{{short description|American playwright (born 1971)}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Eisa Davis | image = RIVERSIDE SHOT Eisa Davis 5368 M2A.jpg | caption = Davis in 2024 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|May 5, 1971}} | education = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|AB]])<br>[[The New School for Social Research]] ([[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]]) | relatives = [[Angela Davis]] (aunt) | occupation = Playwright, actress, singer-songwriter }} '''Eisa Davis''' (born May 5, 1971) is an American playwright, actress and singer-songwriter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.eisadavis.com/about/|title=About: Eisa Davis|website=eisadavis.com|access-date=2016-11-21}}</ref> She is known for her work as the co-creator of the [[Warriors (Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis album)|''Warriors'']] concept album with [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-18 |title=Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis on their ''Warriors'' musical concept album with Lauryn Hill |url=https://apnews.com/article/linmanuel-miranda-eisa-davis-warriors-lauryn-hill-album-942ba5ca1e424f82ca55a91c938c6322 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=[[AP News]]}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Elist">{{Cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/14/entertainment/la-ca-eisa-davis-20110814|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211154648/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/14/entertainment/la-ca-eisa-davis-20110814|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-02-11|title=A double life as actress, playwright|last=Elist|first=Jasmine|date=2011-08-14|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2016-11-21}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Davis was born and spent her childhood in [[Berkeley, California]].<ref name=Lee>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/theater/08davi.html|title=Eisa Davis – Passing Strange – Theater|last=Lee|first=Felicia R.|date=2008-03-08|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2016-11-21}}</ref> As a child, she attended dance classes and studied voice and classical piano at the Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Theater: Berkeley Native Eisa Davis Returns Home|url=https://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2006-11-21/article/25692?headline=The-Theater-Berkeley-Native-Eisa-Davis-Returns-Home---By-Ken-Bullock-Special-to-the-Planet |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=[[Berkeley Daily Planet]]}}{{dead link|date=May 2026}}</ref> She is the niece of political activist [[Angela Davis]]. 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Davis: ''Angela's Mixtape'' + ''The History of Light''|url=https://53rdstatepress.org/Davis-Angela-s-Mixtape-The-History-of-Light |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=53rdstatepress.org}}</ref> After graduating from [[Berkeley High School (California)|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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Revolution, Racism and Family in ''Angela's Mixtape'' by Fred Dodsworth. Category: Election Section from The Berkeley Daily Planet|url=https://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2005-05-06/article/21342|access-date=2021-07-13|website=[[Berkeley Daily Planet]]}}{{dead link|date=May 2026}}</ref> Her dance skills are notable as well, with the dean of her program saying she could have been admitted to [[Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater|Alvin Ailey]].<ref name=Lee />
== 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, LA, 1992''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interview with Eisha Davis: ''Kings'' at Public Theater |url=https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/rialto/past/2018/022718.html |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=www.talkinbroadway.com}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alumni Playwrights {{!}} New Dramatists |url=https://newdramatists.org/alumni-playwrights |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=newdramatists.org}}</ref> Drawing from her work as a hip hop journalist for Rap Sheet and The Source,<ref>{{Cite web|author=Julia Wallace|date=2008-07-01 |title=Thoroughly Eclectic|url=https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2008/07/thoroughly-eclectic-html |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=[[Harvard Magazine]]}}</ref> Davis advocated for the hybrid art form that brings together theatre and hip hop by writing essays<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-04-01 |title=Hip-Hop Theatre: A Colloquy |url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2004/04/01/hip-hop-theatre-a-colloquy/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=American Theatre}}</ref> and participating in the Hip-Hop Theater Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hi-ARTS History |url=https://www.hi-artsnyc.org/history |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Hi-ARTS}}</ref> She also became a poetry fellow at Cave Canem, the esteemed organization for black poets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cave Canem » glossary » d |url=https://cavecanempoets.org/glossary/d/ |access-date=2024-10-15}}</ref>
In 2006, Davis' play ''Bulrusher'' premiered at Urban Stages and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/david-lindsay-abaire|access-date=May 5, 2026|title=''Rabbit Hole'', by David Lindsay-Abaire|website=pulitzer.org}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-29 |title=''Bulrusher'' added to McCarter Theatre's 2022–23 Season |url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle2.php?titlelink=bulrusher-added-to-mccarter-theatres-2022-23-season |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=NewJerseyStage.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Masseron |first=Meg |date=August 23, 2023 |title=See Who's Starring in Eisa Davis' ''Bulrusher'' at McCarter Theatre Center |url=https://playbill.com/article/see-whos-starring-in-eisa-davis-bulrusher-at-mccarter-theatre-center|website=[[Playbill]]}}</ref> In 2007, Davis won an [[Obie Award]] with the ensemble of [[Passing Strange (musical)|''Passing Strange'']]. The show premiered at [[Berkeley Repertory Theatre|Berkeley Rep]], but then moved on to [[Broadway theatre|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.<ref name="Elist" />
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eisa Davis |url=https://www.peopleslight.org/about/new-plays-projects/commission-residency-programs/npf-playwrights/eisa-davis/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=www.peopleslight.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Eisa Davis – Artist |url=https://www.macdowell.org/artists/eisa-davis |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=MacDowell}}</ref>
In 2012/13 Davis was [[Symphony Space|Symphony Space's]] artist-in-residence.<ref name=":0" /> She taught at Williams College as an Arthur Levitt Fellow for the 2013/14 season.<ref name=":2" /> 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''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TV & Film Writing|url=https://www.eisadavis.com/tv-film-writing/ |access-date=2024-10-15|website=eisadavis.com}}</ref>
In the summer of 2015, she starred in [[Dave Malloy]]'s musical ''[[Preludes (musical)|Preludes]]'' at [[Lincoln Center]]. In the summer of 2017, she starred in ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' at the [[Delacorte Theater]].<ref>[https://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/2201-eisa-davis "Eisa Davis Theatre Credits"], AboutTheArtists</ref>
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.<ref name=":0" /> Davis also narrated the role of Celestial Davenport Hamilton in the audiobook version of ''[[An American Marriage]]'' by [[Tayari Jones]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://highbridgeaudio.com/anamericanmarriage.html|title=An American Marriage - HighBridge Audio}}</ref> ''Mushroom'', a bilingual play Davis wrote about mushroom pickers around Kennett Square, PA earned several Barrymore nominations after its premiere in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Regional Roundup: September 19, 2022 |url=https://whyy.org/episodes/the-regional-roundup-september-19-2022/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |publisher=[[WHYY-TV]]}}</ref> Her play ''Bulrusher'' was produced at [[Berkeley Repertory Theatre]] from October 27 until – December 3, 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/bulrusher/ | title=''Bulrusher''|publisher=[[Berkeley Repertory Theatre]]}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-01 |title=Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis' ''Warriors'' will be a concept album, not a stage musical |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-08-01/lin-manuel-miranda-warriors-album-eisa-davis |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=''Bulrusher'' Is Quietly Brilliant at West Edge Opera |url=https://www.sfcv.org/articles/review/bulrusher-quietly-brilliant-west-edge-opera |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=www.sfcv.org}}</ref>
=== Artistic philosophy === Davis believes in the [[Ghanaians|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."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://herbalpertawards.org/artist/about-eisa-davis|title=About Eisa Davis {{!}} The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts|website=herbalpertawards.org|date=28 April 2013|access-date=2016-11-21}}</ref> She explores ideas such as blackness and family through the poetry of her language.<ref name=":1" />
== Filmography ==
=== Film === {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1997 |''Box Suite'' |Davis | |- |2001 |''Mourning Glory'' |Victim | |- |2003 |''[[Robot Stories]]'' |Helen | |- |2004 |''Brass Tacks'' |Tamara | |- |2005 |[[Confess (film)|''Confess'']] |Glyness Bennet | |- |2006 |[[The Architect (2006 film)|''The Architect'']] |Linda Freeman | |- |2008 |''[[Pretty Bird]]'' |Corporate Hotshot #3 | |- |2010 |''[[Welcome to the Rileys]]'' |Vivian | |- |2011 |[[In the Family (2011 film)|''In the Family'']] |Anne Carter | |- |2012 |[[The Letter (2012 film)|''The Letter'']] |Therapist | |- |2013 |''The Volunteer'' |Karen | |- |2014 |''[[Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit]]'' |FBI Explosives Expert | |- |2018 |''[[First Match]]'' |Bianca | |- |2019 |[[After the Wedding (2019 film)|''After the Wedding'']] |Tanya | |- |2021 |''[[Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)|Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'' |Aspiring Composer and Lyricist | |- |2023 |''[[Ex-Husbands]]'' |Eileen Link | |- | 2024 | ''[[Relay (film)|Relay]]'' | Wash | |- | 2026 | ''[[Lucy Schulman]]'' | {{TBA}} | Post-production |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable sortable" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1999 |''[[Now and Again]]'' |Reporter |Episode: "Over Easy" |- |2000–2009, 2024–2026 |''[[Law & Order]]'' |Various roles |6 episodes |- |2001–2003 |[[Soul Food (TV series)|''Soul Food'']] |Rose / Tinctures / Eisa Davis | rowspan="2" |4 episodes |- |2002–2008 |''[[The Wire]]'' |Bubbles' Sister |- |2003 |''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'' |Vera Galeano |Episode: "Soulless" |- |2009 |''[[Great Performances]]'' |Mother |Episode: "Passing Strange" |- |2009 |[[Damages (TV series)|''Damages'']] |Carla Stenson |Episode: "London. Of Course" |- |2010 |[[Mercy (TV series)|''Mercy'']] |Producer |Episode: "There Is No Room for You on My Ass" |- |2011–2012 |''[[Hart of Dixie]]'' |Addy Pickett |10 episodes |- |2012 |[[Smash (TV series)|''Smash'']] |Abigail |2 episodes |- |2014 |''[[The Blacklist]]'' |ND Agent |Episode: "The Good Samaritan (No. 106)" |- |2014 |''[[The Good Wife]]'' |Dr. Allison Sugar |Episode: "Dramatics, Your Honor" |- |2015 |[[Gotham (TV series)|''Gotham'']] |Judith Barthel |Episode: "The Scarecrow" |- |2015 |''[[American Odyssey]]'' |Sheila Linderby |Episode: "Bug Out" |- |2015 |[[Madam Secretary (TV series)|''Madam Secretary'']] |Jane Smith |Episode: "The Long Shot" |- |2015–2016 |[[House of Cards (American TV series)|''House of Cards'']] |Cynthia Driscoll |8 episodes |- |2016 |[[The Family (2016 TV series)|''The Family'']] |Julia Beckett |Episode: "Of Puppies and Monsters" |- |2016 |[[Blindspot (TV series)|''Blindspot'']] |Alexandra |4 episodes |- |2016 |[[Falling Water (TV series)|''Falling Water'']] |Sarah Henry |Episode: "Circular Time" |- |2018 |[[The Looming Tower (miniseries)|''The Looming Tower'']] |[[Condoleezza Rice]] |3 episodes |- |2018 |[[Rise (American TV series)|''Rise'']] |Eva Thorne |5 episodes |- |2018 |[[Succession (TV series)|''Succession'']] |Joyce Miller | rowspan="2" |2 episodes |- |2018 |''[[God Friended Me]]'' |Lena |- |2019 |''[[Bluff City Law]]'' |General Virginia Howe |Episode: "Need to Know" |- |2020–2021 |[[Betty (TV series)|''Betty'']] |Jeanne |5 episodes |- |2021 |[[Pose (TV series)|''Pose'']] |Angie |Episode: "Intervention" |- |2021 |''[[Mare of Easttown]]'' |Gayle Graham |4 episodes |- |2023 |''[[Ahsoka (TV series)|Ahsoka]]'' |Captain Girard |Episode: "Part Five: Shadow Warrior" |}
== Awards == {| class="wikitable" !Year !Award !Show !Result |- |2006 |Obie Award |''Passing Strange'' |{{Won}} |- |2007 |Pulitzer Prize |''Bulrusher'' |{{nom|Finalist}} |- |2009 |Obie Award |''Sustained Excellence'' |{{Won}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=13 |url=https://www.obieawards.com/events/2010s/year-13/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Obie Awards}}</ref> |- |2011 |Ruby Prize |''Ramp'' |{{Won}} |- | rowspan="2" |2012 |Herb Alpert Theatre Award |N/A |{{Won}} |- |Barrymore Award |''The History of Light'' |{{Nominated}} |- |2013 |Lucille Lortel Award |Luck of the Irish |{{Nominated}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=2013 Nominees : Lucille Lortel Awards |url=https://lortelaward.com/2013-nominees/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=lortelaward.com}}</ref> |- |N/A |Whitfield Cook Award |N/A |{{Won}} |- |N/A |Helen Merrill Award |N/A |{{Won}} |- | 2016 | [[Lucille Lortel Award]] | ''[[Preludes (musical)|Preludes]]'' |{{nom}} |- |2018 |Drama League |''Kings'' |{{Nominated}} |- |2019 |AUDELCO Award |''The Secret Life Of Bees'' |{{Won}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Armstrong |first=Linda |date=2019-11-27 |title=47th annual AUDELCO: Acknowledging Black theater greatness! |url=https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2019/11/27/47th-annual-audelco-acknowledging-black-theater-gr/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=[[New York Amsterdam News]]}}</ref> |- |2020 |Creative Capital Award |N/A |{{Won}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Award Year 2020 |url=https://creative-capital.org/award/awardees/2020/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Creative Capital}}</ref> |- |2020 |Lucille Lortel Award |''The Secret Life of Bees'' |{{Nominated}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 Nominees : Lucille Lortel Awards |url=https://lortelaward.com/2020-nominees/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=lortelaward.com}}</ref> |- |2023 |Barrymore Award |''Mushroom'' |{{Nominated}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rabinowitz |first=Chloe |title=Theatre Philadelphia Unveils First Full Slate Of Barrymore Nominees Since 2019 |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/philadelphia/article/Theatre-Philadelphia-Unveils-First-Full-Slate-Of-Barrymore-Nominees-Since-2019-20230915 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=[[BroadwayWorld]]}}</ref> |- |2023 |USA Artists Fellow |N/A |{{Won}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 USA Fellowship |url=https://www.unitedstatesartists.org/programs/usa-fellowship/2023 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=United States Artists}}</ref> |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0204555}}
{{Authority control|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Eisa}} [[Category:1971 births]] [[Category:20th-century African-American writers]] [[Category:21st-century African-American writers]] [[Category:Actresses from Berkeley, California]] [[Category:African-American dramatists and playwrights]] [[Category:African-American opera librettists]] [[Category:American opera librettists]] [[Category:Harvard University alumni]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Musicians from Berkeley, California]] [[Category:Writers from Berkeley, California]] [[Category:Women opera librettists]]