Artistic Director

Berkeley native Eisa Davis’ lyrical coming-of-age story follows a multiracial girl found as an infant floating in a basket on the Navarro River in Mendocino County. It’s 1955, and Bulrusher is 18 and restless, with a gift for clairvoyance that makes her feel like a stranger even amongst the eccentric, dialect speaking folks of her predominantly white enclave of Boonville. When a mysterious Black girl from Birmingham comes to town, Bulrusher discovers new facets of her identity — and uncovers her place in the world. A Pulitzer Prize finalist called “captivating and lushly poetic” by the LA Times, Bulrusher is infused with rhythmic language, passion, and down-home humor.

EPSG:4326

Bulrusher

Peet's Theatre

In 1955, in the redwood country north of San Francisco, a multiracial girl grows up in a predominantly white town whose residents pepper their speech with the historical dialect of Boontling. Found floating in a basket on the river as an infant, Bulrusher is an orphan with a gift for clairvoyance that makes her feel like a stranger even around those who think they know her best: the taciturn schoolteacher who adopted her, the madam who runs her brothel with a fierce discipline, the logger with a zest for horses and women, and the guitar-slinging boy who is after Bulrusher's heart. Just when she thought her world might close in on her, she discovers an entirely new sense of self when a Black girl from Alabama comes to town.

McCarter Theatre Center

Join McCarter and Princeton Public Library for a free behind-the-scenes conversation about the mysterious and compelling season opener, Bulrusher by Eisa Davis. Associate Artistic Director Nicole A. Watson will be joined by Dramaturg Faye M. Price and Sound Designer Kate Marvin to share the joys and challenges of mounting this unique coming-of-age story, which is set in 1955 in the rural California town of Booneville and features the historical coded language of its residents called Boontling. Watson will also talk about her research road trip to Mendocino County and discuss the choices she and her design team made to create the world of the play, including its immersive visual and aural landscapes. The conversation will be moderated by McCarter Artistic Engagement Manager Paula Alekson and will include a Q&A with the audience.

McCarter Live at the Library: BULRUSHER

Princeton Public Library

In a Depression-era Harlem apartment building, a close-knit group of friends has become a chosen family. New roommates Angel and Guy — a recently fired blues singer and a promising costume designer with Paris in his sights — live across the hall from Delia, a social worker who sparks a relationship with the hardworking doctor Sam. Their lives are upturned when Southern newcomer Leland arrives and falls hard for Angel, who is torn between a stable life in Manhattan and an exhilarating overseas adventure with Guy. Angel chooses her path, but the decision leads to devastating consequences that shift the trajectory of everyone’s futures and long-held dreams.

Nicole A. Watson

Artistic Director

Events

Oct 27 - Dec 3, 2023

Bulrusher · Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Sep 13 - Oct 7, 2023

Bulrusher · McCarter Theatre Center

Aug 24, 2023

McCarter Live at the Library: BULRUSHER · McCarter Theatre Center

Jan 28 - Mar 12, 2023

Blues for an Alabama Sky · Guthrie Theater

About

Nicole A. Watson hasn't added a bio