Shannon Davis

Professional Overview

Shannon R. Davis (she/they) is a Bay Area director, storyteller, educator, & community connector originally from Wisconsin. She is Indigenous, Mixed, Queer, a woman, & neurodivergent. She has most recently been: in the Cal Shakes Artist Circle, the Director of Community Connections at American Conservatory Theater, a Guest Artist/Lecturer at UC-Berkeley, and a co-founder of Bay Area Native Theatre Artists (BANTA) as well as the Bay Area Theater Accountability Workgroup. She holds a BA from UW-Whitewater in Theatre and Vocal Performance, and an MFA in Directing & Acting from UW-Madison, specializing in directing intercultural theatre for social awareness. With a foundation in Theatre of the Oppressed, Shannon uses the transformational tools of theatre to endeavor to restructure harmful processes, raise consciousness, and heal community. She is a classics buff who turns traditional storytelling reverentially on its head with devised satire and puppetry. Shannon champions storytelling not normally included in traditional white patriarchal theatre narratives. Shannon strives to create true community through practicing active Decolonization and Anti-Racism in processes she leads. She’s worked with: New Native Theatre, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, A.C.T., Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Aurora Theatre Company, Native Writers Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, American Indian Community House, Cal Shakes, Anchorage Opera, Theatre of Yugen, Berkeley Rep, MoxieArts NY, StageWrite, Brava Theater, Theatre Battery, Ohio University- Tantrum Theatre, Ashland New Play Festival, Freestyle Love Supreme, Forward Theatre, UC-Berkeley, Shotgun Players, TheaterWorks, Marin Shakespeare, Renaissance Theaterworks, Playwrights Foundation, & others. www.shannonrdavis.com