As part of Pulitzer Prize nominee Eisa Davis’s two-year position as artist-in-residence at Symphony Space, she will present an evening of songs from her most recent recording, Something Else, as well as other original works, and offers a sneak preview from her new music-theater work, Flowers are Sleeping, commissioned by Symphony Space that will receive its world premiere performance in April of 2013 as part of Symphony Space’s Harlem Renaissance festival.
Flowers are Sleeping takes place Thursday, March 1, 7:30pm at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space, located at Broadway and 95th Street. Tickets range from $15 to $30 and are available at symphonyspace.org or by calling the box office at 212.864.5400.
Symphony Space’s Artistic Director, Laura Kaminsky states: “Eisa Davis, a beloved artist at Symphony Space, has been seen regularly here in recent years: as a reader for Selected Shorts; as a featured performer in our 1939 Project, for which she created an extremely powerful evening inspired by the Billie Holiday classic, “Strange Fruit”; and again on The Music of Now series in the Thalia. We are very excited about deepening our relationship with this versatile, intellectually engaging, and thoroughly charming artist.”
The Flowers Are Sleeping evening, Davis’s first official concert as part of her two-year residency at Symphony Space, invites the audience to enjoy the rich variety of songs from her more recent work, including Something Else and Angela’s Mixtape, as well as get an insight into her new music-theater work, Flowers are Sleeping.
“We are thrilled to be working so closely with Eisa as she develops this new music-theater work for our 2013 festival celebrating the Harlem Renaissance. This commission is one exciting example of our institutional commitment to new multi-disciplinary work and to supporting creative endeavor by interesting and original artists. Eisa, who is a long-time friend of Symphony Space, is our perfect partner, making for an impeccable match with our vision,” states Kaminsky.
Davis will be joined by her band and special surprise guests. Following the performance, the audience is invited to be part of a conversation moderated by Kaminsky, which will provide rare insight into Davis’s artistic process. Through this dialogue, audience members offer feed-back, ask questions, and may bring new ideas to Davis as she continues to develop the work.
Eisa Davis was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play Bulrusher, published by Samuel French. Other plays include Ramp (Ruby Prize winner), The History of Light, Paper Armor, Umkovu, Six Minutes, Warriors Don’t Cry, and the collaborations Active Ingredients and Hip Hop Anansi. Eisa was a resident playwright at New Dramatists, where she won the Helen Merrill Award, and the Whitfield Cook Award, among others. She has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Cave Canem, and the Van Lier and Mellon Foundations.
As an actor, recent theatre work includes the world premiere of Melissa James Gibson’s This, and her Obie Award-winning performance in the Broadway rock musical Passing Strange, now a film directed by Spike Lee. Eisa is featured in the films Welcome to the Rileys, Robot Stories, The Architect, Confess, Happenstance, Pretty Bird, Apparition of the Eternal Church, Brass Tacks, In The Family, and The Stare (upcoming). She was Bubbles’ sister on The Wire, has guest starred on Damages and Soul Food, and recurs on Smash and Hart of Dixie. Eisa is a member of The Actors Studio, and a Usual Suspect at New York Theater Workshop.
