ELLAROSE CHARY (she/hers) is an award-winning writer and advocate for inclusion in musical theater. She likes telling stories with music and building community through artistic practice. Her musical TL;DR: THELMA LOUISE; DYKE REMIX won the Richard Rodgers Award, was awarded a Rhinbeck Triple R Residency, was featured at NAMT, was a Finalist for the O'Neill NMTC and was a Relentless Award HM. It received its World Premiere at Diversionary Theater in 2024, where it was nominated for a Craig Noel Award for Outstanding New Musical. The cast recording is available wherever music is streamed and the show will be featured at multiple theaters around the country in the upcoming 2025-26 season.  

 

Some of her favorite collaborations have been with The Civilians and City Center Encores! Off-Center creating LUCKY IN THAT WAY about the making of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, with the Tank on her play THE SÉANCE MACHINE which was part of their Obie-Award winning season, and with the students at Millikin University on her new musical with Brando(n) James Gwinn, THE SPELL OF RED RIVER. She wrote lyrics for the Malaysian musical MARRYING ME, which won a BOH Cameronian Arts Award (and she was nomintaed for best lyrics), her TYA musical THE DOLL MAKER'S GIFT was nominated for Outstanding New Work by the The Omaha Theater Arts Guild, and her play THE WRONG QUESTION was a finalist for the Jewish Plays Project and written up in the Jewish Telegraph Agency. She’s currently working on  new musical commissions with both Harbor Entertainment and The Rose Theater, a new play with director Alex Keegan, and developing TV projects with SageWorks and JuVee Productions. 

 

She’s proud to have been a Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow, Drama League Award Nominee, a member of Ars Nova Uncharted, a member of the New Georges Jam (and affiliated artist), NYFA Fellowship Finalist, two-time Kleban Prize Finalist, and recipient of multiple Frank Young Fund Grants for New Musicals. She’s equally proud of her advocacy work which includes co-creating Tank-aret (a cabaret series for underrepresented artists), writing about equity issues for The Lilly Awards Blog, HowlRound, and Musical Theater Today (contributing editor), appearing on panels at NYMF, Honest Accomplice Theater, and Maestra, and being featured in American Theatre. She’s had fun being in residence with Roundabout Theater / Bucks County Playhouse, Catwalk Institute, and Harvard University (where she also guest lectures). 

 

Her debut album, PLACE AND TIME, with Brando(n) James Gwinn features a cast of Broadway artists including Tituss Burgess, Amber Gray, Telly Leung, Daisy Eagan, Alysha Umphress and Troy Iwata and was written up in The Advocate. It is available wherever you get music. 

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EllaRose believes the future of the American theater relies on universal healthcare. Member: Dramatists Guild; ASCAP; MFA: NYU Tisch, BA: Brown University. 

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