Student Blogger: Maddie Davies

I was first involved in a devising process my senior year of high school. I'm not sure how accurate a devising experience it was because none of us had any idea what we were doing.

My project quickly became a love letter to Anderson's films. Directed by Wes Anderson directed by Maddie Davies. I selected brief scenes from my four favorite movies of his and intermingled the scenes with tableaux from the rest of his films. The finished piece was quirky and weird and funny, and although it was all Wes Anderson, it was also somehow very much me.

I realized how much of what I wanted from life may end up not possible because the world simply might not last another 40 years. I decided to write a poem that is my plea for people to realize just how dire the climate crisis is.

There has been a trend going around on Twitter where you tweet a list of 10 movies that you feel define you in some way. Those of you who know me know I am a huge film nerd. Don’t get me wrong. I am a theatre nerd as well, but my first love is and always will be movies.

I don't know how this would've happened, but I always thought I'd somehow meet Stephen Sondheim to thank him for the music he brought into my life. The beauty he created and the inspiration it instilled in me. I wanted to tell him his lyrics and stories are why I write, why I direct, and why I act. Instead, I write this and hope he can see it from wherever he is.

As I wrote in my last blog, I am not one that is often considered a leading lady type. I am more of a Thea than a Hedda. Quiet, small, naive, sometimes even mistaken as meek. Knowing everyone was going to assume I’d audition for Thea, I decided it wanted to audition for Hedda.

I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to play a romantic lead. I honestly don’t know if I would even like it. Maybe it would be incredibly boring compared to what I usually play, but I desperately want to be given the chance to find that out for myself.

When I started looking into college theatre programs about 5 years ago (I can't believe it's already been that long), I had very limited knowledge about the difference between a BA and a BFA. It has been drilled into my brain by a variety of sources that BFAs are better. I had no reasoning behind it other than hearing it from other people. In reality, BAs and BFAs are just different. Neither one is inherently better than the other. It just depends on what you are looking for. It still feels like there is a stigma around opting for a BA program over a BFA in the general theatre community though.

What really strikes me about Climate Follies is the use of Brechtian-style theatre to create the atmosphere of the play as a whole. Brecht’s style, also known as Epic Theatre, relies on the Estrangement Effect. Through various tech and acting techniques, the audience remains very aware that they’re watching a play. They are not allowed to fall into the reality of the play.

“Climate Follies is a comedy to cope with the climate crisis. 5 actors play a multitude of roles across 15 super short scripts using clowning, puppetry, singing, and dance.” Director, Raphael Schwartzman, and Jim Poyser have been working with the current cast since July 2021 but have been workshopping the script since 2019.

The premise of M*A*S*H is the day to day life of the members of the 4077th MASH unit during the Korean War. We see the nurses and doctors tend to their patients and cope with life and participation in a time of war. Those of you who know me probably know I have been obsessed with the tv show M*A*S*H this summer. For those of you who don't know me, I will explain what I mean when I say 'obsessed.' I often go through what I call 'phases of interest.'

Sandbox is a student run company. We are not officially a Butler club, but we are able to use the blackbox theaters with permission from the department. We are centered around social justice theatre and try to put on a number of readings of scripts each school year, highlighting a different, relevant charity with each reading.

From the very first time I met Olivia (the random roommate), I knew she was one of the coolest people I’d ever known. She wore thrifted clothes and brought her skateboard with her most everywhere. She had a very ‘I don’t care what other people think’ aura to her. Almost immediately, I was able to open up and talk with her without feeling awkward.

A few days ago, one of my friends sent me a TikTok asking what shows I would choose to see if I had 3 comp tickets and a time machine. I liked this concept, but decided to make it a list of 10 instead of 3.

My junior year of college I was asked to stage manage Fleeting Full which was a compilation of 4 short Beckett plays. After just two rehearsals, I fell completely in love with the plays, specifically Act Without Words II.