Eisa Davis

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Eisa Davis
RIVERSIDE SHOT Eisa Davis 5368 M2A.jpg
Davis in 2024
Born (1971-05-05) May 5, 1971 (age 53)
Education Harvard University (AB)
New School for Social Research (MFA)
Occupation(s)Playwright, actress, singer-songwriter
Relatives Angela Davis (aunt)

Eisa Davis (born May 5, 1971) is an American playwright, actress and singer-songwriter. [1] She is known for her work as the co-creator of the Warriors concept album with Lin-Manuel Miranda. [2] Her previous works include the plays Bulrusher and Angela's Mixtape. For her stage acting in New York, she won an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Performance. She resides in Brooklyn. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Davis was born and spent her childhood in Berkeley, ⁣California. [4] As a child, she attended dance classes and studied voice and classical piano at the Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley. [5]  She is the niece of political activist Angela Davis. A Davis’ autobiographical play Angela’s Mixtape tells the story of her upbringing in the Bay Area and the impact of her family’s politics on her childhood. [6] After graduating from Berkeley High School, she earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University. Davis earned her Master of Fine Arts from the Actors Studio at the New School for Social Research, where she double majored in playwriting and acting. [7] Her dance skills are notable as well, with the dean of her program saying she could have been admitted to Alvin Ailey. [8]

Career

Davis began working as a professional actress at the age of 10 with appearances on a local television show, then acted in plays, industrials and films throughout high school and college. Davis moved to Los Angeles after college and worked with Anna Deavere Smith on her piece about that city’s uprising, Twilight, Los Angeles: 1992. [9]

After graduate school, Davis continued to work as an actor in television and film, with roles in The Wire and Soul Food. She became a lifetime member of the Actors Studio, as well as a resident playwright at New Dramatists. [10] Drawing from her work as a hip hop journalist for Rap Sheet and The Source, [11] Davis advocated for the hybrid art form that brings together theatre and hip hop by writing essays [12] and participating in the Hip-Hop Theater Festival. [13] She also became a poetry fellow at Cave Canem, the esteemed organization for black poets. [14]

In 2006, Davis’ play Bulrusher premiered at Urban Stages and received a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize. [15] [16] In 2007, Davis won an Obie Award with the ensemble of Passing Strange. The show premiered at Berkeley Rep, but then moved on to Broadway and Davis went with the show, only later to have the whole production filmed by Spike Lee. In 2009, she wrote and starred in Angela's Mixtape. The show was autobiographical and went on to make it into The New Yorker’s list of best plays from that year. [3]

Davis starred as Addie Pickett, nurse and receptionist at Bluebell, Alabama's local medical practice in The CW's series Hart of Dixie , a fish-out-of-water story about a New York City doctor (Rachel Bilson) adjusting to life in a small Southern town after she inherits a local medical practice. [17] [18]

In 2012/13 Davis was Symphony Space's artist-in-residence. [1] She taught at Williams College as an Arthur Levitt Fellow for the 2013/14 season. [7] While continuing to write and act in plays, Davis became more known with roles on House of Cards and Mare of Easttown and Kindred. She also wrote for television for Spike Lee’s Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It, as well as on Justified: City Primeval. [19]

Davis has two albums of her own music, Something Else and Tinctures. Some of her songs have been featured on the Showtime series Soul Food. [1] Davis also narrated the role of Celestial Davenport Hamilton in the audiobook version of An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. [20] Mushroom, a bilingual play Davis wrote about mushroom pickers around Kennett Square, PA earned several Barrymore nominations after its premiere in 2022. [21]  Her play Bulrusher was produced at Berkeley Rep OCT 27–DEC 3, 2023. [22]

In 2024, Eisa Davis's play Bulrusher was adapted into an opera by West Edge Opera in Berkeley, California. The production was part of the company's summer festival, bringing Davis's story to a new medium. [23] [24]

Artistic philosophy

Davis believes in the Ghanaian principle of Sankofa. The literal translation of the word is "return and collect it" or "go back and get it". This refers to her use of digging through her own lineage and history to find action and themes that can be used in her plays. She also uses her art to answer questions that "haunt" her or ideas that she is grappling with herself. Much of her artistic philosophy can be summed up in her quote, "Theatre is one of the few public spaces we have for active contemplation." [25] She explores ideas such as blackness and family through the poetry of her language. [25]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997Box SuiteDavis
2001Mourning GloryVictim
2003 Robot Stories Helen
2004Brass TacksTamara
2005 Confess Glyness Bennet
2006 The Architect Linda Freeman
2008 Pretty Bird Corporate Hotshot #3
2010 Welcome to the Rileys Vivian
2011 In the Family Anne Carter
2012 The Letter Therapist
2013The VolunteerKaren
2014 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit FBI Explosives Expert
2018 First Match Bianca
2019 After the Wedding Tanya
2021 Tick, Tick... Boom! Aspiring Composer and Lyricist
2023 Ex-Husbands Eileen Link

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999 Now and Again ReporterEpisode: "Over Easy"
2000–2009 Law & Order Various roles4 episodes
2001–2003 Soul Food Rose / Tinctures / Eisa Davis
2002–2008 The Wire Bubbles' Sister
2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Vera GaleanoEpisode: "Soulless"
2009 Great Performances MotherEpisode: "Passing Strange"
2009 Damages Carla StensonEpisode: "London. Of Course"
2010 Mercy ProducerEpisode: "There Is No Room for You on My Ass"
2011–2012 Hart of Dixie Addy Pickett10 episodes
2012 Smash Abigail2 episodes
2014 The Blacklist ND AgentEpisode: "The Good Samaritan (No. 106)"
2014 The Good Wife Dr. Allison SugarEpisode: "Dramatics, Your Honor"
2015 Gotham Judith BarthelEpisode: "The Scarecrow"
2015 American Odyssey Sheila LinderbyEpisode: "Bug Out"
2015 Madam Secretary Jane SmithEpisode: "The Long Shot"
2015–2016 House of Cards Cynthia Driscoll8 episodes
2016 The Family Julia BeckettEpisode: "Of Puppies and Monsters"
2016 Blindspot Alexandra4 episodes
2016 Falling Water Sarah HenryEpisode: "Circular Time"
2018 The Looming Tower Condoleezza Rice 3 episodes
2018 Rise Eva Thorne5 episodes
2018 Succession Joyce Miller2 episodes
2018 God Friended Me Lena
2019 Bluff City Law General Virginia HoweEpisode: "Need to Know"
2020–2021 Betty Jeanne5 episodes
2021 Pose AngieEpisode: "Intervention"
2021 Mare of Easttown Gayle Graham4 episodes
2023 Ahsoka Captain GirardEpisode: "Part Five: Shadow Warrior"

Awards

YearAwardShowResult
2006Obie AwardPassing StrangeWon
2007Pulitzer PrizeBulrusherNominated
2009Obie AwardSustained ExcellenceWon [26]
2011Ruby PrizeRampWon
2012Herb Alpert Theatre AwardN/AWon
Barrymore AwardThe History of LightNominated
2013Lucille Lortel AwardLuck of the IrishNominated [27]
N/AWhitfield Cook AwardN/AWon
N/AHelen Merrill AwardN/AWon
2016 Lucille Lortel Award Preludes Nominated
2018Drama LeagueKingsNominated
2019AUDELCO AwardThe Secret Life Of BeesWon [28]
2020Creative Capital AwardN/AWon [29]
2020Lucille Lortel AwardThe Secret Life of BeesNominated [30]
2023Barrymore AwardMushroomNominated [31]
2023USA Artists FellowN/AWon [32]

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References

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  2. "Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis on their 'Warriors' musical concept album with Lauryn Hill". AP News. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  3. 1 2 Elist, Jasmine (2011-08-14). "A double life as actress, playwright". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035. Archived from the original on 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  4. Lee, Felicia R. (2008-03-08). "Eisa Davis – Passing Strange – Theater". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  5. "The Theater: Berkeley Native Eisa Davis Returns Home. Category: Arts Listings from The Berkeley Daily Planet". www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  6. "Davis: Angela's Mixtape + The History of Light - 53rd State Press". 53rdstatepress.org. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  7. 1 2 "Revolution, Racism and Family in "Angela's Mixtape" By FRED DODSWORTH. Category: Election Section from The Berkeley Daily Planet". www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
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  10. "Alumni Playwrights | New Dramatists". newdramatists.org. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
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  32. "2023 USA Fellowship". United States Artists. Retrieved 2024-10-15.