White woman in her early 30s with long auburn hair wearing a light blue blazer

Caroline J. Davis

Visiting Lecturer, Theatre Arts and Education

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A native of Greenville, SC, Professor Davis teaches a variety of courses for the Theatre Arts department in acting, dramatic literature, writing, and theatre history. In addition to her academic role, she contributes to the field through leadership and service, including positions on the Executive Committee of the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC), the Artistic Advisory Board of the South Carolina Children’s Theatre (SCCT), and the Editorial Board of Southern Theatre magazine.

Honors

  • OLLI Faculty Enrichment Award, Furman University, 2022
  • DEI Mini-Grant, Furman University, 2020
  • Outstanding Student Director, Texas Tech University School of Theatre and Dance, 2017
  • Furman Theatre Guild Award of Distinguished Achievement, 2013
  • Joanne Woodward Award - Best Direction of a Studio 444 Play, 2012

Education

  • M.F.A., Theatrical Performance and Pedagogy, Texas Tech University;
  • B.A., Theatre Arts, minor in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Furman University

Publications

  • "Skylar Fox: You Are the Actual Magic," Southern Theatre magazine
  • "The Farm Theater's College Collaboration Project: Cultivating the Next Generation of New Play Development Talent," Southern Theatre magazine

Professional Activities

Directing:

  • The Warehouse Theatre: Odd (world premiere), Kill Corp (AD; world premiere)
  • Furman University: The Wolves, Late: A Cowboy Song, Our Tempest
  • Centre Stage South Carolina: Mack, Beth
  • Guerrilla Shakespeare Theatre: Miss Julie
  • Texas Tech University: Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, It All Comes Down (AD), "Flagellate Me Baby!," "Addicted"
  • The BurkTech Players, You Live And You Learn (AD), "Playwriting 101," "Apres Opera"
  • Riverside Children's Theatre: The Jungle Book: Kids, "Steps into Books!"
  • Greenville Theatre Studio 444, "Pitbulls, Bowling Balls, and Tiaras"

Acting:

  • Centre Stage South Carolina: Noises Off!, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Detroit
  • Prague Fringe Festival: Shooting Blanks
  • Riverside Theatre, The Bully Plays, The Wolf and its Shadow, Cows Don't Fly, Goldilocks Revisited
  • The Distracted Globe: The Taming of the Shrew
  • The Moliere Improv Project: The Miser Improvised
  • Greenville Theatre: Leading Ladies, Appointment with Death, Anton in Show Business
  • Proud Mary Theatre, 5 Lesbians Eating Quiche
  • Guerrilla Shakespeare Theatre, Bull, Romeo and Juliet

Dramaturgy:

  • Lean Ensemble Theatre: The Taming
  • Furman University: John Proctor is the Villain
  • Greenville Light Opera Works: Carmen, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, My Fair Lady

Presentations

  • "The Taming of the Shrew and Feminist Interpretations of Shakespeare," Guest Lecturer, Performing of Identity, California State University, Chico, CA
  • "The Art of Flirting: Casual Social Interaction for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder" with Sam Shreffler, Project CASE College Workshops, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
  • "Staging the Future: A Conversation with Anne Washburn" with Dorothy Chansky, Jesse Jou, and Anne Washburn, Humanities Center Lecture Series, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
  • "The East Side Arts Camp: Designing, Framing, and Sustaining a Summer Camp for Elementary Students" with Jared Strange and Meg Davis, Regional Academic Engagement Symposium, Lubbock, TX
  • "Staging Social Interaction: Drama Therapy and the BurkTech Players" with Sam Shreffler, South Plains Autism Network Forum, Lubbock, TX
  • "Shooting Blanks Promotional Preview," The Fringe Sunday, Prague Fringe Festival, Prague, Czech Republic
  • "The Bully Plays" with Allen Niles and Camille Jenkins, Theatre for Youth Invitational Festival, Southeastern Theatre Conference, Mobile, AL
  • "Non-Verbal Behavioral Clinic: Status Transactions" with Bob Chanda and Ashley Meyer, International Teaching Assistant Summer Workshops, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

Reserach Interests

A passionate advocate for emerging voices, Professor Davis works closely with playwrights and ensembles to develop new work through workshops, readings, devised processes, and community-based storytelling. Her practice often explores identity and social imagination, with a focus on queer and feminist dramaturgies. As a practitioner positioned at the intersection of contemporary play development and historical performance studies, much of her work begins in conversation with the archive: recasting literary icons, queering familiar stories, and challenging the assumptions embedded in canonical works.

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