Erika Rose

About the Artist

Erika Rose is a Helen Hayes Award winning actress, nominated three times for Best Actress. She is a proud native of Prince George's County. She attended Lewisdale Elementary School, Nicholas Orem Middle School and High Point High School before continuing her education at The University of Maryland, College Park where she studied Theater and Performance. Erika has worked as an actress for 18 years in the DMV. You may have seen her at Round House Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Imagination Stage, The African Continuum Theatre Company, Theatre J, The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (Company Member), Theatre Alliance and more. She is excited to be making her Ford's Theatre debut this fall as Rose in August Wilson's Fences, directed by Timothy Douglas. Erika is also working on a semi-autobiographical solo piece and is thankful for the support of the Maryland State Arts Council in this endeavor.

Artist's Statement

I am inspired by connection and truth telling. Theater has the opportunity to bridge the emotional and psychological gulfs between human beings. Our country is at yet another moment of opportunity for deep growth and healing. Humans are great thinkers but ideas aren't going to solve our most difficult problems. The heart has a chance though. Art reaches places that intellect cannot. At this point in my career, I am focused on creating and being a part of projects that speak to naming those yet nameless universal feelings in us. I am writing about and doing advocacy work around racism, which is not a word we use in the theater but certainly a word that uses us. Finding ways to use theater to get my colleagues to recognize the importance of talking about racism and working together to dismantle it within ourselves and in our business, is my new mission. We can't talk to anyone across any political, racial or religious divide unless we look at ourselves first. Theater is the way.