Marian Rowan, a Denver theater actress active in the 1980s and ’90s, always felt her best when she was on stage.
From her early days in New York City to finally getting back on the boards in Colorado when her children were older, acting was her passion.
“She liked to say, ‘Acting is doing things with a purpose,’ ” said her son, Tom Rowan.
“She really felt like she was at her best,” he said. “There were parts of her personality and things important to her that really only came out on stage.”
Rowan, who last performed in 2004, died Nov. 27 at Rose Medical Center in Denver. She was 90.
Her acting credits include the mistress in “All Over,” Ethel in “On Golden Pond,” Madame Arcati in “Blithe Spirit” and Miss Helen in “The Road to Mecca.”
In the 1980s and ’90s, she performed in productions throughout the metro area, including the Aurora Fox Arts Center, Denver Civic Theatre, Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, Changing Scene, CityStage Ensemble, Germinal Stage Denver and the Rivertree Theatre.
“She had a wonderful warmth and graciousness and spirit about her,” Tom Rowan said. “She was just so warm and giving, and that quality came through in her performances.”
Both of Marian Rowan’s children followed her into the arts world. Tom is a writer and director, while his brother, Richard, is an actor and singer.
Born Aug. 14, 1925, in Stevens Point, Wis., the third child of a doctor and a schoolteacher, Rowan studied dance at the University of Wisconsin. After graduation, she toured the U.S. and Canada for two summers as a founding member of the Wisconsin Dance Group.
Rowan continued to dance after moving to New York City, studying under some of the biggest names in American modern dance. It was there she branched out into acting, learning the craft from famed acting teachers Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen. She made her Broadway debut in 1952 in “The Rehearsal.”
In 1962 she married Thomas Rowan, and they moved with their two sons to Colorado in 1975.
She is survived by her sons, both of New York City. She was preceded in death by her husband. No public services are planned.
Emilie Rusch: 303-954-2457, erusch@denverpost.com or @emilierusch
