A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Texas State student and director Emma Davis. As a junior performance and production major, Davis brought a lot to the table. We discussed her previous projects, her upcoming showcase, and SB-17. During this 30-minute conversation, she offered a lot of insight into the world of theatre and how politics impacts it now more than ever.
The concept came to her in the previous fall semester – an exploration and comparison of how gender has been portrayed in classic and contemporary theatre.
“I like to focus on pieces that explore gender,” Davis said. “Specifically… how the gender of a playwright affects how the characters speak.”
Davis coordinated and led a discussion workshop surrounding this concept, titling it Women+ in Theatre, which would later become the title of her showcase. This discussion covered participants’ notions of gender and how this affects their work in theatre. She also held discussions with faculty members, notably Yesenia Herrington, before coming up with the idea of a compare and contrast of female characters in theatre.
“I was struggling to find my niche in theatre,” Davis said. “And then the election happens. I saw the portrayal of women in the media as soon as November hit, and it just… changed something in me. It caused me to be active.”
This sparked something in her as we spoke – suddenly she couldn’t stop, and I didn’t want her to. She half lamented, half criticized her younger self for being so unaware of the political climate around her.
“I was a sixteen-year-old,” Davis said. “I wasn’t fully aware of politics and how that affects me. I wasn’t fully in the world. What is the point of my art if it’s not affecting something that’s happening?”
With the recent introduction of SB-17 and anti-drag laws in Texas, flags are being raised for playmakers everywhere as the stability of their art is threatened.
Davis said that faculty members don’t know anything about this particular project – students and faculty are going to keep going on like normal. Davis was constantly being reassured as more and more details came about the SB-17 bill until, ultimately, she could no longer shield herself from it.
Faculty informed her that the word “women” is in this bill. She was also told she was not allowed to use a “plus” in her workshop, Women + in Theater, because of the inclusion of trans people, which is now not allowed.
“Which I think is ridiculous,” Davis said in response to the changes.
Suddenly she was scrambling to rename her showcase. Trying to find words that mean women but aren’t…women.
“In stories, you have a hero and you have a heroine, so let’s do something about heroine!”
She was then expected to inform twenty-seven cast and crew members about this change. For some, this is their first production at Texas State. This is their first example of collegiate-level theatre. Fortunately, by March 21st, she had more discussions with faculty members and was “allowed” to change the name back so long as “Everyone is welcome!” is included on Every. Single. Piece. Of. Promotion.
“Everyone was always welcome,” Davis said. “It’s a theatre performance, I was never planning on excluding anyone from watching the performance.”
Fortunately, or unfortunately, due to the vague wording of these bills and bans, Davis has solid backing for the premise of her showcase; it was set in motion before the bill was introduced.
“I have men in my showcase by the way,” Davis said. “There’s four. You can’t show the change in gender dynamics in plays without specifically showing the male characters as well.”
As Davis dives deeper into the details of her show, from casting to content, she further proves the inanity of SB-17’s impact. For many of her cast members, this is their first Texas State production. A top drama school is falling into a tizzy over a show having the word “woman” in its title.
I finally asked her the question all playmakers must be asked when creating their work; do you anticipate backlash?
“Oh, yes,” she said. “I anticipate backlash with anything I do. I always do. I know that I am very strong in my opinions, and I know that because I have such a clear idea of what I want to do and what I’d like to do. I know that people are going to disagree because that’s just the way of the world.”
On top of her showcase, Davis recently earned a Kennedy Center Collegiate American Theatre Honor (KCCATF) due to her work directing a scene from The Language Archive.
“The new artistic director of The Kennedy Center does not want to recognize my existence,” Davis said. “I am doing something in D.C. where I have to walk into a space where I’m not even going to get recognized by the people that run it. I’ve experienced backlash just wanting to direct as a woman!”
One space she knows she will not receive backlash is among her family.
“I love my mom and my dad,” she said. “My family is very supportive of me, and I am very incredibly grateful for that. They appreciate that, as a young person, I’m kind of pushing boundaries. How far can I push this coding? Especially in this showcase?”
As she details the construction of her showcase, she targets SB-17 once again.
“[SB-17] is definitely going to break people down,” Davis said in regard to the bill’s impact on student theatre. “Most of us are undergraduates, we’re very young and used to high school theatre. We finally have this chance to explore our own artistic style, and now there are all of these restrictions placed on us.”
While morbid, this is realistic. Davis also provides a bright side to this possibility.
“There are so many plays out there that code everything, hide everything… I think we’re going to see more pieces like that, which is inherently attacking the problem, but they’re going to manage to get away with it,” she said. “We’re not saying anything about the problem! We’re following your rules! I think we’re going to get a lot more fun – experimental political satire in theatre.”
“I just think we can’t back down,” she said. “If you feel like it’s tearing at you, if you feel broken down, get involved with other theatre because you’ll be able to find out from others the way they’re able to keep going. It’s a matter of community sticking together.”
Emma Davis’ Women+ in Theatre Showcase will perform on April 12th at 7:30 p.m. in room 206 at the Texas State Theatre Center (430 Moon St.).