The performing arts have always played a substantive role in the life of Conroy B. Wilson. As a judge on Digicel’s Rising Stars, an edutainment specialist and Executive Director for The Ashe Company, Wilson’s life embodies the saying, “If you make your passion your business, you never work a day in your life”. To find outmore about his passion-filled life, Damion Anglin caught up with Conroy for this one on one feature.
Q. What is the Ashe Company?
A. Ashe is a full-time theatre arts and edutainment company specializing in empowerment, theatre arts and edutainment products and services.
Q. What accomplishment of the Ashe Company makes you the proudest?
A. That after 25 years, the Ashe Company, in a changing dynamic environment, remains authentic and viable as a professional theatre arts company.
Q. What is your favourite thing about being a judge on Digicel’s Rising Stars?
A. Meeting talents all across the island and providing an opportunity to train and nurture that talent into something big.
Q. Which of the other judges are you closest to?
A. Alaine. We go way back; we both come from artistic backgrounds and see eye to eye on a lot. We are more about the development of talent in a constructive way; more so than others (laughs)..
Q. Besides Ashe and Rising Stars, what else do you do?
A. I’m an author, motivational speaker and behaviour change, consultant.
Q. Describe one of the most challenging choreography projects you’ve ever worked on.
A. Transforming the Ashe creative space into a theater, café and rehearsal studio, making the space into a viable commercial entity.
Q. How do you keep up with the latest creative tools and technologies?
A. I am a gadgets person, yup, an APPLE lover. ‘If I could snap my fingers and things happen, that would be amazing. Let me tell you…I have an Apple Box, fire stick plus Digi Play (which are pretty much the same), yet still I hardly watch TV.
Q. What is your favourite thing about being Jamaican?
A. The excellence of Brand Jamaica, it’s the pride, energy and presence in your walk by knowing that you are Jamaican.
Q. How influenced are you by current trends and what are your must-have items?
A. I set trends, more than to be influenced…but I am aware and keep current. Blazers/Jackets/Shoes, my phone, iPad, funds and a PH kit with deodorant, toothbrush etc.
Q. What excites you the most about a career as an executive director?
A. Being able to see a vision which many felt and thought would not have been achieve, reach its full potential … such as Ashe.
Q. Recall a time you took charge to turn a negative situation into a positive situation.
A. The year 2005, the death of Ashe’s founder Joe Robinson. We were given the notice to leave the location we occupied that year and so, I took up leadership for Ashe’ and had to keep rehearsals at my home and open an office there. We had to regroup and restructure, we lost a lot of members and funding but our resilience and determination provided us to now have our own space which, membership and funding have increased. Making Ashe continue to be a model standard in the creative industry.
Q.What do you like about the current artistic style with Ashe?
A. Michael Holgate (who is the creative director) and I are two different ‘creatives’ but there is a respect that we have for each other. The fact that we are still authentically Jamaican, fully supporting the culture.
Q. What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
A. Bold, Creative and Empowering.
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #8 May-June 2018
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The performing arts have always played a substantive role in the life of Conroy B. Wilson. As a judge on Digicel’s Rising Stars, an edutainment specialist and Executive Director for The Ashe Company, Wilson’s life embodies the saying, “If you make your passion your business, you never work a day in your life”. To find outmore about his passion-filled life, Damion Anglin caught up with Conroy for this one on one feature.
Q. What is the Ashe Company?
A. Ashe is a full-time theatre arts and edutainment company specializing in empowerment, theatre arts and edutainment products and services.
Q. What accomplishment of the Ashe Company makes you the proudest?
A. That after 25 years, the Ashe Company, in a changing dynamic environment, remains authentic and viable as a professional theatre arts company.
Q. What is your favourite thing about being a judge on Digicel’s Rising Stars?
A. Meeting talents all across the island and providing an opportunity to train and nurture that talent into something big.
Q. Which of the other judges are you closest to?
A. Alaine. We go way back; we both come from artistic backgrounds and see eye to eye on a lot. We are more about the development of talent in a constructive way; more so than others (laughs)..
Q. Besides Ashe and Rising Stars, what else do you do?
A. I’m an author, motivational speaker and behaviour change, consultant.
Q. Describe one of the most challenging choreography projects you’ve ever worked on.
A. Transforming the Ashe creative space into a theater, café and rehearsal studio, making the space into a viable commercial entity.
A. I am a gadgets person, yup, an APPLE lover. ‘If I could snap my fingers and things happen, that would be amazing. Let me tell you…I have an Apple Box, fire stick plus Digi Play (which are pretty much the same), yet still I hardly watch TV.
Q. What is your favourite thing about being Jamaican?
A. The excellence of Brand Jamaica, it’s the pride, energy and presence in your walk by knowing that you are Jamaican.
Q. How influenced are you by current trends and what are your must-have items?
A. I set trends, more than to be influenced…but I am aware and keep current. Blazers/Jackets/Shoes, my phone, iPad, funds and a PH kit with deodorant, toothbrush etc.
Q. What excites you the most about a career as an executive director?
A. Being able to see a vision which many felt and thought would not have been achieve, reach its full potential … such as Ashe.
Q. Recall a time you took charge to turn a negative situation into a positive situation.
A. The year 2005, the death of Ashe’s founder Joe Robinson. We were given the notice to leave the location we occupied that year and so, I took up leadership for Ashe’ and had to keep rehearsals at my home and open an office there. We had to regroup and restructure, we lost a lot of members and funding but our resilience and determination provided us to now have our own space which, membership and funding have increased. Making Ashe continue to be a model standard in the creative industry.
Q.What do you like about the current artistic style with Ashe?
A. Michael Holgate (who is the creative director) and I are two different ‘creatives’ but there is a respect that we have for each other. The fact that we are still authentically Jamaican, fully supporting the culture.
Q. What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
A. Bold, Creative and Empowering.
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #8 May-June 2018
Share this post: