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Christanna Rowader

Birth Place: Chicago, IL

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Actress Christanna Rowader is an LA Ovation Award winner for Lead Actress in a Musical for her role as Mother in Ragtime. She has performed internationally and has worked closely with many notables including Sally Struthers, Gabriel Barre, Jennifer Paulson Lee, Rufus Bonds, Jr., T.J. Dawson, Norman Large, and more.

Christanna is a bicoastal actress.

She was born in Chicago, Illinois and has three older half-siblings on her father’s side. Her parents, Darrell and Linda Rowader, live in Arizona (1993-present). Her father is a retired music teacher and guest conductor for the Prescott Pops Symphony and her mother is a registered nurse. Previously, both her parents were opera singers in Chicago (approx. 1979-1993).

Christanna was brought up in the theater world and was trained as a classical singer. At the age of 13, she landed her first lead role as the White Witch of Narnia in a children’s theater production. At 18, she moved to New York City and briefly studied at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (2003). After that, she moved to Arizona and studied musical theater at Arizona State University (2005-2009).

She graduated with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, concentrations in music and creative writing, then moved to Los Angeles, California.

Christanna Rowader News


A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC Enters Final Two Weeks of Performances at Pasadena Playhouse


Pasadena Playhouse’s Sondheim Celebration production of  A Little Night Music, directed by David Lee with choreography by Mark Esposito and musical supervision by Darryl Archibald, is in its final two weeks, and must close Sunday, May 28. 

Video: Watch Merle Dandridge Perform 'Send in the Clowns' From A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC


Watch Merle Dandridge perform 'Send in the Clowns' from A Little Night Music, now playing at Pasadena Playhouse.

VIDEO: Cast of Pasadena Playhouse's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC Sings 'A Weekend in the Country' & 'Send In The Clowns'


Get a first look at the cast of Pasadena Playhouse's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC rehearsing the show-stopping 'A Weekend in the Country.'

Pasadena Playhouse Extends A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC


Pasadena Playhouse presents its 50th anniversary production of A Little Night Music which will extend through Sunday, May 28. Performances will begin April 25 and press opening is April 30. 

Pasadena Playhouse Extends Stephen Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC Through The End of May!


Danny Feldman, Producing Artistic Director of Pasadena Playhouse, the State Theater of California, has announced the full cast and creative team for the Playhouse's 50th anniversary production of A Little Night Music which will extend through Sunday, May 28.

Merle Dandridge, Michael Hayden, Jodi Long & More to Star in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at Pasadena Playhouse


Pasadena Playhouse has announced the cast for the 50th anniversary production of A Little Night Music. See who is starring, and how to purchase tickets!

Sierra Rep Presents Second Offering in Brand New Cabaret Series


Sierra Rep is proud to present the second offering in our brand new Cabaret Series! Our beloved Annex at East Sonora will once again be transformed into an intimate cabaret theatre for Award Winners: Songs Broadway and Hollywood. Enjoy songs like "Moon River", "Defying Gravity", and many more from your favorite movies and musicals (The Way We Were, Hamilton). Beer and wine will be available for purchase for you and your friends to enjoy during the performance, as well as refreshments by Alicia's Sugar Shack!

BWW Review: RAGTIME Proves Its Valor as a Musical Once More at Candlelight Pavilion


I have seen Ragtime the Musical a half dozen times since it premiered in LA in 1997 prior to Broadway and...have never tired of it. Why? First, its simply gorgeous almost opera-like musical score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens moves me to tears. Secondly, it presents elements of pop culture mixed in with the meaningful historical content of America at the turn of the 20th century, making it the most relevant show in the last 25 years. Now by means of Candlelight's revival production, onstage in Claremont through February 24, Ragtime continues to enlighten and enchant simultaneously.

Photo Flash: Sierra Rep Dreams the Impossible Dream with THE MAN OF LAMANCHA


The Tony Award-winning musical is based on Miguel de Cervantes' novel, Don Quixote, and is set within the prison walls of the Spanish Inquisition.

Calling All Bakers, Witches and Princesses! Ahmanson to Throw Cast Party for INTO THE WOODS Actors Everywhere


On Saturday, May 13, 2017, following the 2 p.m. matinee performance of Fiasco Theater's "Into the Woods" at the Ahmanson Theatre, Center Theatre Group will throw a cast party for all the Bakers and Witches, Cinderellas and Princes, Milky Whites, et al., who have ever appeared in a production of "Into the Woods."

Photo Coverage: Curtain Call and Press Night Celebration of 3D Theatricals ONCE ON THIS ISLAND


3-D Theatricals opened ONCE ON THIS ISLAND on February 10 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center; and February 24 - March 5, 2017 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.

Photo Flash: See SPRING AWAKENING, TREVOR, 'CHAVEZ RAVINE' and More Win Big at LA STAGE Alliance's 2015 Ovation Awards


The 2015 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement during the past 12 months, were presented on Monday, November 9 at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center. Among the many winners were the stars and creative team of Deaf West's SPRING AWAKENING, now on Broadway. Scroll down for photos from the arrivals, ceremony and after-party!

Deaf West's SPRING AWAKENING and More Top 2015 Ovation Awards; All the Winners!


The 2015 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement during the past 12 months, were presented on Monday, November 9 at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center. Among the many winners were the stars and creative team of Deaf West's SPRING AWAKENING, now on Broadway. Scroll down for the full list of winners!

Nominees Announced for 2015 Ovation Awards - SPRING AWAKENING Earns 16! Ceremony Set 11/9


Nominees for the 2015 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on Thursday, September 24 on @ This Stage Magazine [ThisStage.la]. This year's Ovation Awards ceremony will take place Monday, November 9 at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center. The curtain will rise at7:30pm.

Photo Coverage: Opening Curtain Call, Celebration for 3-D Theatricals' SIDE SHOW


3D Theatricals (3DT), recipient of the 2015 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's Joel Hirschhorn Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre during 2014, beckons all patrons of the arts to buckle up and hold on for a rip-roaring journey back into time by way of the acclaimed Broadway musical SIDE SHOW, based on the true life story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. Side Show has been set for ten performances - exclusively at historic Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton, CA, running April 25 - May 10. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night curtain call and festivities below!

BWW Reviews: OC's 3-D Theatricals Presents Epic Production of RAGTIME


Admirably directed by 3-D Theatricals co-founder and resident artistic director TJ Dawson, this ambitiously impressive regional revival of RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL, continues through October 26 at its home-base at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton before moving north for its set of performances at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, November 1-9. A stunning, beautifully-rendered production enhanced by a supremely talented cast and Broadway-caliber production values, this rarely-produced musical is a Southern California must-see!

BWW Reviews: 3-D Theatricals' Lush RAGTIME Graces Fullerton Stage


Since its creation in 1997, Ragtime has remained one of my favorite musicals for two reasons. Its simply gorgeous almost opera-like musical score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens moves me to the bone, and it has more meaningful historical content about America at the turn of the 20th century than just about any other show. Now by means of 3D Theatricals' new, freshly staged production, onstage in Fullerton through October 26, Ragtime continues its deeply moving effect on audiences.

Photo Coverage: 3-D Theatricals' RAGTIME Press Night Curtain Call And Stage Door At Plummer Auditorium


3-D Theatrical's opened RAGTIME at the Plummer Auditorium. Check out a first look at the opening night press night curtain call and stage door below!

BWW Reviews: Wishes Come True in 3-D Theatricals' INTO THE WOODS


Bursting with magic, wit and whimsy, INTO THE WOODS---the sprightly Tony Award-winning musical that features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine---is currently on stage at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton through May 18. Produced by OC's Ovation Award-winning 3-D Theatricals, this sardonic, often funny, metaphor-heavy dark musical comedy disguised as a family-friendly play is indeed an enjoyable, funny romp, marred only slightly by the theater's ever pesky sound system that renders many of the show's rapid-fire lyrics all but decipherable as the too-loud (albeit hard-working) orchestra drowns out the characters' voices. Still, this trip is worth the journey.

Photo Coverage: Inside Opening Night of MTW's THE MUSIC MAN with Davis Gaines


Musical Theatre West presents the second production of their 61st season, Davis Gaines (Los Angeles' longest-running Phantom in The Phantom of The Opera) starring as Professor Harold Hill and Gail Bennett (Mary Poppins) starring as Marian Paroo in Meredith Willson's timeless and joyous, THE MUSIC MAN, book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey, musical direction by Corey Hirsch, choreography by John Todd and directed by Jeff Maynard.

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