In 1967 he began performing as part of the resident company at the
Studio Arena Theater in
Buffalo,
New York with actors such as
John Schuck. At the Studio Arena he appeared in productions such as
Oh, Kay! as The Duke,
The Man Who Came to Dinner as Beverley Carlton and
Under Milk Wood, which he also directed. In late 1967 he was cast in his first Broadway production in
Portrait of a Queen with
Dame Dorothy Tutin which ran until April 1968. Through 1968 he performed with The
Long Wharf Theatre in
New Haven Connecticut, Hartford Stage Company in
Hartford, Connecticut,
The Woodstock Playhouse in
Woodstock, New York and the Green Hills Theatre in
Reading, Pennsylvania. In late 1968 he was cast as the Captain of the Inquisition in the first U.S. national touring company of
Man of La Mancha with
José Ferrer, which he toured with into the summer of 1969. In 1970 Bradshaw appeared in the Original Broadway production of
Barry England's
Conduct Unbecoming as Major Lionel Roach. Bradshaw received good notices for the production,
Clive Barnes of
The New York Times said he was "especially impressed.." by Bradshaw in the role of Roach in his review Bradshaw was nominated for a
Tony Award for the Role. In the 1970s he served as Production Stage Manager for the
Starlight Theatre in
Kansas City,
Missouri, and then retired for most of the 1980s, working again as a printer and focusing on his family. In the late '80s he began acting again, starting off small, appearing in community theatre and even directing several high school productions. Quickly he began appearing in smaller productions around the
New England area, especially
Boston where he worked extensively during the 1990s, most notably for
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, at which he performed in
Oedipus Rex,
Antigone,
Pygmalion,
Present Laughter,
The Heiress,
Entertaining Mr. Sloane,
Juno and the Paycock and ''
Mrs. Warren's Profession to name but a few. He gained quite a reputation in the area, performing for the Huntington Theatre Company in productions such as Arcadia'' and for the
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's 1997 performance of "
Romeo and Juliet" as
Friar Laurence, The first Commonwealth Shakespeare Company performance to take place at the Parkman Bandstand in
Boston Common. He also appeared in productions for the Lyric West Theatre Company, The New Repertory Theatre, Boston Actors' Ensemble, Gloucester Stage Company and performed in the first ever
Boston Theater Marathon. In 1998 he was nominated for the prestigious
Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actor in a Small Company. == Later life ==