April 15-19

In retrospect, and perhaps unintentionally, Tracey Ashley did two things that proved crucial to her evolution as a smart, rapidly-rising comedian: (1) She worked as a cruise director on cruise ships--an experience that, whatever else it does, certainly puts that person in front of a variety of people (”audiences,” if you will), often talking about a variety of circumstances; (2) She moved to Minneapolis, not typically considered a hub of the cruise ship industry, but an area that has become something of a breeding--or development--ground for sharp and inventive young comics, many of whom have become Cap City favorites. (Hey, put your Google to work to find out who I mean--I’m not here to talk about them, I’m here to talk about Tracey.) She’s worked enormously hard to hone her act, and all that hard work--and those fortuitous decisions--have really paid off. Most notably, perhaps, at least tied to being based in Minneapolis, she entered the Twin Cities Funniest Person Competition, and emerged, when all the dust settled, as First Runner-Up. This may be more significant than it sounds, because--like many showbiz and sports competitions--the Twin Cities contest has a bit of a curse for the winner, who never quite seems to go on to bigger & better things in the comedy or showbiz realm. But those like Tracey, who don’t actually win but fare extremely well, seem to experience quite a career boon. In her case, that’s included a string of performances across the country at theaters, colleges, comedy clubs, as well as corporate shows and voiceover work for assorted radio spots. With TBA