Las week theatre lovers from the WSU community gathered in the Creative Arts Center Recital Hall to witness a reading of an original work by student Eli Davis. The musical chronicles key parts of both the Wright Brothers, and their friends and family members lives, and includes poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
“The inspiration was all around. In the Dayton area and specifically at Wright State, where we're so deeply immersed in the legacy of the Wright brothers. Once I took the time to take a closer look at their story, I fell in love with it. The original idea for writing a musical about them came up sort of randomly in a conversation with my mom, then I just ran with it for two years," Davis said.
Taking on such a historical legacy required Davis to embark on a path of research to get details that common citizens might not know. He started with a stack of books, and eventually, his favorite part of the research -- he travelled to primary source locations like Carillon Park, Huffman Prairie and the Air Force Museum.
“I started with the acclaimed David McCullough book, then read a few other books cover to cover. Once I decided what central story I wanted to tell and started writing, I only went back to the books to check details. But sometimes when the writing was going slowly, I'd go through a book for more inspiration,” Davis Shared.
Davis cast his classmates and friends into the various roles and ensemble knowing their talent from their time in the Acting and Musical Theatre program together.
“Because there are about 20 in each class, we basically all know each other. For a couple of the roles, I had people I knew in mind as I wrote them, which made writing the roles easier, and casting them, of course,” he said.
Davis said he would love to take the musical as far as possible, whether that be a professional production or even Broadway.
“‘First in Flight’ taught me invaluable lessons about storytelling, song craft and simply seeing a project all the way through. My biggest hope for the future would be that I can use the skills I've learned through this project to continue to develop as an artist, whether it be through ‘First in Flight’ or whatever lies ahead,” he said.
Davis’ favorite songs from the show include “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” because it was the first song he wrote for the show and, “because of how beautiful Paul Laurence Dunbar's words are,” and the upbeat “My Buckeye Home.”
