Cherita Armstrong

Cherita Armstrong is an American actress who has played a variety of diverse characters throughout her acting career. Including her recurring role on the hit television series Pretty Little Liars. Her other television credits include Law & Order: SVU, All My Children, and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Cherita is most known for her commitment to bringing historical figures to life through her work in theatre. She is the star of the nationally touring production, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, where she plays Harriet Jacobs, an enslaved woman who spends 7 years hiding out as a fugitive in an attic. This poignant solo piece is based on a true story and has garnered much acclaim. She also played Alice Dunbar, wife of poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar, in Oak & Ivy; Lou Bessie in The Old Settler and Ruby in August Wilson's Seven Guitars. Her film credits include Nowhere to Go But Up directed by Amos Kollek and Better Dayz by director Norman C. Linton. She has also done extensive commercial work. An accomplished singer, Cherita has also performed in such musicals as Beehive, Tambourines to Glory and cabaret shows Cotton Club Review and The Best of the Genius of Ray. Cherita was exposed to the arts, especially acting and singing at a young age. As a girl growing up in the Bronx, her mom and aunt would take her and her cousins to perform at nursing homes and community centers. She also worked with a children's repertory theatre. "I've always been drawn to creating characters and bringing stories to life," she says. "I'm really drawn to the underdog and to understanding why people do what they do. I want to play characters who truly reveal themselves and tell the stories that rarely get told. Cherita was mentored by the renowned Director and Acting Teacher Wynn Handman. Co-Founder of the the American Place Theatre. He is credited with having a huge impact on her as an artist. She has also trained with Stan Kirsch Studios, Lynette Sheldon Actors Studio, and the Barrow Group School. She currently holds a B.A. in Dramatic Arts (Cum Laude) from Utica College of Syracuse University. Cherita has performed with several theatre companies including the Manhattan Class Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, New York International Fringe Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, St. Louis Black Repertory, New York Stage and Film and the Apollo Theatre. She is working on an activity book titled "Out of the Box Fun: 25 Creative Activities to Help You Connect with your Young People." The book is based on her experience as an actor and former teaching artist in the New York City public school system.