Brea Davis takes the spotlight
Senior Brea Davis performs on stage as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. Sophmore Michael Fredericks, juniors Erica Bartkey and Ruby Suro perform behind her.
November 21, 2021
As the stage lights brighten and joyful students adjust their costumes, senior Brea Davis quietly prepares. The costume is ready, her hair is perfect and the show must begin. The talent for the performing arts has always come naturally to Brea. She has been performing for well over a decade, making progress every day and loving every second of it.
For as long as she can remember, she has always performed. As young as three, Brea has been performing with her sisters in County Fairs and Friday shows, “ always putting on a production for family.”
“Theater has, in the cheesiest way, made me who I am because… it brought me out of my shell and I’m a much more outgoing and outspoken person because of it,” Brea explained. “Theater is where I find my community and I am never worried to be truly true to myself.
Brea portrays Beatrice, a wild and witty female character. Many critics have suggested that Beatrice is one of Shakespeare’s most feminist characters, as she constantly goes about the play stating her mind and keeping the male characters in check. In classic Shakespearean dialogue, she states her mind and never budges, a wonderful example of feminine confidence. An article by Shakespeare’s Globe analyzes the complex gender dynamics presented in the Bards classic, suggesting that Shakespeare was ahead of his time in feminist literature.
“I love the character and I love her more every day… it was not hard for me to figure out her vibe and figure out how to portray her, which is really cool,” said Brea.
Alongside Brea in the lead role is senior Danny Valerius, who plays the role of Benedict. Though love interests, the two stubborn characters constantly clash leading to hilarity. Already good friends, the two performers’ chemistry radiates off the stage.
“I was super excited to find out that Brea got cast as Beatrice just because we’re already such good friends and knowing that she’s going to be playing Beatrice, which is a strong female role, requires a lot of focus and wit, which Brea already has plenty of…” said Valerius.
Brea is also ecstatic to perform across her friend. The two have never been able to act opposite one another in such a central way.
“I’m most looking forward to making fun of Danny on stage and all of our little quips and bits,” said Brea.
The theater has been a great passion for Brea. She has performed in numerous plays throughout her years performing. Though, her 2019 production “Newsies” through Ashland Theater Production is one particularly close to her heart.
“I was on the younger side of the cast… there were a lot of adults,” Brea explained. “And our guy who played Jack Kelly was a lot older than me. I was very intimidated by him… there was one time that I was walking in with my mom, and she complimented him and his skill and he turned around he’s like, Oh my gosh, I can’t dance like this one. And all of a sudden, I felt really seen.”
Her love for the play shined through her performance, as seniors Emma Cass and Logan Onken both agreed that it was their favorite performance of Brea’s.
Theater has allowed for growth in self-expression. Alongside acting, Davis is also a talented dancer, which has allowed her more opportunities such as choreographing for the theater department.
“I’d say specifically, to this production I was able to be the student choreographer, which is a super cool opportunity because it’s kind of what I would like to do with my life,” said Brea.
As the curtains close and performers hurry to greet friends and family, Brea is ready for her next challenge. There are many other performances and plays in her future, both on the stage and leading from behind the velvet red curtain. Time will only tell what spectacular shows she will put on.
Hi! My name is Sophia Arndt, I'm a senior at SAHS and I work as the Photography Editor-in-Cheif and a Copy Editor. While I'm not a part of any clubs but...
Gabrielle Knowlan • Jan 11, 2022 at 5:45 pm
The lead caught my attention and the story was filled with information that was laid out really well. The story used a ton of good language but was still easy to read.
Katie Kangas • Dec 21, 2021 at 8:31 am
I love the drop in lead. It really engages the reader and pulls them into the story. There’s also great portraiture about Brea and how she gets ready for the shows and how she looks.
Maya Disher • Dec 20, 2021 at 11:21 pm
Your lead paragraph was extremely creative and artistic, which created a well-rounded theme for your article (performing arts). You used unique word choices (i.e spectacular, ecstatic, witty) that catered to the style and feel of the article.
Sara Norton • Dec 20, 2021 at 5:57 pm
Your lead paragraph was filled with excitement and suspense, which I believe is the perfect mix to tieing someone into a story. When you wrote about Breas passion for theater and her role in newsies it really drew me into how much theater has impacted her life, and shows people just how important it is to have something in your life that you are passionate about.
Cecilia Conery • Dec 20, 2021 at 5:35 pm
The photo in this story really tied the whole thing together. The entire experience of theatre and performing was explained in great detail, making the story very compelling for the audience.
Brooke Elfert • Dec 20, 2021 at 12:36 pm
The pull quote really caught my attention, very fun and gives great idea of what the article is about. The lead was very strong and compelling with sensory details, as well as the story had wonderful flow.
Bella Godfrey • Dec 19, 2021 at 9:21 pm
I really enjoyed how Brea’s love for acting was displayed. The lead is also very engaging, anf it drew me into the rest of the story. Nice work!
Sienna Xiong • Dec 14, 2021 at 8:31 am
This aritcle is really caught my attention. This shows how passionate Brea Davis is. I liked how the article tells her growth and what she is looking forward to. She really did take the spotlight.
Evelyn Biederman • Dec 14, 2021 at 7:49 am
You have a great lead with really good descriptive words. The quotes you chose added emotion to the story and the conclusion left me excited to see what Brea will do next!
Ava Stein • Dec 4, 2021 at 11:44 am
The lead of this story is very creative and drew me in. The quotes help show Brea’s passion for theater along with your creative writing. Overall, this is a very well-written story.
Abigail Thibodeau • Dec 2, 2021 at 10:09 pm
I loved the description in your lead. I think it draws the attention of the reader by putting them in the moment. Overall, your use of compelling quotes from Brea make the story interesting.
Shannon Pothen • Nov 24, 2021 at 10:40 am
I thought that your title was very good. It makes you want to click on the story and tells just enough information. Your lead and conclusion are very creative. I like that you connected them with the play starting and ending. I thought that the conclusion wrapped up the story very well and stays with the reader. I thought that you picked out really good quotes and placed them in places that made sense in the story. The whole story flowed very well.