Spenser Davis
he/him/his
Chicago, IL
Spenser is a Chicago-based writer-director. Goodman Theatre's 2020 & 2021 Maggio Fellow; winner of 2019 Osborn Award from ATCA.
Biography

Raised in Northwestern Arkansas and based in Chicago, Spenser is an award-winning writer and new-works director. After ending his two-year residency as the Michael Maggio Fellow at the Goodman Theatre, where he served as Associate Director to Robert Falls on Adam Rapp's The Sound Inside and Rebecca Gilman's Swing State, he continued work on his most-recent play A Million Tiny Pieces, which is the result of the Elizabeth George Commission from South Coast Repertory and has since been developed at both the Pacific Playwrights Festival and the Colorado New Play Festival.

For his play Plainclothes, he received the M. Elizabeth Osborn Award from the American Theatre Critics Association, who also named him a finalist for the Harold & Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award. Other honors include the B. Iden Payne Award and the Joseph Jefferson Award.

He's worked with fantastic folks at places that include Steppenwolf 1700, American Blues Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, The Factory Theater, First Floor, Hell in a Handbag Productions, Interrobang Theatre Project, Promethean Theatre, The New Coordinates, and Broken Nose Theatre, where he was an ensemble member from 2012-2022.

He lives in Chicago with his awesome spouse E and two ridiculous cats. In addition to his theatrical work, he's currently developing projects for television with A+E Studios, Busy B Entertainment, and others. He's proud to be represented by both William Morris Endeavor and Heroes + Villains Entertainment.

Agent Information

Luke Virkstis | WME
LVirkstis@WMEAgency.com
212.903.1337
11 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10010

Plays

~ Winner of the 2019 M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award
~ Finalist for the 2019 Harold & Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award

When a violent encounter with a shoplifter leaves half of their team fired or in the hospital, the security guards of a downtown Chicago retail store find themselves under corporate investigation. Short-staffed, ill prepared, and faced with accusations that threaten to dismantle the crew, they’re forced to decide: do we give the higher-ups exactly what they want, or do we try to do what’s right – even if it means risking everything?

PLAINCLOTHES is a story of tribalism and taking a stand set against the bright, boisterous backdrop of the holiday shopping season.

Cast:
6f and 5m

~ "My favorite online production since theaters began shuttering last March" - Tony Frankel, Stage & Cinema

~ "Wickedly satirical... a prima-facie example of off-Loop formative invention. As immersive as a pandemic show ever could hope to be..." - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

September 2020. Politics are at a boiling point, COVID is rampant and Zoom calls are still the absolute worst. When the Public Works Director of a major city confesses to a horrible crime, a team of spin doctors are brought in at the last possible second to pull off a tough assignment: prepare the Mayor’s top aide for a crucial news interview, distance City Hall from the controversy and point the public’s attention elsewhere. And do it all entirely over video-conferencing. At a time when live theatre is at a standstill, THE SPIN is a brand-new dark comedy written and produced entirely for the virtual medium.

Cast:
6 - 9 actors (3-4 f, 3-5 m)

~ "MERGE is a really great play. If I worked for a Hollywood studio, I'd option this thing right now." - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

In 1976, Atari was the fastest growing company in the history of the United States, an arcade manufacturer with a workplace fueled by pot smoking, jacuzzi parties and nobody wearing socks. When they're forced to sell themselves to Warner Bros. to stay afloat, they quickly realize that corporate cash comes with baggage. Exhibit A? They have to start wearing socks.

In 1976, Atari was the fastest growing company in the history of the United States, an arcade manufacturer with a workplace fueled by pot smoking, jacuzzi parties and nobody wearing socks. When they're forced to sell themselves to Warner Bros. to stay afloat, they quickly realize that corporate cash comes with baggage. Exhibit A? They have to start wearing socks.

MERGE is the story of a small band of programmers who stand up and fight back against the very company that saved them from bankruptcy, in a battle that threatens to crash an entire industry.

Cast:
8 - 16 actors

~ "Highly Recommended! PRIMER uses humor and a hint of satire to question society’s priorities. [An] entertaining cast of characters draws us in, as it surveys bigger social questions from the point of view of ordinary, everyday people." — John Arkelian, Around the Town Chicago

~ “Highly Recommended! [It] challenges us [and] shakes us from our preconceived notions. Davis’s dialogue crackles..." — Joe De Rosa, Chicago OnStage

~ “Highly Recommended! Earth-shattering... Regardless of who [each of the characters] are, we feel compelled to listen to their stories..." — Annabelle Harsch, Picture This Post

When looters smash in a Michigan Avenue store’s front windows, this singular act of destruction affects a host of individuals, including the store’s security team, employees at one of its Cosmetics kiosks, and a manager with zero f@#ks left to give.

Set in the same fictional store that served as the backdrop to Davis's much-lauded play PLAINCLOTHES, and viewing the incident through a panorama of perspectives, PRIMER examines the dangers of prioritizing property over people in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Cast:
8 actors (male, female and nonbinary)

Successes

Following its inclusion in their Pacific Playwrights Festival, Spenser partnered with South Coast Repertory to take his play, A MILLION TINY PIECES, to the 2022 Colorado New Play Festival for further development. CNPF is produced by Jim & Lori Steinberg.

Spenser's virtual play THE SPIN received its second production at Street Corner Arts in Austin, Texas; as with the World Premiere in Chicago, Spenser helmed the production himself.

It went on to receive ten nominations for the B. Iden Payne Awards, winning three - including Best Director and Best Digital Live Production.

After being written as part of South Coast Rep's Elizabeth George Commission, Spenser's play A MILLION TINY PIECES was featured in their 2022 Pacific Playwrights Festival.

Spenser's first television pilot, KNOX COUNTY NIGHTS, was named a Finalist at this year's Austin Film Festival. It was one of five scripts on the shortlist, in a year where over 14,000 were submitted for consideration.

He was also named a Finalist for the Josephson Entertainment Fellowship.

In its Chicago-based World Premiere, Spenser's virtual play THE SPIN was called "wickedly satirical ... a prima-facie example of off-Loop formative invention..." (Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune) and "my favorite online production since theaters began shuttering last March" (Stage & Cinema).