About Wren Ross

Ever since she was five years old and gave voice to the dramatic (and often comedic) scenes she created with her dolls and paper cut outs, Wren Ross has always been fascinated by the expressive power of the human voice.

Wren Ross has been an actor, singer and voice over artist for over thirty years. She played major roles in the Boston productions of Hedda Gabler, Measure for Measure, Emma, The Real Inspector Hound, 20 October at Night, Ghosts, When We Dead Awaken and A Christmas Carol to name a few. Wren toured across the USA in Dracula as well as a much-acclaimed production of The Sylvia Plath Play.

Being in The Sylvia Plath Play inspired Wren to investigate and celebrate women  writers, so she founded a theatre troupe called “The Muse” that was funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities and Public Policy.  Their performances of women’s writings toured local theatres, community centers and Framingham State Prison. 

Wren’s one-woman performance, “…A Strong Woman is…” received a lot of kudos. The Boston Globe said that she was, “….a strong voice and sure stage presence.”  And the Boston Herald wrote that Wren was “…true and stirring.”

Wren was a cast member of Shear Madness for eleven years (Boston’s longest running play) and was the first female actor to play three parts: Barbara DeMarco, Mrs. Schubert and Mike Thomas.

Ms Ross has been seen and heard in hundreds of broadcast spots and has worked with such notable personalities as Walter Cronkite, Jason Robards, Mason Adams and Ben Vereen. Her voice can be heard in major museums, national parks and planetariums across the United States, and she has also appeared in several popular animation video games such as Warcraft and Thief 3: Deadly Shadows. Among her television voice-over credits are the PBS programs NOVA, The People's Century, Celebration of the American Family, and Prelude to Kosovo. Wren narrated She Lives to Ride, a feature film about female motorcyclists.

One of Wren’s passions is to create Cabaret Theatre.  Some of her most popular performances were Unexpected Song at Club Café and A Musical Feast at the Cambridge Blacksmith House.

Wren was invited by the curators of the Starr Gallery and the Jewish Women’s Archives to produce a cabaret performance called Then and Now, which was a companion piece for the "Women Whose Lives Span the Century" oral history project.

Wren has an extensive knowledge of the music of the Holocaust and sings Yiddish songs of the Vilna Ghetto (1941-43) as part of a touring performance/lecture with Dr. Solon Beinfeld, Professor Emeritus of Washington University. Wren was invited to sing at a tribute to the internationally renowned artist Samuel Bak, a survivor of the Vilna ghetto. She also narrated a documentary about his life called Speaking the Unspeakable: The Art of Samuel Bak.  Wren was the master of ceremonies and sang songs of Brecht/Weill in a special Kabarett at Boston College held in conjunction with an exhibition of German Expressionist self-portraits at the McMullen Museum.

With Cathy Rand, she created The Day I Quit, a comic piece about smoking cessation and Bone Vivant, a humorous yet compassionate and informative medley about osteoporosis. Both shows were developed for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Wren collaborated on many original shows with her partner Daena Giardella, including Y2K Cabaret and Now What? and she co-directed Giardella in her one-woman performances: Play, Balancing Acts, and What Can I Say?  She is currently working with Daena on a new show that will premiere at the Dance Complex in Cambridge in December 2011.

An avid knitwear designer, Wren is well known in the USA and abroad for her performance, Singing With Every Fiber that celebrates the delights and dilemmas of crafting with fiber. She recorded those songs in a popular CD called “Wren’s Greatest Knits!” 

Wren co-authored a book with Daena Giardella about the creative process called Changing Patterns: Discovering the Fabric of Your Creativity that explores the creative process as a tool for self-development and change.

Wren has taught acting and voice over workshops that empower people to find their authentic and dynamic voice for over twenty-five years.  She also brings her voice coaching skills to corporations, media outlets and universities