Talisa’s first play, WHO BY FIRE, won the 2021 National Jewish Playwriting Competition, the Tel Aviv Jewish Playwriting Competition, and was one of three finalists for Monumental Theater’s New Work Series at the Kennedy Center. She was a finalist for the Geffen Writers Room, and is currently developing a new work, THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT, through the Road Theatre’s Under Construction cohort. Her play SO BABY premiered at the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Fest, where it was honored with the 3rd place Loud Karma Emerging Female Playwriting Award.
Originally from Washington, DC, Talisa spent formative years of her childhood in Pretoria, South Africa. She majored in English at Harvard, where she was awarded the Jonathan Levy Prize for Acting, the David McCord Prize for the Arts, and was a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and the Signet Society of Arts & Letters.
Plays
Who By Fire
2021 National Jewish Playwriting Competition—Winner
2021 Tel Aviv Jewish Playwriting Competition—Winner
2021 Midwest Jewish Playwriting Competition—Finalist (top 3)
2021 Northern Virginia Jewish Playwriting Competition—Finalist (top 3)
Monumental Theater Company’s New Work Series – Finalist (top 3)
Over six holidays, the members of a Jewish family grapple with how—or whether—to maintain their religious identity in the modern era.
The Land of Enchantment
A family in New Mexico confronts ghosts past and present.
In development with The Road Theatre’s Under Construction 6
Workshop February 2026, Los Angeles, CA
SO BABY
An incisive coming-of-age comedy about the power struggle between three freshmen roommates.
Premiered at Hollywood Fringe Fest 2025
Loud Karma Emerging Female Playwriting Award - 3rd place
Stage Raw 10 Ten Recommended Play