This article was originally published in the July 2018 Princeton Echo.
If the thespian’s dream is to produce theater purely for the dramatic value of the play being performed, then Jeffrey Alan Davis and Drew Griffiths are living the dream. The longtime friends and former Princeton residents — Davis is a 1986 Princeton High School alumnus — are the co-founders of Chimera Productions, which is marking its 13th consecutive year bringing a play to the Arts Council of Princeton’s 60-seat theater.
Chimera’s founders state that “the company’s goal is to only produce work that is interesting, enlightening, and not often seen; to explore the power of theater, and the bond between artist and live audience.”
This year’s selection is Sharr White’s “The Other Place,” which premiered Off-Broadway in 2011 and had a brief run on Broadway in 2013. Performances at the Arts Council take place Thursday through Saturday, July 19 through 21, at 8 p.m. “The Other Place” tells the story of Juliana, a brilliant research scientist on the verge of a breakthrough but also confronting real and imagined personal problems.
Tickets are $15 at the door or in advance through the crowdfunding website IndieGoGo, where donations of up to $1,000 come with tickets as well as perks including goodie bags, gift cards, and — at the $1,000 level — a private performance for up to 35 friends.
The annual production is a donation-funded labor of love for the two founders, who both hold day jobs. Davis, a drama teacher at East Brunswick High School, is a graduate of University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Griffiths, who manages social media for Spencer’s Gifts, attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. The two met mere feet from their dramatic home at the Arts Council, over cigars at A Little Taste of Cuba.
