hence my birth). He had been in the production of The Mayflower and had died in rehearsal. The playwright, Parker, had also been a sort of mentor and encourager inspired me in many ways. He urged me, “not to lose courage. Don’t lose faith. Remember that you are surrounded by friends… we mean to see you get on… Work is the thing” (Parker,1899)

4. What it like entering theatre as a women at the time that you did?

Well, growing up, I was an actress at heart. At first, this career path for me was hard. Some directors were either not interested or thought I couldn’t do it. Also, as a women, It was hard to have a voice at the time I had been performing. For me to do theatre was a step in the right direction for women in theatre. This also goes for theatre in the national world.

When I had wanted to play the part of YoSan in the production of Yo San Watz, the director, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, did not want me for it. Then, the author, David Belasco, convinced him otherwise. I then went on to perform in many other shows. As you can see, people were sometimes judgmental before they got to see me in action. I would say that this was the biggest threat to people entering into theatre.

5. How did the cultural, economic and political situations of your era impact your work?

            -I would say the culture in society was what most affected me in theatre. Since I was a women, it made it harder for me. Many women during this time had to go out and get jobs. This was because the factories needed more workers and women were happy to bring in some money. As a result, making it as an actress was hard.

Also, politics and economics plays into it when I decided to go to war to help the soldiers. After the war, the soldiers returned home to the great depression, This made life hard for them. Also, during the war, there wasn’t a lot of money to help fund what I was doing. Because if this, we worked with the little that we had. This was how culture, politics and economics effected my work.

6. What were some of your major accomplishments and methods you used in your art?

-I achieved many things in my lifetime. Because of the influence on entertainment I had on the troops during the war, I won the award of The Order of The British Empire. This was a great accomplishment for me. Also, I was able to form a groups, the Once-a-week players. This organization was later names the Lena Ashwell Players. We produced theatre at the Century Theatre in London from 1924 to 1929.

I was very satisfied with all of my accomplishments. They reminded me of how I had succeeded in life. So, in 1936, I was able to publish my autobiography, Myself a Player. I was able to express my feelings towards my actions and how they had affected the world. This gave me the opportunity to share what I had done with more people. However, I have recently heard they my work was unsung until a recent writer decided to write a biology about me.

 

7. What were the key opportunities you had that led to turning points in your life and art?

- There were a lot of turning points in my life and artistic path. Many of these were based on opportunities that were presented to me and the decisions I made.  When I heard that the soldiers in the war were being deprived if their culture and social lives, I had my heart set. I was very determined to educate them on culture in battle.

If I had not been so determined to educate the soldiers in the war on culture, I would not have made the decision I made. To complete this task, I had to be very strong willed and stand my ground on many arguments and event that went against what I wanted to do. Many decisions that I made while pursuing this may not that happened if I had not been as intent and focused as I was on the task. Along with this, many opportunities that opened up would have been surpassed. I would say that this was one of the major turning points in my life.

 

8. What kinds of trouble and hardships did you have to overcome in order to be an artist?

            -Like I said earlier, there were some challenges that I had to face as I headed into this art field. When I was younger, my father already had started having health problems. Because of this, our life was harder. We had to end up moving. After this, my mom died in a carriage accident when she was 48. This was a hard time for my family, especially for her father. He ended up moving the family again Lausanne, Switzerland.

            It was here that I discover the conservatory that I attended. At first, I was studying to be a governess. Then. One day, and English cathedral organist heard me singing and recommended study at the Royal Academy of Music. Unfortunately, my father would not allow it. I was ‘torn between my love for my father and my determination to follow my dream to be opera-singer’(Ashwell, Lena Ashwell, pg.30)

Thanks to one of my close friends, Hevener, was able to help me move to London my lending me some money. There, I stayed with some cousins who weren’t the most welcoming people in the world. Then, my father and siblings, Ethel and Hilda, came to join me. I was very happy.

As you can see, I experienced many hardships and trouble while pursuing my dream. I was very fortunate for my life to had ended up the way it had. Despite the trouble in my family, I was still able to succeed. Of course, I did not go on to be an opera singer. However, the knowledge would help me in the long run.

 

9. What personal stories help show how you became successful in the arts?

-I was not very educated when I started as an actress. I would spend countless hours studying the play and the part to better myself for it. I remember how dedicated I was. I would not stop until I had made myself for the part. Sometimes, this would take many days and nights.

            I would say that it is personal stories like these that show how I became the most successful. As actors and actresses, we all know how much effort it takes to become a part in a play. It can take countless days and nights of practice for us to be able to perform as if we are those people. I have experienced it myself. However, I am happy to sayt hat it paid off. Without It I may have not been as successful as I was.

 

10. How did your work impact the world of art?

-Well, through doing what I did for the soldiers in the war, I was able to have a great impact on people during World War 1. I was able to teach many of the soldiers about the culture of life and how the arts could help them get away from the struggle and pain that they faced during the war. It also was able to lead them to further educate themselves in the arts. This was able to help them when they returned to reality and their past lives.

 I would say that this was a major way of how my work affected the world of art. I was able to go on and do what I had intended with my dedication and effort. I am proud to say that the soldiers may not have ended up the way they had if I had not played a part. I was very happy to have been a part of their exploration in culture and society. Im sure it had benefited them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography (MLA)

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Higgins, Sydney. "THE GOLDEN AGE OF BRITISH THEATRE (1880-1920)." Lena Ashwell. N.p., 2009. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. <http://www.the-camerino-players.com/britishtheatre/LenaAshwell.html>.

Dunn, William and West, Linda. Canada: A Country by Consent. Ottawa: Artistic Productions Limited. 2011.< http://canadahistoryproject.ca/index.html>

"Lena Ashwell | Biography - British Actress." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/biography/Lena-Ashwell>.

Adie, Kate. "Lena Ashwell: The Woman Who Brought Music to WW1 Trenches." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/10757403/LenaAshwell-the-woman-who-brought-music-to-WW1-trenches.html>.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Sept.-Oct. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Ashwell>.

"Ellaline Terriss & Lena Ashwell – Entertaining Troops On The Front Line: Stories From The Great War Part 12." N.p., Sept. 2014. Web. Oct.-Nov. 2015. <https://comestepbackintime.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/ellaline-terriss-lena-ashwell-entertaining-troops-on-the-front-line-stories-from-the-great-war-part-12/>.

Holland, Evangeline. "GUEST POST: Lena Ashwell: Actress, Patriot, Pioneer by Margaret Leask." N.p., 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 Nov. 2015. <http://www.edwardianpromenade.com/women/guest-post-lena-ashwell-by-margaret-leask/>.

"History of Canadian Women." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Nov. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Canadian_women>.

Leask, Margaret. <i>Lena Ashwell: Actress, Patriot, Pioneer</i>. Hatfield: U of Hertfordshire,           2012. Print.