‘An ordinary life’ for Court actress

Press, 18 March 1987, Page 22

‘An ordinary life’ for Court actress

Three years ago, Deborah Davids decided it was time to try being an "ordinary person.” The then 23-year-old actress had been on stage (or film) ever since she was two. After four years at the Court Theatre, she decided it was time for a break.

"It was something I needed to do — to find out what "ordinary people” did. I’ve never had a different job. It’s difficult playing “ordinary people” when you’ve never been one.

The move was daunting, Davids says. She was not

worried about doing something different —

she had been doing that all her life. Rather she was worried about whether anyone would employ a 23-year-old actress with no references (reviews did not count'). She need not have worried. Within two weeks she was working in a jewellery store, and later found herself managing it. She found out she got the job because she could present herself well, and communicate with the public — her acting had stood her in good stead.

It seems Davids’ determination to find out how “ordinary people” lived was deep rooted. After 18 months at the jewellery store, she left to have a baby. Her appearance as Emilie in “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” was the first time she has appeared at the Court for three years. The break, she says, has done her the world of good. “I think everybody’s different — but in my case I did need a break, because it’s such hard work.” She has also come back

to more mature parts — something she appreciates.

“I was always playing young girls’ parts. Since I’ve come back I’ve progressed to the thirties.” While the part of Emilie was not very substan- .. tial one, in the Court’s next production, “A Chorus of Disapproval,” Davids plays a woman she describes as “a user.” The break has also changed the way she regards acting. “When you have seen what goes on around you, you come back and you realise it’s just a job.”

Having responsibility for a child means she will not be a full-time actress again for a while, Davids says.

“Now it’s quite hard to go home after the show and clear up the toys. "It’s hard knowing where to draw the line. You’ve got your own life, but you can’t muck up the child’s life.”

Davids also teaches television performance at the Spotlight Model Agency, and works with her husband, Wynn Corby, building and designing theatre sets and commercial interiors.