Dru Rutledge News

This year’s Fertile Ground Festival started last Friday. As in years past, I’ll be posting short reviews of everything I see. Here’s the first set.

The 2026 Fertile Ground Festival kicks off on April 10. This annual grab bag of new works is my favorite time in Portland’s theatre calendar because it gives us a chance to see works at various stages of development, from early readings to fully staged world premieres.

The latest standings as of Monday, December 19th, have been released for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Portland Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

The latest standings as of Monday, December 12th, have been released for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Portland Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

The latest standings as of Monday, December 5th, have been released for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Portland Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

'What's playing at Broadway Rose? I'll tell you what's playing at Broadway Rose. A GUYS AND DOLLS so good that it gets a standing ovation from everyone who goes. That's what's playing at Broadway Rose.'

Join the divas of Portland musical theatre as they belt out some of your favorite pop/rock ballads from the 1970's to today. Starring Merideth Kaye Clark, Courtney Freed, Dru Rutledge, Leah Yorkston and hostess/producer Natalie McClure. Mont Chris Hubbard, piano superstar and musical director, accompanies the women with special guest Ross Seligman on guitar. Rarely do musical theatre performers get to sing their favorite pop tunes outside of the shower, so don't miss this special opportunity to hear them rock out for a very special evening!

On February 20, Presidents' Day, Portland Sings! presents RISE UP: Portland Sings for Justice. A host of the Rose City's most talented artists will come together at Artists Repertory Theatre for an evening celebrating America's constitutional rights through song and story as a benefit for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Expect to hear some powerful folk ballads, show tunes and original works during this concert for Justice.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature THE WHO'S TOMMY in Connecticut, HAND TO GOD in Columbus, THE BOOK OF MORMON in Melbourne and more. Check out our top features below!

Amazing that a musical from 1970 can still feel so fresh. But that's exactly what Broadway Rose accomplishes with their current production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's COMPANY.

Christmas shows usually come with a moral -- some 'true message of Christmas' about generosity or acceptance that we're supposed to carry in our hearts throughout the year to come. Broadway Rose's A VERY MERRY PDX-MAS has none of that. Your heart won't grow three sizes. There isn't even an overarching story you'll spend hours or days getting to the bottom of. What you will have is a smile on your face that will help you get through what is widely recognized as the most stressful time of year.

This holiday season, gather around the piano and raise a cup of holiday cheer with two of the biggest personalities in show business - Liberace and Liza Minnelli!

In a year with a rollicking presidential election, and the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it seems fitting for Lakewood Theatre Company to present 1776, the Tony Award-winning musical about how the founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and gave birth to a new nation. Political maneuvering provides the heart and soul of 1776; the road to accord seems as fraught with obstacles as any in Congress today. It is a show that will remind us how far America has come and how little we've changed.

Get out your Christmas sweater, fill your glass with mulled wine, and let Broadway Rose's A TAFFETA CHRISTMAS get you into the spirit of the season.

Broadway Rose Theatre Company concludes its 2015 Season of Bright Beginnings with Rick Lewis' 1950s holiday revue, 'A Taffeta Christmas,' playing at the Broadway Rose New Stage. Preview performance is tonight, November 25 with opening night on Friday, November 27, and performances continuing through December 20, 2015.

Broadway Rose Theatre Company concludes its 2015 Season of Bright Beginnings with Rick Lewis' 1950s holiday revue, 'A Taffeta Christmas,' playing at the Broadway Rose New Stage. Preview performance is Wednesday, November 25 with opening night on Friday, November 27, and performances continuing through December 20, 2015.

Broadway Rose's OKLAHOMA! demonstrates why this classic musical remains a crowd favorite.

She Loves Me, the 1963 Tony Award-winning musical, with book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, opens November 7, 2014 at Lakewood Theatre Company. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look below!

The waltz begins its hurdy-gurdy rhythm and suddenly we're transported to the carousel through dance, music, movement, and the above-mentioned scenic effects. It's beautifully done, and every member of the company contributes.

Performance Schedule: Irving Berlin's White Christmas opens Today, December 13, 2013 and continues through December 29. Performances continue nightly at 7:30 PM (except Dec. 16, 23, 24, 25). There are also Saturday matinees (Dec. 14, 21, 28) at 2:00 PM and Sunday matinees Dec. 15, 22, 29) at 2:00 PM.