Exploring Life & Business with Charlene Rose of Forbidden Roses

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlene Rose.

Hi Charlene, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been performing most of my life, with a career spanning musical theatre, television, professional dance, and choreography. As much as I love being onstage, I’ve found just as much fulfillment in creating opportunities for others to experience that magic.

In 2009, I founded Living Room to Ballroom, helping adults build confidence through dance. What began as dance classes eventually grew into performance teams, showcases, and live productions.

One of those teams became Forbidden Roses, our burlesque performance group. I’ve always loved the glamour, theatricality, and playful sensuality of burlesque, and eventually I began envisioning something bigger.

I started producing themed shows featuring professional dancers, musicians, and other entertainers, combining my love of choreography, costumes, music, and theatrical storytelling.

Today, I’m expanding Forbidden Roses into its own professional burlesque production company, creating immersive entertainment experiences throughout Southern California. Our upcoming show, *Sensual Nightmares*, on October 28 at RAIN in Studio City, is an exciting step in that direction.

I still love performing, but there’s something incredibly rewarding about bringing an entire creative vision to life and watching both the performers and audience get swept up in the experience.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh, definitely not! 😂 I think anyone who’s produced a live event knows that things rarely go exactly as planned.

One of my biggest challenges has been balancing the creative side with the business side. I love dreaming up concepts, choreographing, designing costumes, and bringing a vision to life. But then there’s the less glamorous side… finding venues, coordinating performers, managing budgets, marketing, and selling tickets. As an independent producer, you’re often wearing ALL the hats!

Getting people through the door is a challenge in itself, especially in a city like Los Angeles where there’s so much competition for people’s attention.

I’ve also learned that not everyone approaches a production with the same level of preparation or commitment. I’m very detail-oriented and believe in quality over quantity, so learning to set expectations, make tough decisions, and protect the creative vision has been a big part of my growth.

Every production teaches me something and makes me a little more resourceful and confident. And when the lights finally go down and everything comes together, it makes all the chaos worthwhile.

It’s stressful, exhausting, exciting, and incredibly rewarding… sometimes all in the same day! 😂

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Forbidden Roses?
Forbidden Roses is a professional burlesque entertainment and production company based in Southern California, specializing in glamorous, theatrical, and immersive live experiences.

We bring together professional dancers, burlesque artists, aerialists, and musicians to create shows that combine classic burlesque glamour with contemporary choreography, playful sensuality, and a little unexpected mischief.

What sets us apart is that we’re not just putting performers on a stage. I love creating an entire atmosphere where the music, costumes, choreography, lighting, and venue all become part of the experience. Whether it’s an intimate cabaret or a larger theatrical production, I want audiences to feel like they’ve stepped into another world.

I’m especially proud of the incredible talent we bring together and the opportunity to showcase each performer’s unique artistry while creating something cohesive and exciting.

Our upcoming production, *Sensual Nightmares: A Halloween Burlesque Fantasia*, on October 28 at RAIN in Studio City, is a perfect example, featuring world-class burlesque, live music, aerial artistry, and performances that bring the entertainment right into the audience. You might find yourself much closer to the action than you expected! 😉

Ultimately, I want Forbidden Roses to be known for unforgettable nights out that people actually look forward to dressing up for. And I want audiences to discover that burlesque is so much more than taking off clothes. It’s an art form combining dance, storytelling, humor, confidence, and theatrical expression.

My goal is to celebrate that artistry while creating experiences people will still be talking about long after the final curtain.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think being a performer and an entrepreneur almost requires you to be comfortable with taking risks. Entertainment is already an unpredictable industry, but producing my own shows has been a whole different level! 😂

As an independent producer, you’re often investing your own money in venues, performers, musicians, costumes, and marketing before you’ve sold a single ticket. You can work incredibly hard and still potentially lose money, so I’ve had to learn to balance my creative ambitions with business realities.

My upcoming production, *Sensual Nightmares*, on October 28 at RAIN in Studio City, is probably one of my biggest leaps yet. The venue has more than double the capacity of my usual events, and I’ve set a personal goal of selling **250 tickets**! It’s also my most ambitious production creatively, so I’m definitely pushing myself outside my comfort zone.

It’s exciting and a little terrifying, but I know that if I want Forbidden Roses to grow, I have to be willing to take bigger chances.

I believe in doing your homework, preparing as much as possible, and then taking the leap, even when there’s no guarantee. I’d much rather look back knowing I gave something a shot than wonder what might have happened if I had.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sensual-nightmares-a-burlesque-fantasia-halloween-burlesque-live-music-tickets-1999002712926?aff=voyagela
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forbiddenrosesofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheForbiddenRoses/

Image Credits
Lisa Donahue