THE YORK THEATRE ANNOUNCES THE 2026 MICKI GRANT ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE RECIPIENT, MARCHÁNT DAVIS
NEW YORK, NY (August 11, 2026) — The York Theatre (Joseph Hayward, Producing Artistic Director, Wendy Hall, Managing Director, Stephanie Prugh, Director of New Works and Development) is pleased to announce the 2026 Micki Grant Artist-in-Residence, Marchánt Davis, a Brooklyn-based actor, writer, director, producer, and author.
Named in honor of Micki Grant, the groundbreaking actor, composer, lyricist, playwright, director, and York Honorary Board Member, the Micki Grant Artist-in-Residence program supports artists from historically underrepresented communities through paid mentorship, professional development, and hands-on experience within an Off-Broadway theatre.
Davis will serve as a Directing Observer on The York Theatre's upcoming Mainstage production of Kilgallen, direct a special 50th Anniversary concert on December 10 of the landmark Broadway musical Vinnette Carroll’s Your Arms Too Short to Box with God, for which Micki wrote additional music and lyrics, work directly with York staff and artistic leadership, attend workshops on grant-writing, fundraising, and navigating theatrical unions, receive an invitation to The York's Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala.
“Micki Grant once said that through her work, she wanted to ‘open eyes, not turn them away.’ That idea has stayed with me,” says recipient Davis. It’s something I strive for in my own work—to create theater that invites people to look closer, feel deeply, and see themselves and one another with greater clarity. To be a resident in Micki’s name, and to continue exploring that spirit through my own work, is a tremendous honor.”
The 2026 selection committee included Daryl Walker, representative of The Micki Grant Estate; director/choreographer Kenny Ingram; inaugural resident Dahlak Brathwaite; and York Theatre staff members Joseph Hayward, Wendy Hall, Stephanie Prugh, and Tatiana Montes.
Marchánt Davis is a Brooklyn-based actor, writer, director, and author. As a director, his work includes 2 x 2 at the NYU Graduate Acting Program Freeplay Festival, workshop production of Your Arms Are Too Short to Box With God at The Mercury Store, Purlie at The Boston Conservatory, and audio productions for Playing On Air, including JFK Taxi, The Wayfarer's Code, and Did I Miss Anything Important? As an associate director, Davis has worked on productions and workshops at some of the nation's leading theaters: The Saviors at Atlantic Theater Company, Other at Greenwich House Theater, Wine in the Wilderness at Classic Stage Company, American Eclipsed with Tony Award-winning director Bill Rauch, and the Tectonic Theater Project Cabaret. He also served as a Directing Observer on Wedding Band at Theatre for a New Audience. Davis was a Reason to Go Places Directing Fellow at Theatre for a New Audience under Bartlett Sher and was selected as a 2023 Mercury Store Directing Lab Fellow.
As an actor, Davis appears in HBO's Peabody Award-winning film Reality and starred in the feature film The Day Shall Come. Broadway credits: Ain't No Mo', Good Night, Oscar, and The Great Society. Davis holds an MFA from the NYU Tisch Graduate Acting Program.
If you’d like to support The Micki Grant Artist-in-Residence Program, please consider making a tax-deductible donation at: https://ci.ovationtix.com/34375/store/donations/44746
THE YORK THEATRE, “Where Musicals Come to Life,” is the only theatre in New York City—and one of very few in the world—dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals and preserving notable shows from the past. For over five decades, York’s intimate, imaginative approach to producing both original and classic musicals has earned critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike. Since 1997, The York has focused on new musicals in its Mainstage Series—most of them world, American, or New York premieres—by some of the field’s most esteemed creators and has also helped launch the careers of many talented new writers. Over 47 cast recordings from York Theatre productions are now available, including its acclaimed revival of CLOSER THAN EVER (2013 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Revival). Commercial transfers of such York premieres as THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS (THE MUSICAL!), SOUVENIR (Tony Award Nomination for actress Judy Kaye), and JOLSON & COMPANY, and revivals of PACIFIC OVERTURES and SWEENEY TODD (four Tony Nominations including Best Revival) have all showcased the importance of The York and its programs.
The York is the recipient of an Emmy Nomination, a special Drama Desk Award for “Developing and Producing New Musicals,” and a special Outer Critics Circle Award for “50 Years of Producing New and Classic Musicals.” Most recently, Stephanie Jae Park received a Lortel Nomination for her performance in The York’s Monte Cristo. The York is currently producing at The Theatre at St. Jean’s at 76th Street and Lexington Avenue.
www.yorktheatre.org | www.facebook.com/yorktheatrecompany
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