Roxanna Ward

Cabaret-comic extraordinaire Roxanna Ward hails from Laguna Beach, California. Her engaging blend of piano bar and comedy caused one reviewer to observe, “It’s as if Bette Midler and Steve Allen had a love child.” A pianist, musical arranger, producer, and teacher, Ward has worked with legends Dolly Parton, Laura Nyro, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Bea Arthur. She has conducted orchestras as far apart as Milwaukee, Dusseldorf, and closer to home with Pacific Symphony. As a songwriter, she penned the R&B single “Remember Who You Are,” which reached number 16 on Billboard’s jazz chart when recorded by Phyllis Hyman, and more recently was recorded by Suede.

Roxanna has spent 20 years teaching chorus at both Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High School, building the program to admirable levels, and has served as Music Director at the Laguna Playhouse, Irvine Valley College, and Orange County School of the Arts, to name but a few. She has been the Music Director of choice since the inception of No Square Theatre, in California, and has also starred in No Square's productions of Gypsy (Mama Rose), Nunsense (Reverend Mother), and numerous other Lagunatics shows.

Roxanna’s greatest accomplishment is her son, Jake, who’s not only reached adulthood with grace and humor, but is soon to marry a wonderful young lady while enjoying a successful career in finance in San Diego. She’s also the proud mama of the devastatingly attractive mutt, Buddy, who frequently accompanies her to the theatre.

Roxanna is a beloved member of the Olivia family; her Olivia debut was on an Alaska cruise in 1992. Since then, she's joined us several times a year, and her brilliant comedy, writing, musicianship, and singing endears her to audiences everywhere. Whether you are seeing Roxanna for the first time or the tenth, she always makes you laugh and warms your heart.

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