Alva Rogers is an artist, playwright, vocalist, songwriter, and actress for theatre and films. Rogers was born on October 22, 1959 in New York City, where she was raised by her father. Rogers attended The High School of Music & Art in Manhattan, where she graduated with a concentration in vocal music. Rogers began her academic career with the intention of writing about race relations, gender, and the politics of African American music as a journalist, and received a Bachelor's degree in American History from Marietta College. She also lived in Europe for a short time after graduation. Rogers went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theater Writing from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 1995, a Master of Fine Arts in Literary Arts from Brown University in 1998, and a Master of Arts in Teaching with a focus on History from Bard College in 2013. Rogers has one daughter, India Rogers-Shepp.

Rogers became active in the downtown performance scene in 1988. She began her vocal career with Butch Morris as a member of his various vocal ensembles. She performed as a vocalist with Vernonn Reid, Elliot Sharp, Wayne Horvitz and Band of Susans. Rogers regularly performed her original compositions and arrangements at the Knitting Factory, a performance venue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. She appeared on "Live at the Knitting Factory", a compilation album released by A&M Records in 1989. She also performed with Urban Bush Women, Laurie Carlos, Kaylynn Sullivan and the Rodeo Caldonia High Fidelity Performance Theatre.

Rogers's work, informed by her experiences with racism, sexism, the Black Power movement, and feminism, draws on themes of dreams, magical realism, and surrealism - exploring ideas of emotion and memory. Her work often includes multimedia elements such as music and puppetry. Rogers has been highly awarded for her work as a writer and performer, including receiving a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Performance in 1988, a Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art Grant for the development of the bride who became frightened when she saw life open in 1994, a Bessie Award as co-creator of the radio play Stained in 1995, a Rockefeller Multi-Arts Production Grant to produce the doll plays in 2001, a Jim Henson Foundation Grant to develop and produce the musicals Mermaid and Sunday: A Musical Fable at The Women's Project in 2003, and a New York Foundation of the Arts Grant in Playwriting in 2004. She was a resident at The Joseph Papp Public Theater from 2003 to 2005 and at the Hedgebrook Women's Writers colony in conjunction with Seattle Repertory Theater in 2011.

As a film actress, Rogers appeared in Spike Lee's 1988 film School Daze in the role of Doris Witherspoon, and made appearances in various other films by Lee. Her work in School Daze attracted the attention of Julie Dash, director of Daughters of the Dust (1991). She was also featured in Kerry James Marshall's film The Doppler Incident (1997). Rogers also collaborated on various film projects with writer and director Lisa Jones.

As of 2020 Rogers continues to live and work in New York City.