Berkeley Rep to Present 2025 Ovation Gala Honoring Eisa Davis

Berkeley Rep's 2025 Ovation Gala will be held on Saturday, March 29 at The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. This year's Ovation Gala will honor Berkeley-born, award-winning writer, performer, and composer Eisa Davis. Proceeds from the event provide critical support to Berkeley Rep's artistic and education programs.

Standard tickets are available now for $850. Premium tickets, which include preferred seating, are available for $1,500. Sponsorships are available beginning at $8,500 for up to 10 guests. 

“Making world-class theatre, promoting lifelong learning, and building community—particularly in turbulent and economically challenging times like these—takes a village on-stage and off. At the Ovation Gala, we are excited to raise funds to support these efforts and celebrate the many people who make this work possible,” said Berkeley Rep Managing Director Tom Parrish. “This year, we are thrilled to honor Eisa Davis, whose trajectory from working in the Berkeley Rep box office decades ago to performing in Berkeley Rep's  world premiere of Passing Strange, which transferred to Broadway, to becoming a Pulitzer Prize-finalist and in-demand artist is a testament to her talent and determination and shines a light on Berkeley Rep's role in developing and supporting the leading artists of our time.”

The evening kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by an elegant, seated dinner. Co-hosted by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson —creators and stars of this season's triumphant West Coast premiere of Mexodus—guests will enjoy a superb entertainment lineup, with stellar performances from Quijada, Robinson, and others who will be announced at a later date. The gala will also feature a live auction showcasing one-of-a-kind opportunities. Closing out the night will be an awards ceremony for this year's notable honoree and a champagne reception.

The Gala Committee—led by Anna Bellomo and Christopher Doane—includes Robin & Rich Edwards, Sandra Eggers, Jill Fugaro, Sudha Pennathur, and Gail Wagner. Hospitality partners include Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant and Felicia Woytak & Steven Rasmussen.

Eisa Davis is an award-winning performer, writer, musician, and composer working on stage and screen. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play Bulrusher, and wrote and starred in the stage memoir Angela's Mixtape, named a best of the year by the New Yorker. Davis has released two albums of original music: Something Else and Tinctures with Daniel T. Denver. She is the co-writer and -producer with Lin-Manuel Miranda of the concept album Warriors. Davis saw some of her first professional theatre at Berkeley Rep and worked there in high school as a telemarketer. She returned for Passing Strange, and her play Bulrusher was produced at Berkeley Rep in the fall of 2023 (Best of Bay Area Theatre). She is a three-time participant in Berkeley Rep's Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab and has also worked as a creator and performer in the Bay Area at La Peña, West Edge Opera, and ACT. Davis is a Bay Area native and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Brian Quijada is an Emmy-nominated playwright, actor, composer, and Artistic Director of The Wild Wind Performance Lab for New Play Development. As a playwright/composer, his work spans theatre to audio plays to television. His hip-hop solo show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? has been produced across the country at Teatro Vista, Ensemble Studio Theatre, City Theatre Pittsburgh, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Geva Theatre, and more. His other works include Kid Prince and Pablo and Somewhere Over The Border. He is a four-time Jeff Award winner, three-time Drama Desk nominee, and one-time Lucille Lortel winner.

Nygel D. Robinson is a singer, actor, writer, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Chicago, IL. Nygel's select theatre credits include Brother Davis in The Amen Corner at Shakespeare Theatre Company, where he was also the music director; Jimmy Powers in Lady Day at North Carolina Theatre; Larry in Lincoln Center's concert version of Beau: The Musical; Jesus in Godspell at St. Michael's Playhouse; and The All Night Strut at Milwaukee Rep.