Brittain Ashford
Theatre
### Theatre

Ashford's first theatrical performance was as [Sonya Rostova](/wiki/Sonya_Rostova "Sonya Rostova") in the 2012 [Ars Nova](/wiki/Ars_Nova_%28theater%29 "Ars Nova (theater)") production of [Dave Malloy](/wiki/Dave_Malloy "Dave Malloy")'s *[Natasha, Pierre \& The Great Comet of 1812](/wiki/Natasha%2C_Pierre_%26_The_Great_Comet_of_1812 "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812").* Ashford continued to perform with the show in all future incarnations of it, including productions at Kazino, the American Repertory Theater, and at the Imperial Theatre, the latter of which marked her Broadway debut in 2016\. Of her role, Ashford says, "I sympathize with Sonya, and I really love that she's there as this best friend presence that could be nothing, but she also gets this really tender, intimate, important moment in the show to talk about that friendship, which I think is just so nice and kind of refreshing." Ashford received praise for her performance as Sonya, and was nominated for multiple awards over the course of the shows multiple runs.

Ben Brantley of the New York Times stated in his article "The Tonys 2017: Who Will Win (and Who Should)" that Ashford "should have been nominated" for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Ashford also performed in Dave Malloy's song\-cycle *[Ghost Quartet](/wiki/Ghost_Quartet "Ghost Quartet").* Ashford provided vocals for the show, as well as [autoharp](/wiki/Autoharp "Autoharp"), [keyboard](/wiki/Keyboard_instrument "Keyboard instrument"), and [percussion](/wiki/Percussion "Percussion"). She was praised for her performance as part of the quartet, with the *Litro* saying she "sounds like she's singing from the bottom of a sea of honey; her voice is at once lovely and perfectly eerie." Ashford stayed with the show while it performed at various venues across the US, including the [American Repertory Theatre](/wiki/American_Repertory_Theatre "American Repertory Theatre") in Boston. The song\-cycle re\-opened at *Next Door at NYTW*, a black box theatre component of New York Theatre Workshop, in October 2017\.


What was Ashford's role in the Ars Nova production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812?