Arianna Rose
Arianna is a Plays in Progress Mentor for Plays and Musicals. Request Arianna as a PIP Mentor.
Arianna Rose is an award-winning playwright, musical theatre writer, director, dramaturg and educator. As of February 2026, her plays and musicals have been presented in thirty-seven states, Washington D.C., and internationally in England, Italy, Scotland, Canada, Germany, Israel, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, and UAE. Publications: Applause Books, Smith & Kraus, Ghostlight Publications, Purple Light Productions Publications, and Theatre Odyssey Publications. Recipient of the MAC Song of the Year Award, Veterans Repertory Theatre Third Place Short Play Award, the York Theatre NEO Award, and various best play/playwright awards from Theatre Odyssey, Drury University, Lumen Playwriting Competition, Tree City Playhouse, 4th Street Theatre, Midnight Sun Theatre, Town & Gown Theatre, Mixing It Up Productions, the Know Theatre, Studio 1 Theatre, South Baldwin Theatre, M.T. Pockets Theatre, and Clocktower Theatre. Participant: 2022 Kennedy Center Playwrights Intensive and William Inge Theatre Festival Playlab. One of four playwrights selected for the 2019-2021 Miami-Dade County Council of Cultural Affairs Playwright Development Program, moderated by Kia Corthron. Two-time finalist for the Edward Kleban Lyric & Libretto Writing Award: one of three finalists for the 2020 Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama Writing in the UK. 2023 semi-finalist for the O’Neill Music Theater Conference.
Shawn Maus of The League of Cincinnati Theatres had this to say about TOUCH THE MOON (full-length drama): “Touch the Moon is the kind of new work that reminds you why we make theater. Cincinnati LAB Theatre’s Touch the Moon is not just a play, it’s an emotional reckoning. Written by Arianna Rose and masterfully directed by Elizabeth Harris, this new work is a slow-burn character drama that will leave you breathless… shaped by a deeply personal experience from the playwright’s own family—and it shows in every raw, vulnerable moment. …a story with heart, hurt, and haunting humanity. .. Touch the Moon is already whole. It’s rare to witness something this intimate, this grounded, and this emotionally charged on stage.”
Edge Media Network lauded FAMILY BY NUMBERS, calling it “One of the best plays” with a “powerfully haunting conclusion”. The world premiere was at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, NY in April 2019 with more than 35 productions since then across the country, the Philippines and Canada. It’s been selected twice for Columbia University’s Narrative Medicine Program and published in two best play anthologies.
Full-length plays: TOUCH THE MOON (workshop production, Cincinnati Lab Theatre); THE EQUIVALENT OF SENSATION. (Production, Femuscripts Community Theatre, Miami, FL); THE RIPPLE EFFECT (Production, Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop, S. Fallsburg, NY) ; THE LESSER LEYENDECKER (Playwrights Thriving Reading Series - online; Athena Projects Read & Rant, Denver CO ) . In development: JONNA/JACK, A CHANGE OF HEART.
Full-length musicals: THE LOST GIRL, written with Ben Bonnema. Reading, Florida Festival of New Musicals, Viterbo New Works Festival (WI). Workshops: CDP (NYU), Buck Hill Skytop Musical Festival. Top 20 finalist NAMT 2022. A COLLECTIBLE SENSATION, an adaptation of THE EQUIVALENT OF SENSATION with Amy Engelhardt. Workshops/readings, University of Minnesota/Duluth; Nautilus Music Theater “Rough Cuts” January 2025; Finalist, Kleban Award 2024 (Libretto). Current top 2 finalist Musical Theatre West New Works Festival 2026. Semi-finalist for the 2023 Eugene O’Neill NMTC and NapSeries NYC 2023. THE LEYENDECKER LOOK, an adaptation of THE LESSER LEYENDECKER with Thomas Jacobsen. GUTTER BALLS. Workshop production, Bucknell University. In development: TOUCH THE MOON, an adaptation of TOUCH THE MOON with Thomas Jacobsen. SKIPPING A STONE, an adaptation of THE RIPPLE EFFECT with Asher Shectman. THE SPELL, a one-act children’s musical with Thomas Jacobsen.
45+ Short-form and One-Act plays and musicals. A comprehensive list: www.ariannarose.net/work
M.F.A., NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program; B.A. Theatre, Bucknell University; BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Workshop. Memberships: ASCAP, Musicians Local 802, New Play Exchange, Playwrights Center, LMDA, Maestra, South Florida Theatre League, Dramatists Guild of America. Contact: rockawayrose@gmail.com
PUBLICATIONS
- Smith & Kraus The Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2026, Zannie’s monologue from GOING HOME
- Smith & Kraus The Best Women’s Stage Monologues 2026, Miranda’s monologue from TOUCH THE MOON
- Purple Light Productions Publications, TYPE CAST: Monologues Inspired by the Nine Enneagram Types, edited by Reagan Shook & Annie Brown, 2025
- GhostLight Publications, Off Broad Street Short Play Festival 2025, The Ripple Effect
- The Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2025, Smith and Kraus, Jeff’s monologue The Ripple Effect
- The Best Women’s Stage Monologues 2025, Smith & Kraus, Amy’s monologue The Ripple Effect
- Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2024, Smith and Kraus, WATER MUSIC
- The Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2023, Smith & Kraus, Dirk’s and Stefan’s monologues, Touch The Moon
- The Best Women’s Stage Monologues 2023 and 2024 editions, Smith & Kraus, Emily from Touch The Moon, Meredith from WATER MUSIC
- Gemco Players Australia, Take Ten 2022 Play Anthology, THE CLEITAGORA TEST
- Theatre Odyssey Ten-Minute Play Festival Volume Four: 2018-2021; FAMILY BY NUMBERS and SEX, LIES & STYROFOAM
- Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2021, Smith and Kraus, FAMILY BY NUMBERS
- 100 Best Monologues from New Plays 2020 – MEN; Applause Theatre & Cinema Books/Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. Oldest Son Monologue from FAMILY BY NUMBERS
- 100 Best Monologues from New Plays 2019 – WOMEN; Applause Theatre & Cinema Books/Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. Susan’s Monologue from MAKE MULCH FROM IT
LICENSED PLAYS
Tinyscripted.com: It’s Elemental; Lunch Money
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Finalist, Cork Arts Theatre, Ireland, 1 of 15 finalists for 10x10 Play Festival
Finalist, Water Music Monologue, Playground Experiment’s Faces of America Monologue Competition 2025
3rd place award, Audience Favorite, UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE, M.T. Pockets Theatre Company, WV, September 2025
Honorable Mention and Prize Award, Drury University One-Act Playwriting Competition, Springfield MO 2025, The Ripple Effect
2nd Place Prize Award “Body Acceptance & Self-Image Plays”, Lumen Playwriting Competition 2024, Farmers Alley Theatre/Kalamazoo College
AUDIENCE FAVORITE DRAMA Award, GOING HOME, 4th Street Theatre 10-minute play festival, Chesterton IN 2024
1st place winner, THE RIPPLE EFFECT (50-page version), Midnight Sun Theatre, Serial Bowl 2024, Anchorage AK
2nd Place Award, JONNA/JACK, Celtic Calling Tipjar Theatre Charleston WV March 2024
Judges Choice Award, Town & Gown Theatre D’Jour Troupe’s Short Play Festival, FAMILY BY NUMBERS, Stillwater OK August 2023
3rd place award, SEX, LIES & STYROFOAM, Veterans Repertory Theatre 2022 competition
2022 Kennedy Center Summer Playwrights Intensive
1st Place Award, Best Play FAMILY BY NUMBERS, Theatre Odyssey’s Ten-Minute Play Festival
Audience Choice Award, FAMILY BY NUMBERS, S. Baldwin Community Theatre New Play Festival
3rd Place Award, FAMILY BY NUMBERS, Tree City Playhouse, Sylvania OH
Honorable Mention Award, FAMILY BY NUMBERS, NEW PLAYS OF MERIT 2020, NY, NY
Artistic Merit Award, A BIG OCEAN, Know Theatre Artists and Playwrights Festival
Winner, 2020 Wayne’s War Playwright Competition, Studio 1 Theatre Company, Burlington, NC
3rd place Award, Full-length play, TOUCH THE MOON, Mixing it Up Prods Emerging Playwright Competition
MAC Award, Outstanding Song of the Year, “He’s on His Way” (with composer Robby Stamper)
NEO (New Emerging Outstanding Songwriter) York Theatre, NYC
2020 Selected Playwright for National Playwright Retreat, St. Joseph MO
Current Finalist, Musical Theatre West Equity Reading Series Festival, Long Beach CA 2025-6
Finalist, Kleban Award for Libretto, 2023 (A Collectible Sensation)
Finalist, Del Shores 2022 Playwrighting Competition
Finalist, NAMT (National Association of Musical Theatre) Festival 2022 (in the top 20 of 480 submissions)
Finalist, 2021 The Depot for New Play Readings, CT
Finalist, 2020 Kenneth Branagh Drama Writing Award/Windsor Fringe UK ( 1 of 3/236 entries)
2019-2021 Play Development Program Kia Corthron, Miami-Dade Cty Council of Cultural Affairs
2021 Shortlist, The Bechdel Group NYC, THE EQUIVALENT OF SENSATION
Finalist, 2019-2020 Edward Kleban Award for Musical Theatre Lyric Writing
Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat Finalist, THE LOST GIRL
Finalist, Theatre Lab 2022 Fair Play Initiative
Semifinalist, O’Neill Music Theatre Conference 2023
Semifinalist, Syracuse University New Works New Voices Initiative 2023
Finalist, Syracuse University New Works New Voices Initiative 2022
