Press
Click a slide below to read review clippings
"Between the violent beauty of the actors' physicality and the depth of the text, it will have you on the edge of your seat.
Both Cowan and Robinson are captivating performers, with a chemistry that flies off the stage.
Cowan is especially powerful...his voice booming into the space – even as he's upside down at one point. When it ends, in a burst of energy... it's like you're finally catching your breath after a run."
- New York Theatre Review
Sweat & Tears
"Just to witness the athleticism of Ross Cowan...will make you acutely aware of the limits of your own physical ability. The raw energy conjures an invisible alchemy of fury and grief."
- CultureBot
Produced by M-34, directed by James Rutherford and Jessica Goldschmidt, performed at JACK
Arsenic & Old Lace
Produced by Portland Stage. Written by Joseph Kesselring. Directed by Paul Mullins.
"Ross Cowan anchors the cast with his mercurial, athletic, agile performance of the increasingly bewildered Mortimer Brewster. Essentially playing the foil for the rest of the ensemble, Cowan gives an energetic and engaging account of the role."
- Broadway World.com
"Cowan plays Mortimer with just the right touch of boyish charm, and irony extraordinaire."
- Bangor Daily News
"Cowan is up to the challenge and kept things in high gear...Cowan's approach allowed the character to breathe just a little, through several double-takes and off-hand digs at the theater world he frequents."
- Portland Press Herald
Fly
Produced by The Pasadena Playhouse and Crossroads Theater Company. Written by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan. Directed by Ricardo Khan. Performed at The Pasadena Playhouse (CA), The New Victory Theater (NYC), & Crossroads Theatre Co (NJ) with a special presentation at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, DC.
“[His] tearful apology for a childhood wrong provides Cowan with an actor’s dream monologue (which he aces), and Fly with one of its most gut-wrenching moments.”
- Stage Scene LA
"When two white pilots (played expertly by Ross Cowan as “Shaw” and Brandon Nagle as “Reynolds”) can no longer deny the valuable attributes of their fellow pilots, laughter is the only outburst we can muster."
- EurWeb.com
Red
Produced by Portland Stage. Written by John Logan. Directed by Paul Mullins.
"The young, cherubic Cowan is a perfect contrast and complement to Wyatt’s mature irritation; he is positive but not a lightweight, and leaves himself room to grow along the way."
"Cowan delivers the play’s seminal soliloquy with a perfect dose of passionate frustration and sarcasm, reminding us that Ken, even when pushed to the brink, was no Rothko."
"Cowan has us silently rooting for his breakthrough, whether for his own future, or against Rothko’s obstinacy."
- Bangor Daily News
"Ross Cowan...reveals little by little both his character’s inexperience and his inner strength. His Ken proves a worthy foil and competitor for the artist who would use him for his purposes without knowing anything about him.
- Maine Today
The Importance of Being Ernest Hemingway
Produced by M-34. Conceived by James Rutherford and Elliot Quick based on the works of Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway.
Directed by James Rutherford. Performed at the Access Theater
"For such an abstract work, the acting, which requires intense attention to detail and to shifts in tone, is outstanding. I will single out for special praise Ross Cowan as Algernon and Tim Hassler as Jack, who carry a great deal of the heavy lifting on their shoulders."
- Upstage-Downstage
"The two male leads, Messrs. Cowan and Hassler, are perfectly matched and give their all to keep the energy flowing. They manage to make the transitions from one author to the other seamless, using every word to illuminate their characters."
- TheaterPizzazz
"The actors do a wonderful job, especially Cowan as Algernon. The conception and execution is excellent."
- Broadway World
"This is a play to be admired for its innovation, ambition and the strong performances from the entire cast. M-34 seems to be a company willing to take risks and able to produce impressive work and for this they are surely worth keeping an eye out for."
- Theatre Is Easy
Homestead Crossing
Co-produced by the Berkshire Theatre Group, Merrimack Repertory Company, and Portland Stage. Written by William Donelly.
Directed by Kyle Fabel.
"The acting -across the board- is excellent. Cowan, for example, is utterly charming, especially the glee in his eye when May trots off to smoke pot with him."
- Times Union
"Cowan is effortlessly sexy in his shaggy way."
- The Hub Review
"The laughs kicked into high gear with the introduction of Claudia, then Tobin into the mix. Shires and Cowan captured the young couple's naivete and spirit--their facial expressions, mannerisms and perfectly timed line delivery were beyond priceless."
- Portland Press Herald
"Shires and Cowan's characters intrude and infuse quirkiness into the scene (both actors are terrific at quirky)."
- In the Spotlight
"The cast of David Adkins, Corinna May, Lesley Shires and Ross Cowan hit every note with the right emphasis, playing their parts like a well-rehearsed string quartet."
- BroadwayWorld .com
About
Ross was born in New Haven and grew up in Maryland right outside Washington, DC.
Ross acted some in high school but didn't really fall in love with it until college. Halfway through his sophmore year he switched his major from Comparative Literature to Theatre Arts.
After graduating, Ross moved to New York City and got a carpentry job at the Public Theater in downtown Manhattan where he helped build sets and perform skits in the elevators. Two years later enrolled in the Graduate Acting Program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
To Ross, acting in general and theater specifically is about creating human connection-- about a group of strangers coming together for a moment to experience something extreme and new but at the same time deeply, surprisingly recognizable. He continues to strive to create new and better work to create community and human electricity through storytelling.
In his free time Ross enjoys hiking, cooking, and sharing tales of adventure. He currently lives in Brooklyn.