Ashley Loren is currently the standby for Satine in Moulin Rouge! The Musical! She has worked with artists such as Kathleen Marshall, Bono of U2, and Yoko Ono; and has sung backup for artists like Carly Rae Jensen, Melissa Etheridge and Iggy Azalea. She made her Broadway debut in the revival of Jekyll and Hyde, and followed it up with the national tour. You may have seen her on American Idol season 8, or season two of NBC’s This is Us. She currently has a film in post production called Be The Light.  Ashley was born and raised in Central Jersey, where she started her journey in musical theater at the age of 6, at summer camps, and in community and regional theater. She signed her first production contract as a solo artist in middle school, sang at open mics in NYC throughout high school, and deferred her acceptance to Berklee College of Music to sign with Universal and record music. Ashley went on to work and tour with Carly Rae Jepsen, calling it “one of the most transformative” things she’s done.  Ashley opens up about her chronic Lyme Disease diagnosis as a child, and the neurological complications she dealt with as a result. She stresses the need for more common knowledge about this tricky, complicated, and multi-faceted illness. But she also says her struggle led her to a life in the arts, as theater and music became her outlets. Connect with Ashley: IG @ashleyoren Twitter @msashleyloren Ashleyloren.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices