Robbie Davis, Author at

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Community Living: Join the Rhos!

For the past three years, I have had the pleasure of living with my best friends. Grove City College offers a wonderful opportunity to not only join various communities but, in the case of housing groups, fraternities, and sororities, to also live with them.

The Rhos are an independent men’s housing groups. For those unacquainted with Grove City culture, housing groups are essentially groups of guys who live on an assigned hall together and throw an event or two on campus.

For me, however, the Rhos have been so much more than a guaranteed place to live. They’ve been my best friends, my teammates, my roommates, and my role models.

I joined the Rhos because I befriended a few of them in theatre and then got to know the rest of the guys of the course of the year.

It’s a strange group culture in that usually groups are joined for a specific unifying factor. The Rhos are different in that you join primarily because of your friendships with individuals.

We like to believe that the Rhos are its members, not the members are Rhos. Everyone brings their own personality to the group and molds the experience for each other.

I’m thankful for the community I’ve been given. There’s nothing like it.

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Student Spotlight: Ryan Brothers, Computer Science and the Humanities

As of May 2015, Ryan Brothers joined the same housing group as I did. We had talked maybe twice from when he joined to May 2016. On a whim, we decided to be roommates for our senior year. Now, I can call him one of my best friends.

“I applied to bigger schools, but at the same time, they couldn’t offer me what Grove City does. The humanities core offered here has made me far more well-rounded than any other school I applied to could have.”

Ryan is an Electrical Engineer with a concentration in Computer Science, one of five in the senior class. Ryan’s passion for Computer Science brought him to Grove City, but he wanted to major in something different with the hope of giving himself a challenge.

“Computer Science was something I always got. Once I learned about the EE with CompSci, I knew it was the program for me. Get it? Program?”

Currently, Ryan is working with a professor on an independent study that end goal is to convert images into vectors. The program will be used at a local forge in imprinting steel.

“It sounds a little confusing, but it’s applications are incredibly practical. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Grove City offers these type of opportunities in a variety of its departments. It’s been neat to see how Ryan’s been taking advantage of it.

Posted on March 15, 2017March 15, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Student Spotlight: Nicolas Giorgi, Designs in Rhythm

I’ve known Nic for nearly my entire time at Grove City College. He came in as an engineer with the class of 2016 with the intent to pursue product design. After extenuating circumstances, Nic left due to medical complications, but returned with the class of 2017.

Despite immense trials, Nic pushed forward, still driven by his passion for aesthetics and practicality. With what was then a fledgling design program, Nic began to delve into the world of design, studying under Nathan Mucha, a recent Design hire at Grove City College. Through hours of study and practice, Nic honed his design skills to realize his dream.

“It’s all about the process,” Nic muses. “There isn’t necessarily a correct solution, or product, when you go into the design process. It builds on each idea you have. Likewise, the journey to becoming a good designer is not a straight shot upwards. Just like any skill or craft, there’s mistakes made; however, that’s the way things go.”

After hours and hours of classwork and personal projects, Nic began to apply his design skills to various outlets across campus. From theatre posters to event programs, he’s applied what he’s learned to whatever comes his way.

For two years now, Nic and I have been roommates, and it’s an absolute pleasure to watch him go through the design process. The various iterations that stem from an initial concept always amaze me, but, being a perfectionist and skilled designer, Nic knows which route will bear the best results.

“Because of the classes I’ve taken and the professors I’ve been able to study under and ask questions of, I’ve had the privilege of taking part in projects which are not only campus-wide and beyond, but that have also stretched me as a designer. Grove City’s classes have taught me the basics, and the opportunities I’ve had provide me with the chance to apply those basics to a myriad of purposes.”

While Nic’s scientific background gives him the geometric and analytical tools to measure his tools with precision, his artistic experiences prior to Grove City College have tempered his design sensibilities to implement creativity into his well thought out plans. While he didn’t take many art classes before college, Nic was an avid drawer.

An aspect that ties closely into his designs, believe it or not, is his music choice. Many of my current favorite songs have come from Nic’s playlists, but his ethereal synth pop closely echos his work. There is a carefully calculated aspect to both, ideas that are filtered to ensure their purest essence is captured, and designs that are rhythmic and measured.

“Everything that I do as a designer is purposeful. It’s a microcosm of life. Whatever you may do, be it design or accounting, we are called to be meticulous and economical. We are given resources and abilities that are not to be wasted.”

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

From the Spotlight to the Wings: Working in the Theatre

On-campus jobs are plentiful at Grove City College. Whether it’s working the sidelines of a Grove City football game or handling orders at the print shop, Grove City offers a multitude of options for work opportunities. For the last three years I’ve had the pleasure of working as a Pew Fine Arts Center Technician, which has been an interesting change from my first stage experience performing in Les Miserables.

Over the years, we’ve had a few leadership and job description changes, but the end goal of the PFAC Techs, as we affectionately call ourselves, has always been to run events held in Grove City College’s Ketler Auditorium, the primary stage on campus.

During both the Fall and the Spring semesters, Ketler houses theatre productions, dance shows, orchestra concerts, jazz band concerts, admitted students presentations, prospective student presentations, and, honestly, more than that.

Media Services is the branch of Grove City’s faculty and student employees charged with bringing together multimedia events across campus. The PFAC Techs are a special group of Media Services employees dedicated to the events that occur in Ketler.

It’s been an honor to work with a group of such passionate individuals in such a fast paced setting like Ketler. The employees traditionally are involved in the theatre department’s technical aspects and are then directed to apply to the PFAC techs.

The events we work typically aren’t overly demanding, but they still require our utmost attention. Say I was working audio for an orchestra concert, and I forgot to turn the microphone on. If this happened, and I were also on friendly terms with the conductor, theoretically the conductor may embarrass me by calling my name out in front of the audience and then continue to thank me for turning the microphone on every time he spoke. Not that that has happened… But if it did, the audience and the conductor and I would have gotten a kick out of it.

All of the shenanigans aside though, there’s nothing like working backstage, providing the technical support for the likes of President McNulty and, coming up, Mark Levin. There’s a service aspect that is oft overlooked, but it’s at the core of what we do. We’re employed to assist. We’re not the stars. We’re not under the lights. The lights, however, wouldn’t be on if we weren’t there.

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Being a City Boy in Rural PA: What’s Western PA All About?

If you couldn’t tell from my previous post, I love city living. From the abounding culture to crossing the street when that pesky red hand shines at you from across the road (but come on, there’s not even a car coming down the street), there’s something about being in a city that just makes me feel at home.

I grew up outside of the Big Apple, the City the Never Sleeps, NYC, so moving to Grove City required that I shift my recreational expectations. Don’t get me wrong. Grove City is full of activity, and you will never be bored if you use a little creativity. From hall gaming tournaments to late-night strolls, there’s enough to keep you entertained.

But what about when you’re yearning to be honked at or explore a museum? One of my favorite things to do on a free weekend at home is take the train into the city and visit the Met or the MoMA, maybe even see a Broadway show.

Well fear not, city slicker, for you are within an hour of a wonderful city: Pittsburgh!

The Steel City has everything you’d ever want from a thriving metropolis. If you want an art museum, you’re going to have to decide what type of art you’d like to see. To be completely honest, I haven’t been to the Warhol Museum (yet), but it’s one of the next destinations I need to visit.

And don’t forget about the Carnegie Museum of Art. From Van Gogh to Warhol, the museum offers a wide collection for patrons to peruse and enjoy.

For the foodies out there, Pittsburgh restaurant scene has a lot to offer. Pittsburgh’s restaurants span from Argentinian steak houses to Ramen bars, you won’t be wandering around for long before you find a place to savor a delicious meal. Recently, I went to Gaucho, just outside of downtown and had one of the best Latin skirt steaks I’ve ever enjoyed, and I’ve had a lot.

And if music is your scene then you need look no further. From Jon Bellion at Stage AE to some rando’s basement hosting one of my favorite local bands from NJ, there is no shortage of concerts.

Despite all the wonderful things Pittsburgh has to offer, I don’t make it down their often, and that’s nice. Pittsburgh is a great city, but when you’re at Grove City College, this is where your life is located. If I’m ever missing my fast-paced, traffic-filled, Starbucks-on-every-block life, I know I can head down to the Burgh.

But don’t think that there’s nothing to do at this place because there’s only a dull moment if you allow it to creep in.

As much as I love blood pressure that shoots upward due to caffeine and adrenaline, the country provides a respite, a place to focus on friends and studies.

Posted on February 21, 2017February 21, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Passing Along Passion: Children’s Theatre

Theatre. There’s nothing quite like it. Particularly musicals. There’s something transcendent about music in and of itself, but when it accompanies a narrative, music allows an audience to be drawn in to the world that is unfolding before them.

As an adult there is something about musicals that takes us back to childhood. Even if the message of the show is simple, the suspension of disbelief that results from a musical takes us back to a time where our imaginations created worlds for our friends and us to inhabit.

With arts budgets being cut across the country, children are not being exposed to theatre the way the generations before them were. Grove City College Theatre is doing its part to expose local students to the magic of theatre. The end goal of Grove City College’s annual Children’s Theatre production is to not just to entertain local elementary students, but to possibly pass along the passion for theatre that the college’s performers have to those in attendance.

Every school year during the spring semester, Grove City College’s Theatre department puts on an hour-long musical production with the children of the community in mind. I’ve had the honor to participate in the last three productions, in two of which I had leading roles.

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I first signed up for “The Emperor’s New Clothes” my freshman year. After a hectic callback session, we were off and rehearsals began. One of my fondest memories at Grove City is the rehearsal process for “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and a number of friendships were made during that process. That’s not unique to that production, though. That’s what Children’s Theatre is all about. When you’re there for the fun of the show and for the children, there’s something very organic and beautiful that emerges.

When show week arrives, the cast gets out of classes for one, sometimes even two morning shows for an often packed auditorium. With meet and greets before and after the show, the students who are bused in from local schools get to meet the characters from the show, something that allows for full immersion into the show.

The cast has just as much, if not more, fun than those in attendance, and this is evident to everyone in attendance. The hope is that one day one of those 3rd graders in the audience will grow up and put on a production for a local grade school with the intention of not just entertaining, but of passing along passion for theatre.

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Shifting Roles: GCC Theatre as a Means of Change

If growing up outside of New York City didn’t ensure that I’d see a Broadway show as child, having a dad who saw over 500 shows by the age of 18 and who majored in Theatre from Fordham University definitely did. The stage has beckoned me from my earliest years, creating a sense of wonder every time I step into the doors of a theatre.

My small, Christian, private high school provided everything it could, and I would not have attended Grove City Colllege without it. However, being a small, Christian, private high school limited the resources it could offer, and this resulted in an underfunded arts department. Despite my love for performance, my only outlets were Christmas concerts and cabaret nights.

I assumed that Grove City College would similarly have a sub par fine arts programming, especially because of its small size and its liberal arts focus. After three and a half years in the theatre program, I can bear witness to the fact that the theatre department not only provides numerous opportunities, but also contains tremendous talent and dedication that allow Grove City’s productions to exceed expectations.

I’ll never forget my first night on stage in Les Miserables, the Fall musical my freshman year. More importantly, though, I was accepted into the theatre family without reservation. That’s how the theatre department works. It takes in new performers and technicians, be it freshmen or seniors, and welcomes them into the process of creating art for the education and enjoyment of the community.

As a freshman, you find yourself faced with the task of not only finding friends but also an identity, an identity that will inevitably change of your time here. If you are not familiar with The Myers-Briggs personality test, believe me, by the time your done at Grove City you will. It’s a useful means of figuring out how you tick.

I came into Grove City as an ENFP, commonly known as “The Performer.” Fitting, I’m aware. The “F” in ENFP stands for “Feeling,” denoting that my decision making primarily relied on emotions. I retook the test the Fall semester of my Senior year, and to my surprise I was retyped as an ENTP. In this case the “T” refers to “Thinking.”

Grove City has changed me in more ways than I can imagine, but it has shaped me into a full person. I can think the Theatre Department for a large part of that. Through studying parts and plays, understanding motivations, and digging into the meaning behind certain pieces, I have come out not just experiencing life, but also thinking through it.

Without theatre, I wouldn’t have the friendships I have and the lessons that have come along with them. Grove City allows you to express yourself in many ways, and theatre department is no exception. Rather, it is exceptional.