On Point With Garrett Davis

It’s been a week now since the premier of my new touring stage play “Temptation” and I finally have a moment to reflect on the last several months of preparation. First, I would like to say thank you to Union Baptist Church they did an outstanding job of hosting and presenting this project. They were able to transform a 1500 seat sanctuary into a 1500 seat auditorium without any problem. 

However, for the first time in 15 years I was a little nervous prior to this production because unlike the others that I produced I was relying heavily on computer software for this production in my attempt to transition into putting forth every effort to better the quality of productions that I present to you my loyal supporters and fans of gdavisplays.com After only a few glitches with the system on opening night I am proud to say that the Q-Lab Program has added another level of professionalism to our productions that is truly remarkable. 

Todd Galberth who wrote all the songs for the show hit a homerun with several of the songs performed in the show especially the title track “Temptation” performed by Todd and Indira Khan. Cherie Hinton gave a stellar vocal performance on the song penned by Todd Galberth that had the women on their feet as she sung “Good Enough” especially on the lines just because you good to me… doesn’t mean your good for me.  

Even my spoof of Eddie Murphy’s Jimmy Want Moe taken from the movie Dream Girls in my character as Eddie that had everyone on the edge of their seat with laughter was no match for the song Todd wrote to bring us to intermission “What are we goona do” written in the frame of R Kelly’s In the Closet with the scene acted out like a music video had audiences wanting more. 

Sunday we continued opening weekend in Rocky Mount, NC on the campus of North Carolina Wesleyan College in the critically acclaimed Dunn Center.   The energy from the audience I think was the best I have ever been affiliated with over my career. They seemed to be on every line, every movement, and every word of every song. The actors were able to feed off of that energy and give a dynamic performance. 

It’s only the first weekend and 4 performances but already I can tell this is probably going to be one of the best shows that I have ever produced during my career. It was also great sharing the stage again with Blanche McAllister who was in my very first production “Lord Why Me?” and is not a main stay with the Tri-City Singers featuring Donald Lawrence. 

I’ve also reached that stage in my career where I want to look out for family. I felt blessed to look around and see family members who are helping me live the dream. Dartez Wright (Cedric) Previous Foster (Jason) Emily McCormick (Production Manager) Gary McCormick (Bass) Tonia Davis (Stage Manager) Daniel Davis (Driver) and Brian Foster (Musical Director). 

At the end of the night I was brought to tears during an emotional moment when my son Nelson who is a student at Salisbury College in Maryland joined me on stage for a special presentation given to me on behalf of the cast of Temptation.  

God has blessed me to be able to impact so many people with the words I am able to bring to life on stage and I am completely humble in the fact that I always want to be made less so that he can be made more. This is a great show so keep checking in with gdavisplays.com to see where we will be next, it is a must see and one that I dedicate to you my loyal supporters. 

Until All Have Seen!! 

Gdavis 

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Gdavis

Earlier this week I spent the day on the campus of North Carolina School of the Arts. I must say I had been looking forward to this for quite some time. As a student in High School I remember hearing about their audition process and as an acting coach I have help students prepare for these famous auditions.

This was my first time visiting the campus and even though I was there for a Production and Design Workshop it was everything I thought it was. The campus and their facilities are very impressive.

However, the most important thing that impressed me could have been the million dollar sound studio that if you closed your eyes could make you feel like you were in a real live thunderstorm, chilling on the beach or laying underneath the stars at sunset listening to the crickets. But it was none of that, yet it was when the Director of the Production and Design Program who stated “I wanted to bridge the gap between the School of the Arts and the Community” that spoke volumes to me about their commitment not just to education but to the community in which they are affiliated.

They have students from all over the world enrolled at their school but they are still committed and sensitive to their own community. This was not one of those thanks for coming by speeches; it was evident in the way they conducted themselves all day long during our workshops that they really were committed to connecting to the community.

As I sat in that room filled with various theater professionals who are considered some of the best in the world at what they do. On this warm beautiful February day, aka Black History Month, I began to reflect for a moment.

There was a time that we (African-Americans) were not allowed to read books, and when we did have classrooms and schools they were not in the best of condition. As I looked up at the designs from a show called the Greensboro Four, a stellar production about the four African-American men who started the sit in movement in Greensboro, NC.

I thought about all the black men and women before me who studied their school lessons by candle light. I thought about how important education was to then to the entire family not just Mama.

Then I thought about blacks in my profession (theater) who paved the way so that I can make a living touring the country presenting stage plays for communities all over the world. I looked at the atmosphere around me that smelled of success. I got the impression that just by being in that environment made one focus better on the task at hand.

So how does a child feel who is not in that type of learning environment such as the NC School of the Arts?  I know this is 2008 but still there are still some schools who have more than others,  schools in need of supplies, schools who struggle to get their students to pass EOG Test and some have problems just getting students excited about reading and writing or worse staying in school.

So as I sat in this state of the art classroom on the campus of NC School of the Arts, I realized I would not be there unless family, friends and loved ones had not supported me in making sure I got the best education offered to me regardless of the sacrifices they had to make. It was Aunt Ernestine, Aunt Hilda, Aunt Jean, Uncle Edward, Uncle Daniel and my mother and grandparents who reared me. In that moment I knew the only reason I was in that room was because of them and those that believed in making sure I had a better opportunity at success than they did.

I decided right there to look within my company and I realized what better way to honor those that supported me as well as those African Americans who have contributed to the theater world than to support others in the same way.

In my new production I have (2) college students and (2) elementary students that I am going to commitment myself to mentoring by sharing my knowledge and experience in the field of theater. I will also, to the best of my abilities give them opportunities to share and work with other professionals as well.

Its not about just about learning and acquiring as much as you can to get ahead but also to put yourself in a position so that you can show someone else the way. That’s what was done for me and that’s what I am going to do for someone else starting today.

No matter how far we think we have come, we still have a long way to go, and until God says our work down here is done, its our responsibility, to offer help and assistance to someone else.

Until All Have Heard,

Gdavis

When I signed on to direct the stage play “Livin Fat” I really did not know what to expect. This would be my first time directing a piece that I did not write. Nonetheless, the one thing that I was so looking forward to was being able to sit in the audience and watch my work form the audience point of view.

After 14 years, I had never been able to do that due to the fact that I appear in all the productions that I write. However, as fate would have it, the lead actor had scheduling problems and I agreed to step in and assume the part of “Papa”.

Pulling this off would be something that I was more than capable of doing, I had done it several times in my career before with my own company gdavisplays.com. Why, I remember it like it was yesterday.

In 1996, (the cast of “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool Ya”) was on a tour bus headed to a performance in Washington, DC and I left one of my actors behind for reasons I can’t remember now (smile) and Todd Galbreath (senior actor with gdavisplays.com) was trying to figure out who was going to play the part and I stated “Don’t worry I got it”.

I was able to re-create a scene and play both parts. This is entertainment and the show must go on, especially when you have already been paid to show up and “do your thang”.

Anyway, back to Livin Fat, for the last 14 years I have been on stage with pretty much the same core group, now I am stepping in to take over a co-lead role with actors who are not comfortable with my style of acting and not at all use to the way I cut up on stage. Read the rest of this entry »