The New, The Cool, The Weird, The Queer
I’m a director/dramaturg with 10 years of experience developing new plays and musicals alongside living playwrights. I seek to emphasis the experiences of human life that are messy, visceral, otherworldly, weird, wild, wacky, and hilarious.
I’m drawn to stories that are adventurous and pushing boundaries in new ways – either by telling a story from a new perspectives, poking at the social fabric of society, genre-bending, or experimenting with theatrical space and form.
As a queer woman, I have deep joy in uplifting powerful women and intersectional queer narratives. Thematically, I often grapple with the class gap, modern technology, mental health, climate change, rural narratives, and religious traumas. I seek to create work that brings awareness, political action, and change to these ever-present issues.
As an artist, I find deep joy in the collaborative process of new play development and have spent much of my career championing new work by living playwrights at theaters such as Magic Theatre, The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, and more.
I love to experiment with theatrical space and form through immersive and multi-media work. I have worked heavily in immersive work from directing a large-scale ‘Sleep No More’ type show set in the 1920’s to “Every Brilliant Thing” in a Redwood forest after the pandemic. I hope to create theatre that is visceral, vibrant, and cathartic to inspire the next generation of theatre-goers.
Recipient: ColLABbo at Carnegie Mellon University, Directors Labs West, SCDF Observership, Playground Company Member, TBA CA$H Grants, Porter Arts Grant.
Awards: Winner of Shortlived Play Festival (nation’s largest audience judged theater competition), Best of Playground SF, Promising Woman in Theatre, DaVinci Scholar, Renaissance Artist Award, Theatre Arts Student of the Year. LEARN MORE
The five years, I helped produce Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s New Work Summer Development Program The Ground Floor. I am a Founding Member of Bay Area Directors Collective, a space dedicated to creating opportunities for directors to experiment, develop their skills, and foster camaraderie and lateral mentorship. Former Interim Artistic Director of The Custom Made Theatre Co and Co-Artistic Director at FaultLine Theater; which focused on developing and producing fresh scripts that lie at the intersection of pop culture and politics.
Hadestown, Every Christmas Ever Story, Pickpocket: The Musical, Bay Area Director’s Collective, Love U, Last West, She Kills Monsters, WORK/SHOOT.
Current Projectss
“Working with Ciera as a director is a designer’s dream; she presents cultivated ideas with care, while also inviting collaboration and input from the design team. Ciera pushes outside of the box in insightful and unique ways. Her empathetic, people first mentality makes her a director you’d want to work with over and over again.”- Sara Witsch, Sound Designer
“Wonderful direction. I loved the movement, flow, and energy that elevated the script to a more kinetic, vibrant experience”– Matt Morishige, Playwright
“Ciera is an incredible collaborator, artist, and person. As a playwright, I can’t say enough about the attentiveness, passion, inventiveness and generosity she brings to her work as a director. She is a true leader who listens deeply and brings out the best in others.”-Madison Wetzell, Playwright
“Ciera Eis brings compassion, an eye for detail, and a killer sense of comedy to all aspects of her work. A true joy to work with!”– Perry Fenton, Actor
“Ciera Eis was instrumental in kicking off our New Voices series at Town Hall Theatre. Being one of the foremost experts in local new writers, she pointed us in the direction of some of the best playwrights in the Bay Area and we were lucky enough to have her direct our inaugural production. Ciera is an inventive, creative director who is able to communicate with actors in a concise and empowering way. I would work with Ciera in the future in any capacity!”– Lisa Larkin, Artistic Producer
“Ciera is one of the most empathetic and thoughtful directors I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Conceptually, she’s not afraid to push boundaries, while still remaining grounded in the text. Working with her is a great time; her habit of actively seeking input from her team and encouraging open dialogue has created some of the warmest, most tight-knit rooms I’ve had the pleasure of working in.” Weili Shi, Lighting Desinger
Quarantine Content
Fun | Artsy | Edgy | sweet
THE NEWS & INFORMATION
Using text from the play “Love and Information” by Caryl Churchill and “The News” by Paramore. Made in 48 hours and aims to comment on the grotesque nature of consumerism and the world we are living in right now. (Direction/ DP/Editing: Ciera Eis. Actors: Alejandra Wahl and Brennan Pickman-Thoon. Home Owners: Amanda and Jon Oleson), I will add a more polished (better edited) version in the next few months.
TONIGHT WE FEAST
Grab a seat at the table because you’re invited to the feast! San Francisco based band Lentil stars in a music video inspired by Sheila Callaghan’s “Women Laughing Alone With Salad”. (DP and Editing- LMK Media). Director Ciera Eis.
RISE AND FALL
We used original lyrics from ‘Dog Act’ by Liz Duffy Adams, to visually explore the beauty of nature juxtaposed by the destruction of the environment and apocalyptic fall of man. The performer leads the the audience on a journey of how often we take Mother Nature for granted, and how doomed she will be if we do not unite towards a common goal. (DP: Ben Ellie, Editor: Brennan Pickman-Thoon, Lyrics and Composition: Sharon Shao, Music Producer: Criibaby). Director: Ciera Eis.
FAUST: ALT SHIFT CONTROL
Based off the Faustian concept of selling your soul, we used screen capture to create a piece analyzing the radicalization of young people through the YouTube rabbit hole. Our central goal is to make the audience wonder, “could that have been me?“ (DP and Editor: Brennan Pickman-Thoon). Playwright Madison Wetzell. Director: Ciera Eis.
YOU HAD ME AT HELLO
We asked Bay Area actor couples to remake (shot-by-shot) some of the most famous romantic movie scenes and tell us their love story. Director Ciera Eis.
Murder at Roland Manor
An interactive 8-Bit mystery play by Brennan Pickman-Thoon. Explore the virtual manor as you chat with guests, roam the grounds, and discover who killed Kenneth Roland- before they get to you! Director: Ciera Eis.
cieraeis.com 