MFA Project at UCONN, Replay

-by Alyson Doyle (MA candidate in Puppet Arts at University of Connecticut) 

Genna Beth Davidson’s Replay is a story of healing mental illness triggered by childhood sexual trauma. The narrative unfolds through puppetry, object performances and … clowning?  “Perhaps unexpectedly,” explains Davidson, “I decided to lean into comedy for such a dark story because it allows me to safely explore the subject and share it with my audience joyfully, as opposed to tearfully.” She believes that drama and comedy can offer opportunities for healing, “but,” she admits, with a trademark twinkle in her eye, “I wanted to laugh.” 

Her own work is inspired by that of Paul Zaloom, 500clown, and Patricia O’Donovan. Like O’Donovan, Davidson has transformed into a multi-tasking marvel for the making of Replay, taking on the roles of co-director, puppeteer, and Head-Clown Clara, in charge of production. Perhaps one of the most poignant aspects of Replay is a dog named Blue. 

Blue is the show’s star puppet, and Genna Beth spent hundreds of hours conceptualizing, designing, prototyping, and building him to insure the verisimilitude of his movement. At every stage of the build, the realism of Blue’s motion was altered–improved or impeded–depending on what aesthetic changes had to be made to the puppet. Seeing Blue complete, it’s safe to say Davidson might soon give South Africa’s famed Handspring company a run for their money in the creation of realistic animal puppets for stage and screen. 

The imaginative Clara and Blue meet up with a few, practical-minded therapists in Replay, who turn out to be some real potato heads. All eyes on Clara, the spud psychologists try to help. The mixed results of their attempts, highlight Davidson’s greater philosophical ambitions for the show. She hopes that Replay revs up conversations about treatment approaches to trauma-related mental illness which, as far as she can tell, is most mental illness. “I hope,” she says, “that people can find resonance with Clara’s plight as she plays her way through the darkness.” 

The execution of Replay is in and of itself a kind of therapy-the antidote for performance anxiety-for blasting through ego to forge creative courage. “One of the most exciting things I am learning,” says Davidson, “is that creating original, wordless puppet theater requires showing up fearlessly and failing a lot. This piece, and my work as an artist in general, is still in its infancy. I’m learning to crawl. Maybe one day I’ll be able to walk, then run. There’s no way to speed up the process. I must take it day by day, building up both my performance skills and my vision.” 

Davidson’s imagination may have set her some lofty goals, but her heart and soul possess the grit to get the work done. After the premiere of Replay at Arts Center East and wrapping up her work at UCONN’s renowned Puppet Arts Program, she will be pursuing further training in both puppetry and clowning any way she can as she seeks new venues and broader audiences for her work. 

“Though I completed a finished arch for Replay, it was really only the first stop on the road for the piece” Davidson explains, adding that she hopes to hit the North American and European fringe and festival circuit with future incarnations of the show. 

Replay Premiered March 19th and 20th 2022 at Arts Center East in Vernon, CT with the generous support of the Marks Family Endowment in Fine Arts and the UCONN Puppet Arts Program.

Inquires for future development and performances can be addressed to gennabeth@gmail.com