Connect with us

Create

Exit, stage left: Jobsite’s Giles Davies is leaving Tampa Bay

Bill DeYoung

Published

on

Giles Davies plays the King of Scotland in Shakespeare's "Macbeth," running through Feb. 9 at Jobsite Theater. Images: Stage Photography of Tampa.

The trickle-down effects continue from the Florida governor’s June 2024 line-item veto of all arts funding. The latest casualty is actor Giles Davies, who over the course of 14 seasons with Jobsite Theater, the professional company based at the Straz Center in Tampa, has become not only its most reliably watchable performer, but its centerpiece. He has appeared in 24 productions.

“I managed to create a life down here that was reasonably cheap,” the actor said, “so I could just survive on the work that was available.”

Jobsite, however, took a hit to the tune of $32,000 for its 2024-25 season, which meant that company director David M. Jenkins had to make some alterations. The actors were forced to accept pay cuts.

For Davies, who’d recently gone through a difficult shakeup in his personal life, the camel’s back gave way. Suddenly, even “reasonably cheap” was not sustainable.

“When you’ve spent the last 10 years really trying to improve the quality, and improve the audience base, and you really feel like things are growing, to then have the rug pulled out from underneath you is a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.”

Next week, once the current show, Macbeth (Davies is in the lead role) closes, he’ll pack up and drive to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he has longtime friends – and where he’s already got worked lined up.

At the same time Florida was redlining support for the arts, the Ohio legislature approved $22.7 million in statewide grants.

In Jobsite’s “The Smuggler,” one-man show, 2024.

Before relocating to Tampa Bay in 2009, the Hong Kong-born and Midwest-raised Davies was a valued member of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. He first worked with Tampa’s now-defunct Gorilla Theatre, and found his way to Jobsite in 2011, where he starred as the Marquis de Sade in the drama Quills.

“Having had a professional home in Cincinnati for so long,” Davis recalled, “I realized it was important to me to have that kind of artistic community and family, as opposed to jobbing around. It became more and more obvious to me that Jobsite could be that home, and I wanted to give them my full allegiance.”

Even after throwing in his lot with Jenkins and Jobsite, he continued to spend part of the year in Cincinnati, performing the works of Shakespeare. His heart belongs to the Bard of Avon, and with Jobsite his roles have included the title characters in Hamlet and Macbeth, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Iago in Othello, Orsino in Twelfth Night and Caliban in The Tempest. If he wasn’t in a Shakespeare production, he was the cast’s text and dialogue coach.

During the pandemic, Davies pledged his trough to Tampa Bay and stopped the trips to Ohio.

Audiences have also seem him in Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Gorey Stories and numerous others, including comedies, avant-garde plays, love stories and one-man shows.

Leaving Jobsite, he said, is the very definition of bittersweet. “They’ve been such a great family to work with. Because of the nature of the business, we pretty quickly became very tight.

“And I couldn’t have asked for a better leader than David, who very sincerely has our best interests at heart. Which is really pretty remarkable in today’s world.”

He places the blame squarely at the feet of the governor and his pen. “Unfortunately it really crippled the growth that we had managed to build over the last 10 years.”

Davies doesn’t plan a permanent relocation to Cincinnati – like all journeyman actors, he’ll go where the work is. And he also declined to rule out an eventual return to the Jobsite stage.

“I would love to,” he said. “With an open heart, an open hand and great joy. Obviously, it can’t be an economic hit. I don’t make enough to give myself that kind of luxury.

“But were there an opportunity to at least make ends meet, I would very happily come back and perform for the audience base that I’ve grown to have a great appreciation for, and much love for. And that has shown me so much love in return.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By posting a comment, I have read, understand and agree to the Posting Guidelines.


The St. Pete Catalyst

The Catalyst honors its name by aggregating & curating the sparks that propel the St Pete engine.  It is a modern news platform, powered by community sourced content and augmented with directed coverage.  Bring your news, your perspective and your spark to the St Pete Catalyst and take your seat at the table.

Email us: spark@stpetecatalyst.com

Subscribe for Free

Subscription Form

Share with friend

Enter the details of the person you want to share this article with.