BWW Interviews: Trevon Davis, C.C. White in Dreamgirls at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, October 12 – 17.

"All you have to do is dream" – as the title song of the hit Broadway musical Dreamgirls tells us, and that is exactly what Trevon Davis, a Flint, MI native, did, leading him to the role of C.C. White in the latest production of Dreamgirls which plays Atlanta's Fabulous Fox Theatre October 12 – 17, part of Broadway Across America – Atlanta's 2010 – 2011 season. Trevon, who attended Clark Atlanta University and was a finalist on MTV's Making the Band 4 and BET's Sunday Best, will return home to Atlanta to perform in the first professional production of Dreamgirls following the success of the recent hit movie. I had a chance to talk with Trevon about his career, the role of C.C. and the joys of performing as a "Dreamguy."

BWW: Trevon, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me today. I am excited to hear about the show and I know our readers will be too.

Trevon Davis: Yes, I'm ready!

Tell us about yourself. How did you get started doing this? Is this tour of Dreamgirls your first production?

It is actually my first professional production. I grew up in Flint, Michigan, raised in the church, so I was always singing in front of the church since age 6. In high school I was in a couple plays, and in college, I ended up going to Clark Atlanta University and was in a big production called Black Voices, it was basically, singing, acting, and dancing. I love performing. I didn't even go to school for perfoming, but thank God that when I was in Atlanta, I really developed a passion for it. I realized that I had been doing it forever and that I loved it. I auditioned for Making the Band 4, that was my first audition, and I made it to New York, and was one of the six finalists. From then on, I was like "I am doing this the rest of my life!" So, I kept auditioning for everything that came to Atlanta, including Tyler Perry, Lion King, talent shows, and I ended up getting on BET's Sunday Best in 2007 and I made it to the top 7. That is where a young lady saw me and contacted me to audition for Dreamgirls.

And this is a special tour, coming off the success of the movie, it even includes additional music from the movie, correct?

Yes, the song "Listen" is included in our show.

Were you a fan of the show/movie before you got involved with this tour?

I was actually familiar with the movie but not the show. I had never seen Dreamgirls on Broadway, and never really seen many Broadway shows. The movie was actually one of my favorite movies, before I even knew I was going to audition. I literally said, "I could have been in that!", specifically the character of C.C. I knew after seeing the movie that our cast would have to be a notch above or even comparable, after Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, and Beyonce.

Tell us a little about your character, C.C. White? How would you describe him to someone who is not familiar with the show?

C.C. White is Effie's (one of the original Dreams) younger brother and the composer for the Dreamettes. He struggles with choosing between being famous or going against his family. He is the most innocent character in the show as well. He thinks he is trying to do right by his sister when he is actually being swayed by Curtis. He finds himself during the play and returns to his roots.

And C.C. is the perennial "nice guy". Do you find yourself relating to him in any way?

Without a doubt. Like I said, when I saw the movie, I related to C.C. as far as writing, composing music. I even played the piano in Flint for the choir and made up dance routines, that was me. Even his innocence and his struggles throughout the play, finding himself, I was like "I could be that." When they gave me the chance to audition, that was nobody but God!

But he is conflicted, between doing the right thing and doing what will bring him success. Is that hard to play?

Conveying that, you have to be in the moment, especially after doing 300 shows. You have to make a decision, if my emotion at the time is anger, I am going to be angry, if at the next show it is more sarcastic, I am going to do that, just to keep it fresh and real. Every show is different. You have to be in the moment, you really do.

In a show with "girls" in the title, the focus is often bound to be on, well, the girls in the show. How do the guys handle that?

Yeah, me, Chester Gregory and Chaz Shepherd, we call ourselves the Dreamguys.

C.C. is Effie's brother, do you have siblings?

I do, I have an older brother.

Is your relationship with your brother similar or different than your on stage relationship?

To tell you the truth, me and my brother have a different relationship than Effie and C.C., but I do have a family member who reminds me of the relationship between Effie and C.C. It's my cousin who is like a sister to me. Sometimes I use that projection of acting like, what if this was her in this predicament, how would I feel? I have never had a biological sister, but my relationship with my cousin is pretty close. So, when I have to tell Effie she's in the back now, I think, "what if I had to tell my cousin that?"

Let's talk about Atlanta for a minute. You went to school here, at Clark Atlanta University. Is this the first time you have ever performed in Atlanta? Do you have friends here still? Will be cool to have the come see the show?

It is! I am super, duper excited, because I was very involved at Clark Atlanta University and at Elizabeth Baptist Church, which both have big populations.  I was really involved so its really fun to come back and see the support I have here, it has been nothing but a blessing. Even when I was on Making the Band and Sunday Best, I still had the support from my campus. When I would come back people would say they knew I would be successful, so it's been super encouraging.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to while you are back here in Atlanta?

I would say just seeing people I haven't seen in awhile, socializing and reconnecting with my Atlanta family, friends and support system. It has been just great to be able to be onstage and perform for them.

What's the best part of playing C.C.? What do you look forward to the most each night?

I really love "Steppin to the Bad Side", it's one of my favorites. That and "It's All Over." I love performing period, but I definitely get a lot from both of those. "Steppin to the Bad Side" because it is pretty much my only dance number. Sometimes it feels like we are in a boy band and audiences are cheering, and we love it. "It's All Over" is my favoirte scene in the show, the way it was composed, I love it, it is really intense.

Let's talk for a minute about life on the road. Is it exciting seeing new cities, or does it get tiring after awhile? What is the hardest part?

I love getting to see all the cities and even connecting with people I know in the cities. I get a glimpse of what it is like to live in all of the cities we visit. I have favorites that I absolutely love. The audiences are very different. Each venue is totally different, from how it is set up to how the audiences react.

Have you gotten to play near home (Flint, MI) yet?

We play Detroit in December.

I know the tour will be continuing after Atlanta, but thinking to the future, what's next for you after Dreamgirls?

Definitely television, film,and an album. Definitely not anything guaranteed, but it is guaranteed according to my faith, cause I know it is going to happen. We are done in December, and so I am looking forward to what's next.

What is your "dream"? Is there a "dream" role that you would one day like to play? Do you have a "dream" job?

Really, no, not anything in particular, but just to be on the screen and to get the opportunity to work on camera, film or television, would be great. I absolutely love learning new techniques of acting, so when I get the chance to do it, I can't wait.

Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you or the show?

Really I would say my main reason for doing what I do and for living is to inspire other people and motivate them to chase their dreams. It is kind of funny to say that since I am in Dreamgirls, but it's the truth!

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Dreamgirls will play the Fox Theatre from October 12-17 as part of the Broadway Across America – Atlanta 2010-2011 season. Ticket prices start at $18.00 and will be available at the Fox Theatre box office (660 Peachtree Street N.E.), all Ticketmaster outlets, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-982-2787. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 404-881-2000. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. with matinees Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

For more information, please visit the official Dreamgirls website at www.DreamgirlsOnStage.com

 

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