If you haven't seen or read a new play by Bill C. Davis lately, you're missing out. Here is a writer with craft, intelligence, and style. But more than that, Bill C. Davis is a writer with a passion. He burns with the fire of possibility. You see, Bill still believes in the theater as an agent of change.
Yes, he wrote Mass Appeal. Yes, Mass Appeal was a huge hit and a great play. And yes, he has written other things. Screenplays. Fiction. Political commentary. And plays. Lots of plays. Really wonderful plays.
I met Bill last year when director Jerry Less invited me to do a reading of Avow for New York City's Algonquin Project. Like Mass Appeal, Avow has as its backdrop the Catholic Church. But the topic this time is gay marriage. Through an intimate portrayal of one couple and their relationship to their faith, we are given an insight into the hypocrisy of the church's standing.
I then did another reading with Jerry Less of Bill's play All Hallowed. This play is absolute genius. Three generations of a family deal with the loss of the patriarch. But who was he? An honored war veteran, an unfaithful husband, an angry father, a loving Granfather? His body is lowered into the ground as the rest of the village prepares to go trick or treating. What ghosts await for us all as we say good-bye to the past? Coming this October? Let's hope so.
Then in March, I was fortunate enough to work with Bill again. This time it was his new play called Expatriate. Bill directed actors Rosemary Murphy, Bill Fairbairn, and me, and the play was presented at the Studio Theater at Theater Row. The play is at once political and personal. What do you do when you've been betrayed by your country and by your family? This is the central question of the play. Again Bill finds a metaphor for big issues through intimate relationships, this time a Grandmother, a son, and a grandson torn between the need to be true to themselves and the need they have for each other.
Now Bill is at work once again. This time its a new musical called Austin's Bridge. The show is currently running at Virginia's Firehouse Theatre Project. If you're anywhere in the vicinity of Richmond, run to see this show. Otherwise you're going to have to wait until it moves to Broadway.
I look forward to catching up with Bill C. Davis again very soon. Expect great things from this man. They're already written.
Happy Sunday
Wayne
