"All the more to encourage bus ridership!"
That line comes from the theater's own history page. It explains why Frank W. Perry built a 550-seat silent movie house on Foxborough Common in 1926. Perry started out working for a trolley company and went on to own the local bus line, which used Foxborough as its hub. He bought the existing Orpheum in 1918. At the time it was a 250-seat second-floor auditorium in the Union Building next door, showing silent films and local vaudeville. Then he built something larger. The theater existed to give people a reason to come into the center of town.
The building now carries a different name. The Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center has billed its 2026/2027 lineup as its Centennial Season. Look at what's on its calendar this fall and at what surrounds it on the Common, and Perry's logic still holds. The pink building still sets the pace for Uptown Foxborough.
A Century, Counted Carefully
The dates are a little tricky. The building went up in 1926, and the season is branded as the centennial. But the theater's dedicated anniversary page says the 100th anniversary will be celebrated in 2027. It asks visitors to check back for programs and community events. That puts this fall at the start of the centennial season, with the anniversary itself marked in 2027.
Perry and his son ran the theater until shortly after his death in 1956. Later owners split the auditorium into two screens and then three. The movie house closed for good in 1989. After that, the building changed hands several times:
| Year | What happened on the Common |
|---|---|
| 1926 | Perry opens the current building as a silent movie house with a reported 550 seats |
| 1989 | The converted triplex cinema closes |
| 1994 | Reopens in September as a live performance stage under the original Foxborough Regional Center for the Performing Arts, led by a group headed by Neil and Linda Colvin |
| 2004 | Bay Colony Productions buys the building, renovates in 2006 and runs it for 13 years |
| 2017–2018 | A new community nonprofit of about 20 members forms, takes over operations, then ownership |
| January 2018 | Renamed the Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center |
There are now 400 seats instead of Perry's reported 550. The theater describes today's auditorium as climate controlled and accessible, with a clear view of the stage from every seat. It also has an Upper Lobby used for receptions and birthday parties, plus a green room that doubles as a dance studio. The theater describes itself as a 501(c)(3), operated by the Foxborough Regional Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.
The name honors Marilyn Rodman, who served on the Canton School Committee for more than 20 years and pushed to keep and build arts programs in schools. The theater's account says she inspired the Rodman for Kids Theatre for Kids program. In 2001 her husband, Ride President Don Rodman, bought out the Opera House so at-risk children could see South Pacific.
The Plaza Got Its Turn First
If the entrance looks sharper lately, that's because the outside of the building was finished before the centennial branding arrived. The Foxboro Reporter covered the unveiling of the exterior renovation. It described a revitalized plaza, new railings, fresh paint and accessibility upgrades, in a project that took two years and was funded by public grants and donations.
The paver work in front invites the community to take part. The paper also reported on a "Leave a Legacy" campaign selling $500 engraved bricks for the theater entrance. When that story ran, about 80 of the 200 bricks had been reserved, and the money was going toward exterior improvements. A century on, residents can still literally put their names on the front walk.
What's Left on the Fall Bill
The early weeks of the season are already over. Forrest Shaw played on October 4, and the Dancing Dream ABBA tribute came and went on October 10. Here's what's still ahead on the theater's 2026/2027 season page through late November:
- October 23: Matt Michienzie & Co., playing original music alongside songs from the Grateful Dead universe, acoustic and electric
- October 24: Two Foxboro Comedy Festival shows. One is an all-ages hypnosis show with Frank Santos Jr. The other is an All-Star Comedy Show with Jimmy Dunn & Friends
- November 13: Back to The Garden 1969, a Woodstock tribute
- November 14: R-Rated Comic Hypnotist Frank Santos Jr., the grown-ups' version of the October 24 family show
- November 24: Postcards from Heaven with Maureen Hancock, with more dates on January 15 and 16, 2027
- November 25 and 27: Jessica Lynn's A Very Merry Classic Christmas
The theater says the community productions in its lineup will be announced closer to their runs.
October 24 Runs Straight Down Central Street
On Saturday, October 24, the town's free Halloween event and the theater's comedy festival both happen within a few blocks of the Common.
Foxborough Recreation's Halloween Parade follows a route that ends practically at the theater's doors:
- 2:30 p.m.: Families gather in the Town Hall parking lot, where judges look over the costumes.
- The parade sets off from Liberty Street and turns onto Central Street.
- Trick-or-treating begins at local businesses along Central. Participating shops have orange balloons out front.
- The route continues up to the Common, where the costume contest winners are announced. The event is listed as running until 4 p.m.
It's free and open to everyone, and you don't need to register. On the same date, the theater is putting on its all-ages hypnosis show and the Jimmy Dunn & Friends comedy show. Check the ticket listings for start times. A family could go from the costume contest on the Common to a show at the theater without getting back in the car.
Patriot Place runs its own Halloween events on different dates. There's a free Trunk or Treat at Bass Pro Shops, 1 Bass Pro Drive, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on October 15, as part of Cruise Night. Then the SPOOKtacular brings trick-or-treating to the North Marketplace at 2 Patriot Place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on October 29. Because none of the dates overlap, a family could go to all three.
A Ticket That Works Across the Street
The theater sends its audience out to the businesses around it, too. Its local restaurants page recommends dinner before or after a show. It also lists one concrete perk: 15% off your food bill at Union Straw when you show your MRPAC tickets on the day of the performance. Union Straw is at 8 Mechanic Street. It also hosts a "Sip Mask and Glow" evening on Thursday, October 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. That's the night before the Michienzie show.
A few other spots within the theater's immediate orbit:
- Station One by Shovel Town Brewery, a restaurant and brewery at 44 School Street, right on the Common.
- Rally Point Inn & Pub, at 9 Mechanic St., next door to Union Straw. It lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., which makes it the late option after a show.
- The Commons Neighborhood Eatery, at 20 Central St., open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. It's a breakfast-and-lunch stop, so plan it for the morning of a matinee or the parade.
- Foxboro House of Pizza at 34 Central St. and South St Pizzeria at 16 South St., both serving dine-in and takeout.
The theater also reminds patrons that outside food and drinks aren't allowed inside, so dinner happens at one of these places before the curtain rather than in your seat.
After the Last November Show, the Common Lights Up
The fall season on the Common ends where the parade did. On Saturday, November 28, the Foxboro Jaycees start decorating the Common and setting up the Nativity at 9 a.m. That afternoon and evening, Foxboro Light Uptown takes over the area around the Common, with Santa and Mrs. Claus scheduled to arrive. The Jaycees haven't posted an exact start time. Three weeks earlier, Boyden Library at 2 Baker St. holds its Friends Book Sale on November 5, 6 and 7.
Global Lux Collective follows Uptown Foxborough's calendar closely. If you're thinking about what living within walking distance of the Common and its centennial-season theater means for your next home or the one you own now, Global Lux Collective can talk it through with you. Schedule a private consultation.
