North Charleston, South Carolina. “The Sound of Music” is alive in the hills, and it’s a dream come true for one Charleston County adolescent. Ava Davis, a Charleston County School of the Arts student, has carried her local stage expertise to theaters across North America, where she plays Louisa in the national tour of the famous classic.
“I am so excited,” Davis exclaimed. “When I saw that Charleston was on here, I thought, wow, this is wonderful. This is perfect. This is totally intended to be.”
The tour’s stop in North Charleston is particularly noteworthy for Davis, who began acting just across the street at Charleston County School of the Arts.
“I mean, it’s amazing and also it does help, my school is literally right across the street from the theater,” she told me. “So I was like, this is such a full circle moment.”
Davis plays Louisa, one of the Von Trapp children, a role she played just months previously in the School of the Arts’ production of “The Sound of Music.”
According to Heather Hammond, Choral Director at Charleston County School of the Arts, Davis brought expertise and heart to the job.
“In the role of Louisa … she puts the frogs in places and she’s kind of a sneaky character,” Hammond recalled. “But I don’t think Ava is like that at all, but she definitely was able to take hold of that character and have that cute sneakiness about her.”
According to Hammond, Davis has been a strong student and leader among her peers.
“She’s done a fantastic job,” Hammond added. “She was a team player who helped the younger children. We had several middle school students perform some of the child roles, and she was fantastic with them, as well as a valuable complement to our production.”
Davis was picked for the trip after hundreds of children auditioned around the country. Despite performing in eight concerts per week, she continues to attend the School of the Arts while juggling her academic and professional responsibilities.
“The Sound of Music is such a timeless story,” she stated. “It’s simply a classic. And so I believe our show tells the story you enjoy, but with a unique spin.”
Though Davis portrays Louisa in a long line of “The Sound of Music” performances, she sees it as more than just a role; it is the realization of a lifetime goal. She believes that her tale may encourage other students to believe in themselves.
“You have to really think of everything as a true chance,” she told me. “You can’t just say, ‘Oh, well, you know the odds of that. “You have to always believe that your chances are good.”
Her professors and classmates could not be more proud. “It’s super special to see her being able to do this,” Hammond observed. “It’ll just be wonderful to see what she’s done in this role in the national tour and really surreal that she played that role here at SOA.”
Hammond hopes Davis’ tale inspires others to discover what Charleston County School of the Arts has to offer and encourages local children to pursue their own ambitions. “Hopefully seeing Ava’s story will inspire folks to come out to our shows here,” she declared, “and see these wonderfully talented students that are able to get roles in national tours.”
Davis is spending her 55-city tour with her family and making memories that she will cherish for a lifetime.
“It’s an amazing experience for Ava and her mom and the time they get to be together through this 55-city tour,” Hammond told CNN. “Something that they get to experience before she graduates from high school and moves on and is, you know, a famous Broadway star.”
Davis expresses gratitude every step of the way.
“It’s a great show and it’s a classic and I’m so grateful for this journey,” she told reporters. “I feel so lucky to be around all these people and I think that you definitely will see that on stage.”
