Claire Avakian (Millie Dillmount) is so happy to be back in her hometown after just graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. You may have seen her on the Broadway Rose stage in A Chorus Line or The Drowsy Chaperone. Some of her other credits include Tarzan (Lyric Theatre of OK), West Side Story (Music Theatre Wichita), and The Christmas Show (OKC Philharmonic Pops). Claire is looking forward to moving to NYC this fall. “Thank you to Lyn for being such a wonderful mentor, to Dan and Sharon for all of your support since high school, and my incredible family (Mom, Dad, Nathan, Dottie, Gaga, and Jazzy) for being my constant source of grounding and encouragement. Enjoy this amazingly fun show!”

Joel Walker (Jimmy Smith) is so happy to be back onstage at Broadway Rose, and in one of his favorite shows! Most recently, Joel has been onstage in Portland as Robert Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone (Drammy Award), White Christmas (Phil Davis), and Annie Get Your Gun (Tommy Keeler). With Broadway Rose he has also played Sketch in Hairspray, Reuben in Joseph…Dreamcoat, and Don in A Chorus Line. Joel received his training at Marymount Manhattan College in NYC and currently lives in Los Angeles. “So much love and gratitude to Lyn, Dan, Sharon, and the rest of the Broadway Rose family for all the support and opportunity.”

Joe Theissen (Trevor Graydon III) has been a presence in the Portland arts community for over 20 years as an actor, singer, director and educator. Known primarily for his work in musical theater, Joe began his career in music, performing as a soloist with the Trinity Consort and OCP recordings. Since then, he has appeared in countless stage productions, earning a spot as a mainstay in the local musical theater community. Recent credits include: La Cage Aux Folles (Lakewood Theatre Company/Pixie Dust Productions), The Music Man (Broadway Rose), Disney’s Beauty & The Beast and The Wizard of Oz (Pixie Dust Productions), and [title of show] (triangle productions!). Joe is the recipient of multiple Drammy, PAMTA, and OTAS Awards for performing as well as directing. Joe currently teaches theater arts and music at Lake Oswego Junior High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory & Composition (Linfield College), and a Masters in Teaching (Concordia University).

Emily Sahler (Mrs. Meers) is thrilled to be at Broadway Rose again, having previously played Doatsey May in last summer’s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Barbara in The Bikinis (PAMTA, Best Ensemble), and Mrs. Tottendale in The Drowsy Chaperone (Drammy, Best Production.) Favorite roles include Connie in Jack Goes Boating, Sister Lidwina in Gracie and the Atom and Bette in The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Artists Repertory Theatre); Rose in Gypsy!, Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods, and Doreen in Tartuffe (Lakewood Theatre); the Caterpillar in Alice & Wonderland, a Rock Opera and Ms. Frizzle in The Magic School Bus Live! The Climate Challenge (Oregon Children’s Theatre); Dr. Charlotte in Falsettos (Live On Stage), Ninon de l’Enclos in Child of Pleasure (CoHo), Prudie Cupp in Pump Boys & Dinettes (triangle productions!), Marie Dindon in La Cage Aux Folles (Musical Theatre Co.), Sheila in Hair and Bonnie in Anything Goes (Portland Civic Theatre). Television credits: Portlandia and Leverage.

Lisamarie Harrison (Miss Flannery) has worked with such companies as Broadway Rose, Lakewood Theatre, triangle productions!, Stumptown Stages, Theatre Vertigo, Milagro, defunkt, Live On Stage, and others. On-stage roles: Anne Gerety, Storefront Revue; Mother, The Sexual Neuroses of our Parents; Violet, 9 to 5 The Musical (Drammy nomination); Jody, The Bikinis (Drammy nomination, PAMTA award); Betty, The Great American Trailer Park Musical; Rhetta, Pump Boys & Dinettes; Sue Ellen, Honky Tonk Angels (PAMTA award); LaVerne Andrews, Sisters of Swing; Sister Hubert, Nunsense; Laura, Recognition; Mazeppa, Gypsy; Gabrielle, The Dinner Party; Elizabeth, El Grito del Bronx; Alcandre, The Illusion; Kate, The Wild Party; Woman 1, Putting It Together; Mae, Reefer Madness! The Musical; Rizzo, Grease.

Katie Perry (Dorothy Brown) is thrilled to be playing Miss Dorothy with the Broadway Rose Theatre cast. She is a recent graduate of the B.F.A. Musical Theatre program at the University of Oklahoma, and is originally from Orange County, California where she attended Orange County High School of the Arts. Credits include: La Cage aux Folles (Anne), Carrie (Swing/Vocal Capt.), Carousel (Ensemble, Julie u/s), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator) and featured singer in Neil Bartram and Brian Hill’s The Theory of Relativity as well as Susan Egan: The Belle of Broadway at 54 Below. She has also worked as a featured singer for Six Flags Great America in Chicago. Katie plans to move to New York this fall.

Annie Kaiser (Muzzy van Hossmere) appeared most recently as Mrs. Paroo in Broadway Rose’s production of The Music Man. Other Portland-area roles include: Martha Watson in White Christmas (OTAS Award) (Lakewood Theatre); Veronica in The Case of the Dead Flamingo Dancer, Mama Morton in Chicago, and Kaye in The Taffetas and A Taffeta Christmas (Drammy Award) (Broadway Rose); Miss Nelson/Viola Swamp in Miss Nelson is Missing (Oregon Children’s Theatre); and Isabel in Crossing Delancey (Magdelyn). Other favorite roles include: Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Anita in West Side Story, Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker, and Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town. Annie has directed the children’s productions for the past four summers at Broadway Rose and coordinated the Triple Threat Teen Workshop series. Annie received her training at University of Washington and works as the Performing Arts Coordinator and ASB Advisor at West Linn High School.

Samson Syharath (Bun Foo) Originally from Arkansas, Samson resides in Portland, OR. He has a bachelor’s degree in theater from the University of Arkansas Fort Smith and holds a certificate from Portland Actors Conservatory. Recent credits include Twelfth Night with Post5 Theatre, Young Frankenstein at Lakewood Theatre Company, Pimento/Pullman and Beaux Arts Club with Imago Theatre, Remme’s Run at Portland Playhouse (Fertile Ground Festival), Wilde Tales with Shaking the Tree Studios, The Fifth with Anon it Moves, and Dog Sees God, subUrbia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and Hamlet with Portland Actors Ensemble; and A Bright Room Called Day at Portland Actors Conservatory. He is excited to perform with Broadway Rose for the first time!

Heath Hyun Houghton (Ching Ho) was previously seen at Broadway Rose in Aladdin and the Magic Lamp and The Jungle Book. A founding company member with Anon It Moves (Hamlet) and Theatre Diaspora (The Dance and the Railroad, Breaking the Silence), he currently serves as artistic director for Well Arts Institute (Fixed, The Unexpected Guest, Fierce Love). Portland stage credits include appearances with Milagro (American Night, O Romeo), Imago Theater (The Black Lizard), Oregon Children’s Theater (The Stinky Cheese Man), Portland Shakespeare Project (The Tamer Tamed), and CoHo Productions (Enjoy, Maple and Vine).

Ensemble

Kable Barnhart

Kai Daly

Max DuBowy

Vanessa Elsner

Jeff George

Trevor Hennigan

Aja Hicks

Karma Jenkins

Mattie Joyner

Joey Klei

Liora Lahav

Nicholas Main

Jacob Moore

Liz O’Donnell

Tanner Rose

Erin Shannon

Taylor Steedman

Andy Tofa

Lizzy Tremaine

Madison Wray

Thursday, July 2, 7:30 PM PREVIEW
Friday, July 3, 7:30 PM OPENING NIGHT
Sunday, July 5, 2:00 PM

Wednesday, July 8, 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 9, 7:30 PM
Friday, July 10, 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 11, 2:00 PM SOLD OUT
Saturday, July 11, 7:30 PM Limited availability
Sunday, July 12, 2:00 PM Limited availability

Thursday, July 16, 7:30 PM Limited availability
Friday, July 17, 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 18, 2:00 PM Limited availability (Post-show talk-back*)
Saturday, July 18, 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 19, 2:00 PM Limited availability

Thursday, July 23, 7:30 PM Limited availability
Friday, July 24, 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 25, 2:00 PM – Audio description available
Saturday, July 25, 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 26, 2:00 PM Limited availability

* Talk-backs are free and open to the public. It will begin immediately following the matinee performance and will be held in the theater. You do not have to attend the Broadway Rose production in order to attend the talk-back.

Directed and Choreographed by Lyn Cramer

Musical Direction by Alan D. Lytle

Scenery Designed by J Branson, with additional pieces by Jim Crino

Scenery provided by Music Theatre Wichita

Costumes Designed by Debbie Roberts, with additional pieces by Grace O’Malley

Costumes provided by Theatrical Costume Management

Costumes supervised by Grace O’Malley

Lighting Design by Gene Dent

Assistant Lighting Designer Brandon Washington

Sound Design by Tim Richey

Wig Design by Jessica Carr

Properties Supervision by Jim Crino

Stage Manager Jessica Downs

Alan D. Lytle, Conductor

Brian Michael, Piano/Celeste

Mak Kastelic, Keyboard

Marc Grafe, Reed

Alicia Charlton, Reed

Sean Kelleher, Reed

Gemma Taylor, French Horn

Levis Dragulin, Trumpet

Eric Bean, Trumpet

Bryant Byers, Trombone

Gary Irvine, Percussion

Mary Rowell, Violin

Amy Roesler, Bass

Thoroughly Modern Millie: Classic Broadway Rose Fare With Flair
By Tina Arth
Westside Theatre Reviews, Jul. 8, 2015
The current Broadway Rose production has everything it needs – great sets (really, very cleverly designed backdrops) that allow for speedy scene changes to keep the show moving, an amazing 12-piece orchestra under the always impressive direction of Alan D. Lytle, flawless and powerful vocal ensemble combined with Director Lyn Cramer’s delightful choreography and clever staging, and leads with the energy and joie de vivre to bring the audience to its feet at closing...Read more.

Thoroughly Modern Millie (Broadway Rose): Theater Review
By Penelope Bass
Willamette Week, Jul. 8, 2015
Amid the candy-coated slave trading, Miss Flannery (Lisamarie Harrison) steals the show as the matronly lead stenographer at Millie’s new gig with the Sincere Trust Insurance Company…The brilliantly choreographed tap number with Flannery, a chorus of steno girls and their typewriters, is the best part of a relatively high-value production…Read more.

BWW Reviews: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE is Thoroughly Entertaining, at Broadway Rose
By Krista Garver
BroadwayWorld.com, Jul. 7, 2015
The cast and crew at Broadway Rose are incredible, and I’m continually amazed at the quality of the musical theatre productions they put on. Claire Avakian is excellent as Millie. She can sing, she can dance, and she’s funny…Read more.

“Thoroughly Modern Millie” @ Broadway Rose
By Kristopher Haines
The Crippled Critic, Jul. 7, 2015
“Thoroughly Modern Millie” continues Broadway Rose’s long and strong tradition of providing quality musicals. There’s a 12-piece band!…Read more.

Like her character in ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie,’ Beaverton actress has big plans in New York
By Nuran Alteir
The Oregonian/OregonLive, Jul. 1, 2015
In the musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” young Millie Dillmount leaves her small-town life for New York City. And much like the character she will play at Broadway Rose Theatre’s production, Claire Avakian, too, wants to follow her dream to the Big Apple…Read more.

‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ coming to Broadway Rose Theatre
By Barbara Sherman
The Times, Jul. 1, 2015
If Claire Avakian, who plays Millie Dillmount in the Broadway Rose Theater Company’s upcoming production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” seems even perkier and more effervescent on stage than the role calls for, it could be chalked up to all the stars aligning for Avakian this summer…Read more.

Broadway Rose to present THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
By BWW News Desk
BroadwayWorld.com, Jun. 15, 2015
The winner of six TONY Awards including Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie was the 2002 season’s most awarded new show on Broadway. Based on the 1967 Academy Award-winning film, Thoroughly Modern Millie takes you back to the height of the Jazz Age in New York City, when “moderns” – including a flapper named Millie Dillmount – were bobbing their hair, raising their hemlines, entering the workforce, and rewriting the rules of love...Read more.

Read the official press release: Broadway Rose Theatre to Present a Tap Dancing Musical – 6/11/2015 (PDF)