Who are you? I mean, who are you REALLY?
For my part, I'm a theatre director (well, a Zoom director, but whatevs ... did you hear these times are UNPRECEDENTED?!?).
Anyway ... I'm also a husband. A father. An actor. A teacher. A student. A birder. Etc., etc., etc.
So many different Jadds! And you can be sure I carry myself differently for each role I play (I swear so much more when I'm not around my kids)! Which one is the me-est me? Who knows? I certainly don't. I translate myself differently for each scenario.
I mean, how can we ever truly know anyone when each new context demands a different version of ourselves?
As a theatremaker, I love doing deep dives into the themes of plays (for which I gratefully acknowledge my cast's eternal forbearance). Yes, She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms is a fast-paced geek comedy centered around Dungeons & Dragons. But thematically, it's about identity. Who are we? Who do we want to be? What's standing in the way of that? What if there was a world where we could explore our truth without constraint?
If that's geekery, sign me up.
On a personal note, as this is the last time I'll be directing at UM as an MFA candidate (hopefully they'll let me have the degree after this year), I'm grateful for the collaborations I've experienced here—and She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms is no exception. I've found yet another new version of Jadd I never knew existed and it's been fun getting to know him. Here's to more adventures and more selves.
Thanks, everyone. Y'all kicketh ass.
Jadd Davis, MFA Candidate
Partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre, Area of Specialization in Directing
SPECIAL THANKS
Lara Berich, Kasey Davis, Beth Hubble, Erin McDaniel, Jason McDaniel, David Mills-Low, Mark Plonsky, Pamyla Stiehl, Bernadette Sweeney
