Nicole “The Madame” Davis is a professional producer and director, who began her theatrical career as a dodo bird in a children’s theatre production.  Since 1998, she has been developing and executing theatrical productions, fundraisers, and professional workshops and conferences.  Nicole studied acting, non-profit arts management, and business administration at WVU. Early in her adventures she worked for a fireworks production company in San Diego, CA.  She directed professionally in Jackson, Wyoming between 2007 and 2012, including HAIR! at the Jackson Center for the Arts, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe, the debut performance in the Black Box at the Jackson Center for the Arts, and a fundraising production of The Vagina Monologues, for the International VDay Campaign that raised $17,000.

In 2015, she founded Dancing Elephant Productions, which became a fully-fledged 501(c)3 in 2018.  Since its’ inception, Dancing Elephant has produced and presented a variety of programming for individuals and groups.  Wonder Kids is the organization’s longest running program, it began as a partnership with MT Pockets Theatre in 2015 and has produced a series of lasting memories and encourage future artists to follow their dreams.  High Spirits, an original vaudeville style burlesque show, opened in 2016 with a vaudeville style circuit around local Morgantown theatres and Dancing Elephant’s professional troupe has developed seven full length original productions, including two mainstage productions at The Metropolitan Theatre in Morgantown, WV.  In 2018, Nicole began developing Arts for All, a community arts program, geared toward engaging non-theatre people in theatrical exercises in ways that will have a positive impact on their day-to-day lives, and Burlesque Bombshells, burlesque workshops for folks who want to carry themselves with confidence. 

As the need became evident, Nicole shifted the primary focus of the organization from theatrical production to presenting workshops and providing program development and administrative support to other arts organizations with services and support ranging from grant applications, event booking, non-profit board support, program development, and fundraising events.  She served on the Board of M.T. Pockets Theatre from 2017 to 2019.  She assisted The Rustic Mechanicals with a successful $10K grant during the pandemic.  In 2021 she joined the board of The Monongalia Arts Center.  Dancing Elephant productions produced and sponsored A MAC Summer Nights Dream, an inaugural annual fundraiser, that continues in its third year.   In 2023, Nicole joined the Board of the HPO, the non-profit leading the preservations and renovation efforts for the building and participated on the design and development committee.

Nicole believes theatre is the ultimate collaborative exercise, where the sum of collected parts creates something greater than the original individual components.  Strong communities are forged in creative spaces.  She loves classic 20th century realism, vaudeville style comedy, and Shakespeare in equal parts, and enjoys examining those works with a modern lens.   In the spirit of creating theatrical synergy within our communities Nicole strives to nurture working relationships with theatre companies regionally.  She is also an avid theatre goer and believes that first and foremost artists support the arts.  Nicole returned to the mountains of West Virginia, following a 2 year station in Columbus, Ohio, and is eager to make art and engage with the community.