Shanesia Davis

An Artistic Associate of Congo Square Theatre since 2016, Shanesia made her professional directorial debut with Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill with Congo Square Theatre, which she will remount at Farmers Alley Theatre.  Other Congo Square Projects include: Evie in What I Learned in Paris, Mayetta in Brothers of The Dust -BTAA & BEA awards, Best Actress (Congo Square Theatre), Co-Producer Jitney (Jeff Nominated), Assistant Director/Choreographer A Small Oak Tree Runs Red and several staged readings including Hobo King. Other director projects: Our Lady of 121st St. (UIC/STM), Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), (The Theatre School). As an actress, Ms. Davis most recently appeared as Ashlee in Dance Nation at Steppenwolf Theatre and created the role of Marti in Landladies at Northlight.  

A few favorite Chicago credits include: Gertrude in Hamlet at The Gift Theatre where she was also seen as Queen Margaret in Richard III, Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliott the Musical (Porchlight Music Theatre, Jeff nominated), Hannah in Native Son, Othello (Court Theatre), Queen in Cymbeline (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, Girl on yacht in One Arm, Inez in Our Lady of 121st St. (Steppenwolf Theatre); Evy in Immediate Family, Hannah in Drowning Crow, Amy Jacques in Black Star Line (Goodman Theatre); Kanika in Permanent Collection (Northlight Theatre) among others.  

Regional Credits include: Violet in the world premiere of JAZZ (Baltimore Center Stage); Evy in Immediate Family (Mark Taper Forum) NAACP Image Award nomination. Nella in Gees Bend  (Cleveland Playhouse); Salamina in The Syringa Tree, Ruth in A Raisin in the Sun (Kansas City Repertory Theatre) and Esther in the world premiere of Intimate Apparel (Centerstage Baltimore, South Coast Repertory); Ophelia in Hamlet, Desdemona in Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (San Diego Repertory); Missy May in Spunk (Penumbra). 

Film credits include: Working Man, BLUEPRINT, External Rivals, Consumed, Damaged Goods, Morning Due, The Weatherman, Uncle Nino, Life Sentence, Chicago Cab , and With Honors.  

Television credits include: the highly anticipated series LOVECRAFT COUNTRY (HBO), Something About Harry (DISFF) Proven Innocent (FOX), The Chi ( SHO), Cleveland Abduction ( LFT), Empire (FOX), Chicago Fire( NBC),CRISIS (ABC), Detroit 187 (ABC), Early Edition (CBS); Missing Persons, Gabriel’s Fire (ABC) and Making a Case for Murder: The Howard Beach Story (NBC).  Shanesia is an Adjunct Faculty/Teaching Artist at UIC, School of Theatre & Music.