Tufts Creatives: The world within

When he was a first-year, current senior James Davis joined Pen, Paint, and Pretzels (3Ps). Two years later, he declared a drama/English/film and media studies interdisciplinary major. Although he enjoys acting, James prefers to work behind the scenes as a director and plans to stage an independent production of Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie" (1944).

Julian Blatt (JB): How and when did you become interested in theater?

James Davis (JD): In middle school, I had a Latin class assignment where we were told to make five-minute adaptations of Greek myths and put them on as a play. I was lucky because I was a Greek myth nerd back then, so I knew a lot of them quite well. My friends and I got together and I did both the writing and the directing for our project. The end result was a faithful but comedic adaptation of “Perseus and Medusa.” It went really well; people liked it so much that we were asked to perform it in front of the whole school. That process was really fun, and since then I’ve always had a passion for theater.

JB: What led you to "The Glass Menagerie?"  

JD: I tend to gravitate toward classical or modern plays. I read "The Glass Menagerie" relatively recently, and I think this play just came together. It’s astonishingly well-written, and putting something like that on stage here would be quite refreshing.

JB: How would you describe the show to someone to persuade them to attend?

JD: It’s a memory play in which a man recalls his childhood. His mother raised him and his sister on her own and has very high hopes and dreams for her children, but they have not been able to fulfill them. It’s a tough, emotional play. Ultimately, however, it’s also quite a human play, and it’s easy to relate to.

JB: This show is not a newcomer to the stage and has been produced multiple times for film, television and even radio. How will your performance shatter the glass?

JD: I want to focus on the character work and create an immersive experience just from the acting point of view. I’m also interested in small technical touches, like experimenting with light. There is an original score which is beautiful, but I think there may be room to have a similar effect with the addition of other pieces of music. I don’t like the word “traditional,” because that makes it sound like a museum exhibit, but I want to create a fairly standard production that is very much rooted in the now.

JB: In 50 words or less, why should a Tufts student see your production of "The Glass Menagerie"?

JD: I’m hoping that it offers an opportunity for self-reflection. More specifically, I want people to think about and realize who and what is important in their lives. I think college is the perfect time to make those adjustments and figure out what you really want to do.