Rickey Solomon II is the Founder of Solomon’s Word Theatre Initiative Inc. (Solomon’s Word) and an emerging faith-based playwright, director and producer. 

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Rickey is the middle child and only son to his parents. His father, Rickey Solomon Sr. is a Pentecostal preacher who raised Rickey to love and appreciate God. Helping people has always been the driving force and fuel for him to never give up no matter what life threw at him, and he has found a way to communicate this mantra through the vein of theatre arts.

Rickey wrote his first stage play “Praying in the Dark” while in high school and premiered it at his local church. It was in this moment when he realized that becoming a playwright was what he wanted to do in life and with hard work, his dreams would become a reality. However, on December 20th, 2005, a day that changed the lives of Rickey and his entire family forever. It was on this day when Rickey's father tragically fell from a crane while at work. For the next three months, Rickey was forced to watch his father fight for his life while in a coma. Determined not to leave his father’s bedside, Rickey never missed a day visiting his father in the hospital. Rickey Sr. would recover 9 months later but would have to re-learn how to walk and was left with a traumatic brain injury resulting in permanent short-term memory lost.  

It wasn’t too long after this time that Rickey’s family fell on hard times and lost the house they were living in. Rickey recalls, “I will never forget the feeling of my family and I waking up and spending Christmas in a motel…not to be mistaken for a hotel!” They were homeless for four months before finally moving into a two-bedroom apartment. But his mother wouldn’t allow him to drop out of college, instead she constantly reminded him that their current family situation was only temporary. It was in the midst of these circumstances that Rickey wrote his first, two-act stage play, Praying In The Dark. 

Writing stories and creating music to accompany them, was the outlet that Rickey needed to cope with everything that was going on around him. Not knowing how he was going to actually fund this show; Rickey begged his mother to allow him to use the furniture in their apartment to furnish his stage set. After working two jobs, and with the support of family and his local church, “Praying in the Dark” opened at the Community College of Baltimore County in front of an audience of about 175 people. Most were close family, friends, and church members.

Rickey would later go on to be the first in his family to graduate from college. He graduated from Community College of Baltimore County in 2010 with a degree in Theater Arts, and Towson University in 2014 with a degree in Public Relations and Theater Production. But there was no doubt about it, Rickey knew exactly what he wanted to do next. In July 2015 Rickey partnered with Carl Felton III and launched Solomon’s Word Theater Initiative Inc. Since this time, Solomon’s Word has grown and sold out theaters and auditoriums through out the east coast.

Rickey Solomon is the living example of his most commonly used quote, “When you have reckless faith, and are consistently focused…dreams have no choice but to turn into reality.”