Chimera Productions takes the stage at the Robert L. Solly Theater at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in Princeton, on Thursday to Saturday, August 13 to 15. The production, “How It Works,” written by Daniel MacIvor, is a play about the power of stories in our lives. Director Drew Griffiths and actor Jeffrey Allan Davis are West Windsor residents.##M:[more]##
Chimera Productions was founded by Griffiths and Davis to produce interesting, enlightening, and rarely-seen plays for their artistic merit. Their goal is to explore the power of theater and the bond between the artist and a live audience. “A chimera is an imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts; the product of an unchecked imagination,” Davis says. “Besides being a monster from the Greek myths, a chimera is an illusion or fabrication of the mind, something fantastical, visionary, and improbable. What better describes the act of creating art?”
“Chimera is my dream company, dedicated to producing only work that we believe in artistically (so we do nothing with a focus on making money — not that we’re against it, it is just never a consideration when we choose work), that is not often seen, and that explores the relationship between the audience and the actors (which is where the power of theater lives).”
Raised in New York City, Davis moved to Princeton when he was 13. During his years at Princeton High, he was in all of the non-musical plays for four years. A student at Mercer County College part time for several years, he was in many plays there. He graduated from University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts. Davis has lived in West Windsor for four years.
Davis, also the artistic director for Chimera, has performed in Philadelphia and New Jersey extensively, and founded several theater companies over the years. As a drama teacher in East Brunswick High School, he directs and produces plays there. “I have done everything from set and lights to acting, directing, and producing,” says Davis.
“In the 25 or so years I have been acting I have been in everything from Shakespeare to children’s theater to musicals (I was told to lip sync), in everything from tiny one line parts to leads and even a couple of one person shows,” Davis says. He has been teaching acting for 18 years, the last 10 in the public schools, and has been building the drama program in East Brunswick for the past four years.
In “How It Works,” Davis plays the role of Al Ferguson, a recently divorced father of a troubled 19-year-old daughter, Brooke. “Al is trying to help his daughter, as well as get back in the dating scene and find some happiness,” says Davis.
Griffiths, who has lived in West Windsor for more than three years after living in Cranbury for more than five years, has been involved in the area art scene through Arts Council of Princeton, Gourgard Gallery, and other venues in the Trenton area. This is Chimera’s third production with the Arts Council of Princeton. “I love working with the arts council and it has been a great relationship so far,” he says.
Griffiths’ theater experience began in his teen years working in various productions off-Broadway for several years. He later moved to New England for college and worked in theater in the Providence area. “After returning to New Jersey I was excited to found Chimera Productions with Jeffrey and begin producing the work that meant the most to us,” he says. “Our first production was a series of one-act plays. We then moved on to a wonderful night of two short one person plays by one our favorite writers, Daniel MacIvor.”
Griffiths produced and directed “Wild Abandon,” and Davis directed “See Bob Run.” Their third season was another round of short plays and this is their first full-length play.
Griffiths is a founding member and executive producer. “I help arrange all logistics, including space, rehearsal time, props, storage, etc,” he says. “Along with Jeffrey we spend numerous hours picking through great plays to find what our next show will be. I am also handle directorial duties many times especially when Jeffrey is starring but more often than not we work together to bring our vision to the stage.”
Griffiths, a published author of short fiction and poetry in Writers Notes, Ends Remembered, A New Dog, and other various literature magazines, is also a painter and has shown his work in galleries in New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. “I also dabble in photography and do many of the shots we use for our shows — although this time around I have not picked up the camera yet,” he says. Not only does he run ADK Graphics, a print and design firm based in Robbinsville, but he designs the promo posters and cards for all their shows.
“We are a company of local artists who are dedicated to producing work at a professional level, and which expands the options of what is out there for the audience,” says Davis. “We like to challenge ourselves and our audiences, and expand the options of what is available in theater in this area.”
‘How It Works,’ Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street. Thursday to Saturday, August 13 to 15, 8 p.m. The play is not suggested for children under 13. $10. 609-924-8777. www.artscouncilofprinceton.org. For information about Chimera Productions visit www.facebook.com/chimeraproductions.
