Gather in J. Pierpont Morgan’s historic Library for an intimate book club discussion of Nella Larsen’s classic 1929 novel, Passing.
Join Rhonda Evans, Director, LuEsther T Mertz Library at the New York Botanical Garden for a facilitated conversation about the book. Throughout the evening, actors April Matthis and Eisa Davis will read select passages from the novel as additional points of departure for discussion.
Set primarily in Harlem in the 1920s, Passing centers on the tension between two reunited childhood friends—one who chooses to cross the color line, and the other who chooses not to. Larsen’s searing portrait of these women’s internal conflicts straddles the edges of communities, identities, races, and speech—and ultimately lands in a place that defies categorization. Published during Belle da Costa Greene’s lifetime, the novel’s themes and the author’s own biography relate closely to the current exhibition, Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy.
Please note that this program is organized as a participatory conversation and attendees are encouraged to read the book prior to the program.
Eisa Davis is an award-winning actor, writer, and singer-songwriter working on stage and screen. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play Bulrusher, and wrote and starred in Angela’s Mixtape, named a best of the year by The New Yorker. Eisa is a 2023 USA Artist Fellow and a 2020 Creative Capital recipient. As an actor, she is an Obie Award winner for Sustained Excellence in Performance. Her recent works include the role of June in the musical adaptation of The Secret Life of Bees, Kings at the Public, the 2017 Shakespeare in the Park production of Julius Caesar, and Preludes. Other theater performances include Antigone in Ferguson, Luck of the Irish, the world premieres of This and The Call, the first revival of The Piano Lesson at Yale Rep (also composer and musical director), and the acclaimed Broadway rock musical Passing Strange, captured on film by Spike Lee. In television, Eisa played Cynthia Driscoll on House of Cards, and Bubbles’ sister on The Wire. She has guest starred in numerous series and appeared in over fifteen films.
April Matthis is an OBIE Award-winning actor. Matthis has worked extensively in the New York live performance scene. She was most recently seen on Broadway in the Tony-nominated plays Mary Jane and August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. Off-Broadway credits include Primary Trust (Pulitzer Prize 2024), Tom Stone (Roundabout), Help (The Shed), Fairview, LEAR (Soho Rep), Signature Plays—Funnyhouse of a Negro (Signature Theater), IOWA, Anlia Pneumatica (Playwrights Horizons). In the experimental performance world, Matthis has starred in Jerome Bel at L’Alliance New York’s Crossing the Line Festival, as well as work by Ralph Lemon at the Walker Art Center and MoMA PS1. Matthis is also a company member with Elevator Repair Service since 2007, having performed in numerous productions over the years, including Baldwin/Buckley at Cambridge (Festival d’Avignon), The Sound & the Fury, Fondly, Collette Richland (NYTW), Measure for Measure (The Public), Everyone’s Fine with Virginia Woolf (Abrons Art Center), and GATZ (Perth Festival). TV credits include Life & Beth (Hulu), The Blacklist (NBC), Evil, The Good Fight (Paramount Plus), New Amsterdam (NBC). Film: Figurative Dreams, Ramona at Midlife.
This program takes place in J. Pierpont Morgan’s historic library. Doors to the library will open 30 minutes before the book club begins.
Please e-mail public_programs@themorgan.org with questions about accessibility.