Caroline Davis

Caroline J. Davis

Visiting Lecturer, Theatre Arts and Education

swipe to see more

A native of Greenville, SC, Professor Davis grew up on Furman's campus, competing in annual piano competitions in the Daniel Music Building and riding her bike around the lake with her family. She officially came to Furman as an undergraduate student with an interest in Spanish language studies, but after her first Shakespeare-laden fall term, she never left the Theatre Arts Department.

After graduation she moved to Vero Beach, Florida where she toured a series of educational productions and workshops with Riverside Theatre. Several years later she completed her MFA in Theatrical Performance and Pedagogy at Texas Tech University, where she served as Artistic Director of The BurkTech Players, a theatre company dedicated to providing artistic opportunities for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Now she is back at Furman, where she serves as a Lecturer in the Theatre and English departments. On days she isn't teaching, you can find her working on campus as Testing Coordinator for the Student Office of Accessibility Resources.

Professor Davis is also a freelance director, actor, and dramaturg, and spends her nights and summers in rehearsals for theatres across the Upstate.

Honors

  • Outstanding Student Director, Texas Tech University School of Theatre and Dance
  • "Rock Star Reader" Volunteer Award, East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood Initiative
  • CH Foundation Talent VPA Scholarship Recipient
  • Omicron Delta Kappa
  • George Sorensen Scholarship Recipient
  • Irene Ryan Acting Nomination
  • Furman Theatre Guild Award of Distinguished Achievement
  • Joanne Woodward Award - Best Direction of a Studio 444 Play

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

Research

  •  Accessibility practices in educational and non-profit theatres
  • Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in pedagogical contexts
  • Ecofeminist theatremaking and criticism
  •  Feminist reimaginings of the theatrical canon
  •  Improvisational theatre techniques in nontheatrical disciplines

Professional Activities

Directing:

  • Centre Stage South Carolina, Water by the Spoonful
  •  Furman University, The Wolves, The Vagina Monologues x2
  • 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 Shrews
  • 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:

  • Furman University, John Proctor is the Villain
  •  Greenville Light Opera Works, Carmen, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, My Fair Lady

Film/Web/Radio:

  • Mister Academy, (featured, Third Mind Films)
  • Concealed Love, (supporting, Upstate Film)
  • The Upstate Show, (cohost, WORD 106.3 FM)
  • CNC Technician:What is that?, (host, ZD Productions)
  • RCT On-the-Go Web Series, Season 1, (host, Riverside Theatre)

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

0