Rose Weaver facts for kids

Rose Weaver is a talented American actress, singer, director, and writer from Rhode Island. Many people see her as a very important person in Rhode Island's entertainment world. She is also well-known for her part in the movie Poetic Justice.

Early Life and Education

Rose Weaver grew up in a town called McDonough, near Atlanta, Georgia. Her family were sharecroppers, which means they farmed land owned by someone else and shared the crops they grew. She was one of the first Black students to attend Joseph Emerson Brown High School. This was an all-white high school in Atlanta. As a young person, she also took part in the Emory University Upward Bound program.

College Years and Early Career

Weaver graduated from Wheaton College in 1973. In the same year, she received a special three-year fellowship from Trinity Repertory. She started singing in clubs in Boston and Rhode Island during the 1970s.

Acting and Directing Career

Rose Weaver spent many years acting at the Trinity Repertory theater. She was there for 11 seasons, playing roles like Silvia in Two Gentlemen of Verona. She also played Dussie Mae in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues.

Return to Trinity and Other Projects

In 1994, she returned to Trinity Repertory for another 11 seasons. During this time, she played the Witch in Into the Woods and Billie Holiday again in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. Besides her theater work, Weaver also produced and hosted a TV show. It was called "Sunday Sunday" and aired on WJAR TV in the 1980s.

Film Roles and Continued Work

In 1993, Rose Weaver appeared in the movie Poetic Justice. She played Aunt Audrey alongside famous actors like Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur.

Weaver continues to be very active in the arts. She still acts, sings, writes, and directs. In 1999, she performed at the state inauguration in Rhode Island. In 2000, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Brown University.

Playwriting and Recent Works

In 2015, she was an artist in residence at Brown University's Rites and Reason Theatre. There, she developed her play Skips The Record, which was about Alzheimer's disease and memory. Her play Menopause Mama, which she wrote, directed, and starred in, toured internationally. This play also earned her a fellowship in playwriting in 2017. In 2022, her play Silhouette of a Silhouette had its first performance. This play was partly about her own life.

Awards and Recognitions

Rose Weaver has received many awards and honors for her work.

• 2019: Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
• 2018: Rhode Island Woman of the Year, GoLocalProv
• 2018: Wheeler School Community Spirit Award
• 2018: Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Wheaton College
• 2016: Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Providence College
• 2002: Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Marymount Manhattan College
• 2001: Rhode Island Historical Society History Makers
• 2000: Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts
• 1991: "Who's Who in Rhode Island Jazz"
• 1973: Miss Massachusetts - Miss Congeniality
• 1973: Miss Foxboro

Selected Film and Television Roles

Rose Weaver has appeared in several films and TV shows.

• A Snow White Christmas, 2018, Mrs. Woods
• Brotherhood, 2006, Mrs. Lynch
• Poetic Justice, 1993, Aunt Audrey
• Tales From The Crypt, 1990, Desk
• The Accused, 1988, Nurse
• Go Tell It On The Mountain, 1984
• In the Heat of the Night, 1989
• Brother to Dragons, Great Performances, 1975, Family Slave

Published Works

Rose Weaver has also had some of her writings published.

• "Mama's Helper" and "Chips on My Shoulder", in Monologues for Women by Women, edited by Tori Haring-Smith, 1994
• NuMuse: an anthology of plays from Brown University's New Plays Festival, 1994