Ballet Shoes and Shot Puts

Penny Ashton has been performing since before she could walk. Her mother knew she was in for trouble from the moment Penny ate her first lipstick, pulled on her first tutu and declared herself a ballerina. Just some of her dance career highlights include playing Jeremy Fisher Frog, being a What Now Dancer and dancing as a mouse who inadvertently knocked over the mouse hole in the recital causing chaos and mayhem. She briefly dabbled in shot put, winning a bronze medal at the Colgate Games in 1984, but gave that away as she thought she didn’t have the thighs for it… oh how wrong she was. Indeed Prima-ballerinhood was also eventually abandoned due to her pesky need to eat, and so Penny changed tack to completing a BA in Drama and Classics at Canterbury University. It was at University that Penny began performing comedy regularly and represented Canterbury at the NZ University Comedy Competitions in 93, 94 and 95. It was also at this point that her dad starting selling prophylactics from machines for “a buck a f**k.”

I Think you’ve got the wrong trolley

In Auckland Penny has become the full-time performer the little five-year-old in her always dreamed she’d be. She is a permanent member of the Theatresports company, is a voice over artist (anyone remember: “Natural Glow, we won’t tell if you won’t?”) has played such illustrious roles as ‘tampon girl’ in various commercials, and has even been seen in Shortland St’s corridors as Dr Margaret Cole. Just some of her varied stage appearances include Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a member of the ensemble of two seasons of The X-Folios; a fully improvised Shakespearean romp, Buttercup in HMNZS Pinafore and as a pirate and an ugly sister in the self-penned children’s show Koru Kea and his Amazing Millennium Adventure. She is also a very successful producer and publicistfilling both roles for the 2002 national tour of the smash hit Little Che.

From Edmonton to Adelaide.

Penny first performed her poetic musings in April 2002 at Auckland’s Temple Bar and the response was enormous. From there she tested poetry on a comedy audience in June 2002 and due to her success went on to stage her first solo show in November 2002. In under a year she was nominated as Best Female Comedienne at the 2002 Comedy Guild Awards, was a TV2 Billy T James Award Nominee for 2003, and performed in 2003’s Pulp Comedy TV Series. If the reviews are to be believed her second solo show, Dirty Pink, was a highlight of the 2003 TV2 International LAUGH! Festival where she was also invited to perform in The TV2 Big Comedy Gala, The Lindauer LAUGH Divas and of course The TV2 Billy T James Award Showcase.

Still basking in the rosy glow of success Pinkie headed off to North America in June and July 2003 to perform poetry, comedy and theatresports in various venues through Seattle and Canada. She was a funny talking hit cracking up audiences in Vancouver, Seattle, Montreal and finally Edmonton where she, Sully O’Sullivan and Lori Dungey were the victors of the Improvaganza International Theatresports Tournament.

In 2004 she was once again nominated for an Oddfellow's Billy T James Award with her solo show, Hot Pink Does Vegas, and she once again wowed audiences offshore. This time at the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where none other than comedy poetry legend Pam Ayres came to see Hot Pink with Penny Ashton.

In 2005 her solo show MC Hot Pink in Busty Rhymes was a critical hit in New Zealand and once again at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and she also performed a solo season in Singapore and various gigs in Australia and England.

In 2006 Pinky performed at the Christchurch Busker's Festival, The Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Gisborne Autumn Festival, The Nelson Arts Festival, at various gigs throughout the UK, as a member of the New Zealand Team at the World Theatresports Cup in Germany and in the Australasian Team in the Four Continents Slam Poetry tour of the UK.

Phew!

In 2007 there was the World Busker's Festival, the Wellington Fringe Festival, The NZ International Comedy Festival and a five centre tour of Canada, and in 2008 she did 100 shows in three countries!

All through 2009 Penny performed throughout NZ and in 2010 she not only completed yet another regional NZ tour BUT also sold out in Adelaide with her Jane Austen show and then hit the Grandaddy festival of them all, GLASTONBURY!

After wowing the Poetry and Words tent Ashton headed to report from Miss Universe in Las Vegas. In 2011 this adventure was turned into her brand spanking new show, Hot Pink Teeth 'n' Tits. Which is coming to Hamilton in 2012.

Next on the agenda is Instant Kiwis Improvised Comedy with Power Balls every friday til Christmas at Q Loft.

Lyttelton Harbourlight Audience Says "HELLO!" June 07