35 Years of Illuminating Musical Theatre
In 2026 we are celebrating our 35th anniversary! Over the course of the year, we are excited to bring you a special series spotlighting the people, moments, and milestones that make Broadway Rose what it is today.
Whether you’ve been here since day one or have just joined us—you belong at Broadway Rose, and we look forward to sharing the journey with you.
Our first spotlight begins here, with big dreams and high hopes, when four New York City actors and artists (married couple Sharon Maroney and Dan Murphy, along with partners Matthew Ryan and Joseph Morkeys) planned to open a professional summer stock theatre in Tigard.
After pooling their savings, securing the Deb Fennell Auditorium, and hiring eight actors and a musical director from New York, they headed out to Oregon.
Broadway Rose opened its first production on July 2, 1992. With as few as 30 in the audience during the run, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat gave us our humble start.
While Matthew and Joseph eventually moved back to New York, Sharon and Dan continue to lead Oregon's premier musical theatre company.
During the first decade of operation at Broadway Rose, attendance steadily grew each summer, and by 2001 with Phantom, performances began to sell out.
As the theatre earned a reputation for producing exceptional musical productions, the company dreamed of one day becoming a year-round theatre. To that end, management started offering special events throughout the year, hired additional staff, expanded the board of directors, and began exploring the feasibility of obtaining and operating its own theater venue.
The company presented its first annual holiday show at Tualatin High School, A Taffeta Christmas, in 2001. The following year the company launched a series of cabarets—adding play readings in 2004—at Tigard Friends Community Church, filling the 240-seat venue. The two series continued through 2008.
With four main stage shows, two children’s productions, and six special events being offered each year, Broadway Rose had laid the groundwork at becoming a year-round theatre. The next goal: obtaining a permanent theater home.
Broadway Rose is committed to the development of new musicals, working with new and established artists—both local and national—to help them develop their work.
From staged readings to fully produced world premieres like Ripper in 2011, which was supported by a National Endowment of the Arts grant, Broadway Rose offers a rare opportunity for writers to develop their work while supporting them with a production team, actors, and musicians—and most important, an audience to watch and respond to their musical.
Through our long-standing membership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and their New Works Festival, as well as recommendations from trusted theatre colleagues, we often produce the second or third staging of a new musical, helping propel writers and their work further into the national pipeline. Examples include: Pete ‘n’ Keely, The Case of the Dead Flamingo Dancer, Getting to Know You, Adrift in Macao, Fly By Night, Trails, Ordinary Days, Up and Away, Loch Lomond, The Evolution of Mann, The Double-Threat Trio, Triangle, and In Clay.
For 35 years, our dedication to new work has helped elevate emerging voices and shape the future of musical theatre.
By the 2000s, Broadway Rose was ready to perform theatre year-round. Performances were selling out, and the lineup of productions only continued to grow. However, one thing was still missing: a permanent place to call home.
In 2006, Broadway Rose approached the Tigard/Tualatin School District with plans to renovate an abandoned building on the C.F. Tigard Elementary School campus and turn it into a 270-seat state-of-the-art theater, and the school board approved.
The company signed a twenty-year lease with the School District and began a two-million-dollar fundraising campaign for the renovation in 2007 which included major foundation support from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, Collins Foundation, Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable Trust, and the Paul G. Allen Foundation.
On December 3, 2008, theater and administrative offices, designed by Soderstrom Architects and built by Robert Gray Partners, was completed and aptly named The New Stage. The inaugural performance of Celebrate Home - A Broadway Rose Christmas opened for an audience of donors just hours after the final inspection, and Broadway Rose officially achieved its goal of becoming a year-round theatre company!
As a nonprofit organization, Broadway Rose knows the necessity of asking for support. We also understand how important it is to share our experience and resources with other nonprofit and civic organizations whenever we can to help build and strengthen our community.
Our staff volunteers for and mentor other arts, education, and nonprofit groups, as well as serve on the boards of various organizations. They participate as active members of Chamber of Commerce groups, arts alliances, and service organizations.
We work with the Tigard-Tualatin School District to help bring live theatre to local students, and host an annual children’s production logo contest for students in kindergarten through 5th grade at a local elementary school in conjunction with the TTSD Schools Art Literacy program.
Broadway Rose has become a cultural hub for the City of Tigard Government and throughout Washington County. We regularly welcome community groups and nonprofits to our building as many do not have their own spaces to meet and grow. We’ve hosted all kinds of events like fundraisers, political debates, trainings, and educational seminars for various organizations. We are so proud to serve as a community resource while continuing to excel in our artistic programming!
Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and to celebrate we’re highlighting the incredible women who have lit up the Broadway Rose stage for the last 35 years! From Sheryl McCallum singing the first note in our very first production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1992 to Malia Tippets starring in the one-woman show In Clay earlier this year.
Leading ladies have wowed us with powerhouse eleven-o’clock numbers and show-stopping dance breaks. In addition, fiercely talented women have brought heart and humor to supporting roles, while multi-talented ensemble members have delivered unforgettable performances for our audiences. We are deeply grateful to all the extraordinary women who have graced our stages and shared their talent and passion with our community. Who are some of your favorites?
Since 2001 Broadway Rose Theatre has been a proud member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), a nonprofit service organization dedicated to advancing the creation, development, and production of new musical theatre.
Founded in 1985, NAMT supports a national network of member theatres and organizations through professional development, collaboration, and advocacy. It is best known for its annual Festival of New Musicals in New York, which showcases new works in development and connects writers with producers and industry leaders. The festival is where Broadway Rose found many of the new shows we have produced including our recent production of In Clay. Dan Murphy served on the festival reading committee for several years, and both Sharon Maroney and Dan Murphy have served on the board of directors.
NAMT holds two conferences each year bringing together executive and artistic leaders and marketing and development professionals. These conferences feature panels and workshops led by top executives and creative professionals in the industry which provide valuable networking and learning opportunities.
Our leadership team often serve as panelists sharing successful Broadway Rose strategies with other national theatres. Broadway Rose is proud to have hosted this year’s spring conference titled Go with The Flow: Navigating Fundraising in 2026. Thank you NAMT for contributing to Broadway Rose’s success over the years by sharing resources, building relationships, and nurturing musical theatre.
Donors are the reason Broadway Rose Theatre has existed for 35 years—plain and simple.
They do more than help fund productions; they make our mission possible. Ticket sales cover only a portion of what it takes to produce professional musical theatre. Donors bridge that gap, ensuring Broadway Rose can hire artists, build sets and costumes, and maintain a high standard of quality while keeping tickets accessible. But their impact goes beyond the stage.
They support our access programs so more people can experience live theatre. They help Broadway Rose build community and remain a welcoming space. They sustain growth — from the opening of the New Stage and expanding our space to future artistic risks and new works. They invest in artists, staff, and the next generation of theatergoers.
From our very first donor, Gail Stuckenschneider, to our most recent contributor, and every donor in between, we say thank you!
Broadway Rose donors aren’t just supporters—they’re partners in our story, helping bring each production to life and ensuring that live theatre continues to thrive in our community.
A theatrical set designer has a lot to balance—translating story into space while navigating budgets, timelines, collaboration and compromise, engineering and safety, scene changes and flow, venue limitations, performer support, audience perspective, and emotional impact.
In many ways, set designers are magicians, and Broadway Rose has been fortunate to work with some truly remarkable Houdinis over the years. Today, we celebrate some of local set designers who have made a lasting impact on our stages throughout the past 35 years.
Joseph Morkys: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1992), Fiddler on the Roof, Little Shop of Horrors (1994), Dames at Sea
Chris Whitten: Have a Nice Day, Plaid Tidings, The Will Rogers Follies, Pump Boys and Dinettes, The Bikinis, Church Basement Ladies
Gene Dent: Always…Patsy Cline, Ripper, Gypsy
Sean O’Skea: No Way to Treat A Lady, Band Geeks, Hairspray, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Fly By Night, Into the Woods, Honky Tonk Laundry, The Evolution of Mann, Waitress
Robert Vaughn: Beehive, Your Holiday Hit Parade, A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol, Analog & Vinyl
Bryan Boyd: Oklahoma!, Mamma Mia!, Don’t Hug Me, Home for the Holidays, The Spitfire Grill, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Grease (2025)
Larry Larsen: Adrift in Macao, Snapshots, In Clay
Emily Wilken: Ordinary Days, Once, Trails
Tyler Buswell: Sh-Boom! Life Could be a Dream, 8-Track: The Sounds of the 70s, Christmas in Door County, Dear Evan Hansen
For 35 years, incredible men have taken the stage at Broadway Rose. From Bobby Belfry, the first leading man who helped launch our inaugural production in 1992 (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) to the standout performance of Ryan Burton in our recent production of Dear Evan Hansen, leading men have captivated audiences with soaring vocals, magnetic presence, and unforgettable characters.
Across the years, actors have brought depth, humor, and heart to every role—from romantic heroes to comedic scene-stealers—while versatile ensemble performers have powered each production with energy and precision. These artists have helped shape the sound, strength, and spirit of Broadway Rose productions.
We are deeply grateful to all the extraordinary men who have shared their talent and passion with our stage and our community.
Before the show begins there is a moment—quiet, expectant—when the theater is dark.
And then, the lights come up.
For 35 years at Broadway Rose, lighting designers have collaborated to bring each production fully to life. They paint with light—balancing precision with artistry, technology with instinct—crafting moments that linger long after the curtain falls.
Lighting designers don’t just shine a light on stage—they reveal what matters. They guide the audience’s eye, shape emotion, and create atmosphere in ways that are felt more than seen. A love story deepens in a soft wash. A moment of heartbreak lands in shadow. A finale bursts into brilliance, lifting the room to its feet.
Perhaps you recall the exceptional light designs that brought life to an Argentine tango parlor, a Broadway stage, a nightclub in Macao, a New York skyline, a New York Museum, an alley in Dublin, a royal ball, a forest, or a Parisian apartment.
Today we celebrate all of the lighting designers that have brilliantly illuminated our stages.
For 35 years, Broadway Rose has told stories not just through song and script, but through movement. Long before the curtain rises, choreographers begin the work of shaping what an audience will feel. A step here. A turn there. A gesture that says what words cannot. They are translators of music, turning melody into movement and emotion into something we can see and feel.
Over the years Broadway Rose audiences have delighted in the grandeur and joy of Hello, Dolly! under the choreography of Robert Guitron, reveled in the showmanship of The Will Rogers Follies with Kristen Brant, and experienced the iconic precision of Peggy Taphorn’s work on Chicago, 42nd Street, and Anything Goes.
Amy Beth Frankel brought elegance and emotional depth to The King and I and A Chorus Line, while Jacob Toth infused productions like Hairspray, My Fair Lady, and West Side Story with dynamic storytelling and bold physicality.
Lyn Cramer’s choreography has left an indelible mark across seasons—from the high-stepping spectacle of Thoroughly Modern Millie and Mamma Mia!, to the dazzling splendor of Cats and Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Maria Tucker energized classics like Guys and Dolls and Oklahoma!, while Abe Reybold brought theatricality and flair to Evita, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and The Melody Lingers On.
And in productions like Beehive and Plaid Tidings, Dan Murphy stepped into the role of choreographer showcasing timeless and nostalgic moves with ease.
Over the decades, these and other extraordinary choreographers have shaped the stories we tell—and in doing so, helped shape Broadway Rose itself.
For 35 years, Broadway Rose Theatre Company has created extraordinary musical theatre while serving as a home for talented performers at every stage of their artistic journeys.
For some artists, Broadway Rose was an early stop on a path that eventually led to the bright lights on Broadway. They carried with them the same dedication, talent, and passion audiences first saw on the Broadway Rose stage.
Some of our local performers that found their way to Broadway were Shoshana Bean (three-time Tony nominee), Jodi Eichelberger, Kelly Jeanne Grant, David Larsen, and Pilar Millhollen. And many of the out-of-town actors we hired went on to perform on Broadway, including Sheryl McCallum, Catherine Walker, Lacretta, Mia Pinero, and Brandon Block.
For audiences, there is a special pride in seeing a familiar name in a Broadway Playbill and remembering, “We saw them here first.”
Those success stories are a testament not only to individual talent, but to the artistic community Broadway Rose has built over the last three and a half decades—a place where performers are supported, challenged, and inspired.
At Broadway Rose, the magic of musical theatre isn't limited to what happens on stage. Throughout the year, the company opens its doors to aspiring performers and lifelong learners through a variety of dance classes and musical theatre workshops designed for all skill levels.
From children taking their very first musical theatre workshop to adults rediscovering a passion for performing, Broadway Rose welcomes students ages eight to 80+. Some participants arrive with dreams of starring in a musical, while others simply want to try something new, stay active, or connect with fellow theatre lovers. No matter their goals, each student is encouraged to learn, grow, and have fun in a supportive environment.
Classes are taught by experienced theatre professionals who share not only technical skills, but also a love of storytelling, creativity, and collaboration. Along the way, students gain confidence, develop new friendships, and discover the joy that comes from expressing themselves through movement and performance.
For 35 years, Broadway Rose has believed that theatre is for everyone. Through its educational programs, classes, and workshops, the company continues to foster a welcoming community where people of all ages can experience the transformative power of the performing arts.
In 2019, the company officially launched a $3.4 million capital campaign to expand its New Stage facility, adding a new studio space, costume shop, larger scenic shop, and additional administrative offices.
Construction was scheduled to begin in April 2020. However, due to the pandemic, expansion plans were halted and did not resume until May 5, 2021.
4 years ago today, on June 20, 2022, Broadway Rose held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completed project!
The expansion was made possible by its board-designated cash reserve, foundation and corporate grants, and gifts from individuals who shared the company’s vision for the future of its community. Project support was provided by Scott Edwards Architecture LLP, B&G Builders, Shiels / Obletz / Johnsen Project Management.
On this day, June 27, in 2008, Broadway Rose’s production of Les Misérables opened! The connection to Les Misérables is a significant milestone in the company's history.
In 2008, as Broadway Rose was preparing to open its new permanent home, the New Stage, the company received extraordinary news: it had been hand-selected by Music Theatre International (MTI) as one of only 24 theatre companies in the United States authorized to produce Les Misérables. At the time, the rights to the musical were tightly controlled, making the opportunity both rare and prestigious. Being chosen placed Broadway Rose among a select group of regional theatres recognized for their artistic quality and production capabilities.
The production became one of the most ambitious in Broadway Rose history. Staging a musical of Les Misérables' scale—with its sweeping score, large cast, demanding vocals, and iconic story of redemption and revolution—was a major undertaking for the company. It also served as a statement that Broadway Rose had grown far beyond its humble beginnings as a summer stock company.
The show was widely regarded as a landmark success for Broadway Rose. Audiences responded enthusiastically, critics praised the large-scale production, and for many patrons, it remains one of the most memorable productions in the company's 35-year history.
Today, the story of Broadway Rose's Les Misérables is often remembered as one of those defining moments when a dream that began in a Greenwich Village apartment proved just how far it had come.
Over its 35-year history, Broadway Rose Theatre Company is proud to have been recognized for its hard work and dedication to artistic excellence. The company has received awards from the Drammy Awards, Portland Area Musical Theatre Awards (PAMTAs), and BroadwayWorld Portland Awards.
Over the years, Broadway Rose artists have won dozens of awards for acting, directing, choreography, music direction, scenic design, lighting design, costume design, and sound design.
Among Broadway Rose's most celebrated productions are:
• The Melody Lingers On: The Songs of Irving Berlin — Drammy Award for Production (2005-06)
• Les Misérables — Drammy Award for Production (2008–09)
• Hairspray — Drammy Award for Production and PAMTA Outstanding Production (2011–12)
• The Drowsy Chaperone — Drammy and PAMTA Outstanding Musical (2012–13)
• Thoroughly Modern Millie — BroadwayWorld Portland Best Musical (2015)
• Fly By Night — Drammy Best Production of a Musical (2016-17)
• The Addams Family — Drammy Best Production of a Musical (2017-18)
• Guys and Dolls — PAMTA Outstanding Production (2018-19)
• Once — PAMTA Outstanding Production (2019-20)
• Waitress— BroadwayWorld Portland Best Musical (2025)
Beyond artistic awards, Broadway Rose has earned recognition as a cultural leader in the region:
• Named Tualatin Valley's Favorite Attraction in the Washington County People's Choice Awards in 2017
• Ranked among the Top Arts Nonprofits by the Portland Business Journal
• Repeatedly recognized on Oregon's 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For lists
• Selected as the "Business of the Year" by the Tigard Chamber of Commerce in 2009 and 2022
• Voted Tigard and Tualatin’s Business of the Year in 2026 by Valley Times readers
Perhaps the most meaningful recognition is the company's longevity itself. Since 1992, Broadway Rose has grown from a small summer-stock company into Oregon's premier musical theatre company, serving more than 45,000 patrons annually. Our patron’s vote of confidence is the best award we could ever receive.
Some shows become instant audience favorites—and over the past 35 years, Broadway Rose has produced many record-breaking hits.
From the infectious charm of Mamma Mia! and Cats to the powerhouse performances of Les Misérables, Waitress, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, these productions captivated audiences and regularly sold-out performances.
Whether drawn by beloved scores, spectacular staging, or unforgettable performances, patrons have returned again and again to experience the magic of live musical theatre. These best-selling productions stand as a testament to Broadway Rose's commitment to presenting exceptional entertainment that continues to inspire, delight, and bring the community together.
Top 10 Best-Selling Shows:
1. Mamma Mia! - 2018
2. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - 2024
3. Cats - 2013
4. West Side Story - 2016
5. Les Misérables - 2008
6. Waitress - 2025
7. The King & I - 2010
8. The Music Man - 2014
9. The Sound of Music - 2012
10. My Fair Lady - 2013
Check back here throughout 2026 for more memories, moments, and highlights from our 35 years of locally produced musical theatre!
