Emma Davis (she/her) is a theatre artist based in both the Greater Houston Area and San Marcos Texas. She is currently an undergraduate student at Texas State University intending to receive a BFA in Performance & Production with a concentration in Directing. Emma received the Robert R. Buseick Award for Directing Excellence National Finalist at the 2025 Region 6 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. She was then invited for a one-week intensive at the Kennedy Center in D.C. for Directing in April 2025.

NEWS

The Fallen Woman

I have a growing fascination with male playwrights before and during the 20th century, and their obsession with the fallen woman. Many juicy roles for women follow a pattern of descent from her initial societal standing when the audience first met her (Nina-Seagull; Honey-Who’s Afraid; Katharina-Taming of the Shrew). This is not just true for drama, but also relates to the male novel writers and poets who share the same template arch for a female character. I delve into how these male playwrights display her emotions, actions, consequences, and reactions from the men around her. What is the crux of her necessary descent? What are the differences between playwrights inventing a fallen woman based on the cultural backgrounds of each playwright? What elements do these male playwrights deem universal for a humiliated woman?

Turning Questions into Concept

The reality of the playwright writing about the fallen woman slightly abstracts their written world and ours. I use this abstraction in conceptualization. What key metaphors in the piece can be highlighted visually that slightly separate the audience from the world presented to them? I have often been told plays are a reflection of the audience. I look to crack this reflection and display a slight abstraction from a realism piece.