Originally from Pocatello, Idaho and a graduate of BYU, Kerry Ashton wrote and published his first play, BUFFALO HEAD NICKELS, at the age of seventeen. He has since written and published several plays including the full-character play, MY LIFE AS OSCAR WILDE, and a screenplay of the same name.
His autobiographical novel, A STRANGER AMONG SAINTS, about coming to terms with being raised a Mormon and being gay, is scheduled for publication soon, as is RED HOT MAMA, a musical based on the life of Sophie Tucker; all of which are, or soon will be available for purchase at www.KerryAshton.com.
Kerry began research on Oscar Wilde in 1975, and completed the first version of THE WILDE SPIRIT in 1976. The play had its World Premiere in June 1977 at New Playwrights Foundation in Los Angeles. The show ran for the next two years in LA, moving to the larger Cast Theatre.
Subsequently, the play was produced to acclaim in an Off-Off-Broadway in 1982, and in a major Off-Broadway production in 1996.
Prior to Off-Broadway, Kerry's play ran for three record-breaking seasons in Provincetown, MA, from 1990-1992, becoming the longest-running play in Cape Cod's history. In 1995, the play enjoyed a long and successful run in Key West, Florida at the Waterfront Playhouse.
During the intervening 36 years since THE WILDE SPIRIT first premiered in 1977, Ashton has performed his play as a Guest Artist in professional engagements at many of America's most prestigious colleges and universities, among them UCLA, George Washington University, Cornell, Emory University, Marshall University, Fairfield University, Quinnipiac College, as well as in several regional theatres, including the Charleston Heights Arts Center in Las Vegas, and the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute in Utica, NY.
In one of the most remarkable histories of any solo theatrical performer of our time, it is estimated that during the last 36 years, Kerry Ashton has given over 1,000 live performances as Oscar Wilde in professional engagements of THE WILDE SPIRIT throughout the United States.
Acclaimed by critics nationwide for both his play and his performance, Kerry has won many awards for THE WILDE SPIRIT, including three Los Angeles Civic Star Awards for Best Play, Best Actor, and Best Direction. He also received an Award of Merit from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for the play's music and lyrics.
