DIRECTOR

Ashley's directing work is seen on tour throughout the United States and is regularly featured at the United Nations and in New York City venues. 

Selected credits: International: TEDxWomen ("Project Girl Performance Collective" segment introduced by Jane Fonda) National Tour: Voices Without Borders: Project Girl Congo, Project Girl: Mothers and Daughters; Regional: Voices of Our Generation (New Jersey State Theatre); New York: Trafficked (20th Anniversary ECPAT Gala), GirlPower: Survival of the Fittest (2010), GirlPower: Voices of a Generation (2009) at the NY International Fringe Festival, Decadent Acts at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (Winner of 2010 Planet Activist Award),  My Name is Rachel Corrie (Kraine Theater), Documentary: A Suicide Narrative (Playwright and Director/Gene Frankel Theater) Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Pace University), Johnny Got His Gun (Adaptor and Director/Pace University), Ivan's Way Out (American Theater of Actors - Samuel French Play Festival). 

Ashley has been an organizer of the V-Day Campaign since 2004 and has directed numerous productions of The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer. In 2006, she received the national LUNA Bar Award for Production Excellence of The Vagina Monologues. 

She is an alumna of Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics EMERGENYC Program and American Theater Wing's Springboard NYC (Directing Track) and member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab.

TEN YEARS LATER: VOICES FROM THE POST 9-11 GENERATION SPEAK

Devised by members of the Project Girl Performance Collective and Co-Op Theatre East Ensemble

Directed by Ashley Marinaccio and Robert A. K. Gonyo

Assistant Directed by Daniel Mendoza 

“Ten Years Later: Voices of the Post-9/11 Generation Speak” is an ensemble devised piece, created by youth between the ages of 9 and 23, exploring the impact of the September 11th terrorist attacks, ten years later. Through monologues, media, and songs developed by the cast, topics explored include questions of terrorism, war, religion, fundamentalism, education, democracy, patriotism, technology, safety, security and what it means to be coming of age in a “post-9/11 society.”

GIRLPOWER: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Written by the 2010-2011 Project Girl Performance Collective

Directed by Ashley Marinaccio and Jessica Greer Morris

NY International Fringe Festival (Robert Moss Theatre, NYC) - August, 2010

GirlPower: Survival of the Fittest is an empowering, ensemble-driven collection of words written and performed by teenagers, struggling with issues they face growing up in today's world. In deeply personal material based on real interviews and experiences, the young women explore topics such as peer pressure, body image, being an outcast, different, flawed, and full of dreams for the future. They share their perspectives on love, relationships, current events, the future and creating change. .

DECADENT ACTS

Written and Directed by Ashley Marinaccio

American Theatre of Actors, NYC - April ,2010

Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (Robert Moss Theatre, NYC) - June, 2010

Set in late 1980s New York City, Decadent Acts chronicles the story of a lesbian couple struggling against legislated discrimination. When television personality Farah White falls fatally ill, her partner, professor Jolene Shatila, along with their daughter Nicole, are faced with unexpected challenges that will change their lives forever. From child custody laws, to hospital visitation rights, Decadent Acts spotlights the harsh reality of discriminatory regulations against same-sex partners, plunging emotional and political depths with grace and searing honesty. At a time when the push for full equality is finally building real momentum across the country, this play couldn’t be timelier.

GirlPower:Voices of a Generation

Written by the 2008-2009 GirlPower Performance Collective

NYC International Fringe Festival - August 2009

Bold. Smart. Fresh. For teens, by teens. GirlPower: Voices of a Generation is an empowering, ensemble-driven collection of words written and performed by teenagers, struggling with issues they face growing up in today's world. Through monologues and spoken word, the young women share their perspectives on love, relationships, the future, and finding power through theatre.  This production is a culmination of our work over the year and was presented at the 2009 NYC International Fringe Festival.

My Name is Rachel Corrie

Edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner

The Kraine Theater, NYC - April 2009

From the writings of Rachel Corrie, a young peace activist whose life was cut tragically short, this play is a testament to the potential for one dedicated person to make a profound impact on the world

Documentary: A Suicide Narrative

Written by Ashley Marinaccio

Gene Frankel Theater, NYC - November, 2008
Documentary: A Suicide Narrative uses testimonial theatre to share the story of a 16-year-old suburban high school student trying to find her identity. When Ariel Valeria falls for a mysterious new student, Fatima Zee, the homophobic attitudes of the school take their toll on the young women. Documentary: A Suicide Narrative combines a contemporary love story with the personal narratives of young adults experiencing similar issues.

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer

Edited by Eve Ensler

(Part of the V-Day Campaign)

Part of the V-Day Campaign this groundbreaking collection, edited by author and playwright Eve Ensler, features pieces from “Until the Violence Stops,” the international tour that brings the issue of violence against women and girls to the forefront of our consciousness. These diverse voices rise up in a collective roar to break open, expose, and examine the insidiousness of brutality, neglect, a punch, or a put-down. V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. The slide show features photographs from two separate productions that I co-directed.