MELBA LaROSE is a well-rounded talent of the New York stage, a leading actress of avant-garde theatre turned playwright-lyricist-director and artistic director.  From 1990-95, along with running the nonprofit NY Artists Unlimited, she was Actress/ Administrator/ Fundraiser for the Obie Award-winning NY Street Theatre Caravan, her proudest accomplishment obtaining support from TAROM Romanian Air Transport and the International Theatre Institute for a final international tour to Romania's Piatra Neamtz Theatre Festival.  Before joining the Caravan, Ms. LaRose was engaged in writing a musical, "Angelique," with the legendary Michel Legrand.  For NY Artists Unlimited, she has created many works, as outlined in the company bio below.   For many years, she was diligently at work on "A Builder of Dreams," a homage to her maternal Grandmother and a close-up of the 20th century as seen through the eyes of the 'common person.'  On tour for three years, it was a labor of love that proved to be validating and empowering to its grateful audiences of seniors, young people, and the under-served of New York City and the Northeast region.  Then, Julia de Burgos walked into her life when a bilingual edition of extraordinary poetry was handed to her by the editor-translator-poet and her friend, Jack Agueros.  The book "spoke" to her and she began to envision a production using some 28 poems to tell the passionate and tumultuous life story of Puerto Rico's national treasure poet.  After stellar appearances at Queens Theatre in the Park's AT&T Latino Cultural Festival, the Nuyorican Poets Café, and Donnell Library's World Languages Collection, it continues to tour the Northeast with a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

As Financial Supervisor and Fundraiser, she was responsible for overseeing an Actors Studio celebrity fundraising event: a concert reading at Carnegie Hall of "Don Juan in Hell," starring Gore Vidal, Susan Sontag, Gay Talese and Norman Mailer.  Prior to this, her English-style mystery-comedy, "Who's There?" was presented at American theatre of Actors, directed by the author.  There are many other plays to her credit (Production List upon request).  Ms. LaRose began writing under the aegis of Lonny Chapman, Artistic Director of the Group Repertory Theatre, LA, where she was a veteran acting member.  Her first play, "Spotlight," was produced at the Group in 1975.  There followed "Ready to Rock & Roll," a project in which she wrote about changing social mores in our times, presented as a hard-hitting musical revue.  Inspiration for playwriting came as a result of working as a Guest Actress in Playwriting Units for the likes of Gardner McKay at Theatre Vangard, LA; Ted Harris at the Actors Studio, LA and NY; Lonny Chapman, Group Repertory Theatre; and Herbert Berghof, HB Playwrights Foundation.  In other media, Ms. LaRose had works under consideration by Jerry London at CBS and by Disney/ Touchstone Films.  She taught at The Free University of Los Angeles, the Group Repertory Theatre, and the 18th St. Playhouse.  She was a founding member of The Commotion - Poets & Co., funded for performing onboard the Staten Island Ferry, and her poetry was published by Michigan's Green River Review.  A Phi Theta Kappa Honors Graduate of the State University of New York, she holds SUNY's Distinguished Alumnus Award 1987, as well as a Best Actress Award from the NY Film Festival at Town Hall.

ASSOCIATIONS / SPECIAL TRAINING
Dramatists Guild, Drama League, Episcopal Actors Guild, Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, A.R.T./New York (Alliance of Resident Theatres), Theatre Resources Unlimited.  Guest Artist for Playwriting Units of: Gardner McKay - Theatre Vangard, L.A.; Ted Harris - Actors Studio, NYC & L.A.; Lonny Chapman - Group Repertory Theatre, L.A.; Herbert Berghof, HB Playwrights Foundation, NYC. Experience in journalism, poetry.

HONORS & AWARDS
2005-2006 Who's Who in America
2005-2006 Who's Who in the World
2004-2005 Who's Who of American Women
2003-2004 National Register's Who's Who in Executives & Professionals
2002-2007 Fulbright Senior Specialist Roster Candidate
Individual grants for playwriting: Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Manhattan Community Arts Fund 2000-2003
Panelist: A.R.T/New York, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council,
    Theatre Resources Unltd.
Poetry published by Green River Review, Michigan
Honors Graduate, Ballston Spa High School, NY
Phi Theta Kappa Honors Graduate of State University of New York
SUNY Distinguished Alumnus Award - Arts - 1987.
Gold Key Honor Society
Best Actress -- Town Hall Independent Film Festival, NYC, & Best Actress Awards
    -- SUNY
Certificate of Excellence in Volunteerism -- NYC Department of Juvenile Justice (writing/performing for at-risk youth)