Biography
Michelle de la Rosa is a freelance theatre director based in New York City. She is a native New Yorker with Puerto Rican and Jewish heritage.
As a director, she has participated in several NYC theatre festivals. She has won the audience award for Under the Rainbow (2022) by Andrea Woodbridge and Poached Salmon (2022) by Meny Beriro. Currently, she is directing her first short film that she also wrote, a horror comedy entitled Julienne. She has studied directing under the mentorship of John Grabowski at the Acting Studio in New York. She is a proud member of SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
As a playwright her credits include Spell It (2021), a short play that was produced by the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Her play But, I am - Pero Yo Soy was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Downtown Urban Arts Festival.
Artistic Statement
My introduction to theatre started when my mother would tell us we were going to skip school and go to a Broadway show instead. Seeing theatre at such a young age gave me an understanding of humanity on a higher level. Through storytelling, I saw that there’s a bigger world out there then just myself.
As a director, I love using my imagination to bring a play to life whether its a classic work or a new play. I have a deep conversation with the playwright, so that I can make sure I understand their inspirations and what they want out of the production. In the rehearsal process, I explore the characters with the actors and guide them in pinning down choices that make sense for the world that we are creating. Through careful analysis and introspection on the material, I seek to find the heart and soul of the play, and then guide the vision in that direction.