Broadway Rose Theatre Company’s long-anticipated expansion to the New Stage theater is now complete. The company has been strategically planning and fundraising for the expansion for the past five years. While the project was set to break ground in April of 2020, due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, the project was put on hold. Despite the difficulties of 2020, the theater finished the year in a strong financial position. In March of 2021, the company’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to go ahead with the plans for the building expansion, and ground broke on May 5, 2021.
“After nearly 14 years at the New Stage, Broadway Rose is in a wonderful position to deepen its community connections and develop new offerings,” states Jan Leone, president of the Board of Directors. “The board of directors enthusiastically supported expanding the building to achieve this.”
Prior to the pandemic, artists, audiences, students, and community members had maximized every inch of the New Stage, the company’s theater and administration offices, renovated from the C.F. Tigard Elementary School’s former cafetorium in 2008. With consistently sold-out performances, education programs unable to meet growing demands, an expanding staff, and operations overflowing into temporary and rented workspaces, Broadway Rose first began plans to expand its facility in 2017. A design team was assembled with Scott Edwards Architecture LLP, B&G Builders, and Shiels | Obletz | Johnsen project management. A new 30-year lease agreement was signed with Tigard-Tualatin School District to ensure its home for decades to come.
“The project took longer to complete than expected,” says Managing Director Dan Murphy, “but the wait will be worth it. We couldn’t be happier with the way it has turned out. The expanded building will lend itself to so many new opportunities.”
The new expansion includes:
- The Ellen Bye Rehearsal Hall to facilitate artistic development, support education programs, and accommodate community partnerships. Uses include rehearsals, youth camps and workshops, audience and donor engagement experiences, special events and performances, and community partnership activities such as play-readings, civic forums, and meetings.
- A costume shop and enlarged scenic shop to bring creative teams and resources under one roof, eliminate the expense of renting space off-site, reduce waste, improve access, and expand capacity.
- Additional administrative offices to support the needs of the Broadway Rose staff.
“This expansion will build infrastructure to support our artistic vision and increase the possibilities of adding programming and hosting more community groups,” says Producing Artistic Director Sharon Maroney.
Broadway Rose’s $3.4 million expansion was made possible by its board-designated cash reserve, foundation and corporate grants, and gifts from individuals who share the company’s vision for the future of its community.
