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Barbara Meister – Barber Automotive Goup
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Financially challenged Rubicon revises season

• By Tom Jacobs
• Posted November 27, 2009 at 3:40 p.m.

Star staff file photo

Karyl Lynn Burns and James O’Neil met 23 years ago in Santa Barbara in an audition for “Man of La Mancha.” 
Today she is the producing artistic director and he is the artistic director both of the Rubicon Theatre Company 
in Ventura.

The Rubicon Theatre Company, under severe financial pressure, has slashed its budget, reduced and reconfigured its staff and radically revised its lineup of plays for the 2009-10 season.

Long-planned large-cast shows have been replaced with productions requiring fewer actors, in what producing artistic director Karyl Lynn Burns calls an unfortunate but necessary adjustment. “Our priority this year,” Burns said, “is to reduce expenses while maintaining artistic quality and integrity.”

While both subscriptions and single-ticket sales at the Ventura-based professional stage company remain strong, donations have fallen drastically because of the economic downturn. “Our eight to 10 largest givers are in industries that have been very hard hit: automobiles, real estate and banking,” Burns said.

In response, the board of directors approved a $1.8 million budget for 2009-10, a steep drop from last season’s $3.2 million. For 2007-08, the budget was $3.8 million.

In addition, Patricia Baldwin has been hired as chief financial officer. Managing director of Santa Barbara’s Ensemble Theatre Company for 10 years and financial director of Rubicon for three, she came out of retirement to shape a two-year financial recovery plan for the theater and has agreed to stay on to implement it. Burns calls her “a tough, savvy manager.”

Currently in its 12th season, Rubicon is one of Ventura County’s largest and most prestigious arts organizations, regularly winning Ovation Awards for excellence in Southern California theater. It finished last season with 2,700 subscribers.

The 2009-10 season, which began with the well-received world premiere musical “Daddy Long Legs,” will continue as scheduled with “A Rubicon Family Christmas” Dec. 5-27. But the remainder of the year is completely changed.

“Doubt,” John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about the clash between a stern nun and a priest who may be abusing boys (adapted into a Meryl Streep movie last year), will run Jan. 30 through Feb. 21. Jenny Sullivan directs a cast headed by Robin Pearson Rose and Joseph Fuqua, who played the title role in Rubicon’s “Hamlet.”

Sullivan returns to direct “Trying,” a fact-based story about a young woman’s relationship with an elderly former attorney general, March 13 through April 4. The production, originally scheduled to run this past fall, will feature Robin Gammell and Angela Goethals. Artistic director James O’Neil will direct Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy “Crimes of the Heart” April 24 through May 16.

Two short-run shows open to current subscribers only — both world premieres — will follow. They are “In All Honesty,” an absurdist comedy by 17-year-old Santa Barbara playwright Quinn Sosna-Spear, and “Address Unknown,” an adaptation of a Holocaust-era novel by veteran director Moni Yakim.

Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” which was scheduled to cap off the season, will now be produced as a semi-staged reading to begin the 2010-11season in October.

Both four-show subscriptions ($151 to $185) and individual tickets ($39 to $59, or $25 for students) are available by phone (667-2900) or through the company’s Web site (http://www.rubicontheatre.org).

The theater’s popular education programs, including after-school classes and summer workshops, are scheduled to continue without interruption. But all these plans are contingent upon finding funds to keep the company solvent through the spring, when projections call for cash flow to turn positive.

“Can we keep the doors open? It’s up to the community,” said O’Neil, who in addition to being artistic director is Burns’ husband. “It always has been, and it always will be.

“We have to get the support that we need. We can only pay for half of our operation (through ticket sales). The rest is up to the largess of the community.”

• >> Theater >> Previews

The stars of A Rubicon Family Christmas are (from left) Brian Sutherland, Teri Bibb, Anthony 
Manough, Joan Almedilla, Dina Bennett, and Trey Ellett. The show runs through December 27

Rubicon Revises Programming Plans

The Theatre Company Takes Steps to Avoid Financial Crisis

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

CRIMES OF THE HEART

by Beth Henley

APRIL 24 - MAY 16, 2010

Written by Beth Henley
Directed by James O'Neil

This Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows the travails of the Magrath sisters, who come together at Old Granddaddy’s home in Hazlehurst, Mississippi to defend their sweet little sister Babe, charged with shooting her husband ‘cause she “didn’t like his looks.” Middle sister Meg, the rebel in the family, reconnects with the local town doctor, with whom she had a romantic tryst before she headed off to start a now-defunct recording career. And Lenny, the eldest, is facing the consequences of her own “crimes of the heart.”

Despite their love for each other, sibling rivalries bubble to the surface in a hilarious, heartwarming and all-too-familiar way. Don’t miss this funny, sexy and surprising comedy! Directed by Rubicon Artistic Director James O’Neil.

IN ALL HONESTY
JUNE 2 - 13, 2010

Written by Quinn Sosna-Spear
Directed by Devin Scott

This absurdist comedy is full of magical twists and turns. A shy British businessman engages in an innocent conversation with an appealing, eccentric young woman while they wait for a bus. Their casual meetings continue day by day and they come to find that they have similar sensibilities about life. Their witty repartee leads to a deeper connection, until the businessman accidentally touches upon a secret which could threaten the friendship.

Rubicon is delighted to present the first professional production by a remarkable up-and-coming talent. Still in high school in Santa Barbara, Quinn Sosna-Spear has participated in Rubicon’s Young Playwrights’ Festival, in which this production was originally workshopped. The incomparable professional cast includes Dan Gunther, Robert Lesser, Nancy Nufer and Carla Tessara, under the direction of Devin Scott.

NOTE:  THIS SHOW REPLACES "ADDRESS UNKNOWN, ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR 9/1 - 12/10.

Classes and Workshops

Rubicon Theatre Company's Education and Outreach Department is dedicated to the entertainment, enrichment and education of the people in Ventura County and surrounding regions. These programs include year-round youth and adult Acting Classes, summer youth programs in acting and musical theatre, a semi-annual Young Playwrights' Festival and apprenticeships. For more information about the extraordinary opportunities that await you please click on one of the photo-links below.

Rubicon offers process-oriented acting classes for kids (beginning at age five) and adults. These programs  focus on developing skills and technique, basic theatre terminology, building confidence and stage presence, learning proper voice techniques and developing an awareness of body language through character work, and other fundamental techniques through improvisation, scene study and theatre games. We operate in a nurturing environment where participants are encouraged to increase their comfort zone and participate at their own pace.

Perfect for both the fledgling 'star' in your family,
or the introvert finding their voice.

Classes provide participants the opportunity to study with "teaching artists." Teaching artists are working theatre professionals who hold a high level degree or experience in voice and speech, acting, playwriting, Shakespeare, movement or audition techniques. With an average class size of 15, these courses offer close interaction and individual attention and culminate with a final presentation of the student’s work for family and friends.

FALL SCHEDULE

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/nov/29/its-a-date/

http://www.vcstar.com/photos/2009/nov/27/80935/

Photo courtesy of Jeanne Tanner Photography

Merle DiVita is Nurse Ratched and a sheet-covered Joseph Fuqua is McMurphy in the 2010 Dramatic Dames Calendar’s February depiction of the play “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.” Organized as a fundraiser for Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, it features members of the volunteer auxiliary Grandes Dames.

When the going gets tough, the tough get naked.

Prodded by stripped-to-the-bone budgets, supporters of the arts in Ventura County have taken off the gloves — and the shirts, pants and assorted unmentionables — to help. The results are two calendars for 2010 that feature local residents posing in the buff.

The Dramatic Dames Calendar is the inaugural effort of the Grandes Dames, the volunteer auxiliary of the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura.

It features members of the fundraising group wearing little more than smiles and carefully placed props as they interpret scenes from plays staged by the professional theater troupe.

Photo courtesy of Jeanne Tanner Photography

Merle DiVita is Nurse Ratched and a sheet-covered Joseph Fuqua is McMurphy in the 2010 Dramatic Dames Calendar’s February depiction of the play “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.” Organized as a fundraiser for Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, it features members of the volunteer auxiliary Grandes Dames.

“A couple of years ago, we did a cookbook of the Grandes Dames’ favorite recipes. Last year, the project was cases of wine with show posters as the labels. This just seemed like a fun way to continue the theme,” said Grandes Dames President Wendy Gillett.

The Men of Ojai Calendar for 2010 is an all-new version of one last produced in 2007, said Demitri Corbin, director of what is now called the Ojai Calendar Project.

“In the beginning, it was a protest, a way of bringing awareness to the need for the city of Ojai to reinstate the arts grants it had discontinued during an earlier financial crisis,” he said.

But the inspiration to actually create the black-and-white calendar of images by photographer Attasalina Dews was a lot more colorful than that sounds, Corbin admitted.

“I was at Movino Wine Bar one night and asked some friends, ‘Would you pose nude for a good cause?’ And people said, ‘Sure!’ A few weeks passed and I forgot about it. Then a friend asked, ‘What’s going to happen with the calendar, man?’”

The selection of models was more complicated than merely finding local men willing to show some skin, he said.

Volunteers were asked to fill out an application listing their interests, then to undergo face-to-face interviews with Corbin on the topic of the calendar theme, which this year is “freedom.”

Finalists then were selected by the cheekily named Council of Fabulousness, a group of women with ties to the arts in Ventura County.

“It’s not just about looks; it’s about who makes real contributions to the community,” said Corbin.

This year, the project comes full circle with the inclusion of Movino manager and Ojai Art Center Theater producer Billy Wilds, who is featured striking what is, for the calendar, a rare indoors pose: reading on his couch at home.

In the spirit of the 2003 Helen Mirren film “Calendar Girls,” women willing to appear in the Dramatic Dames project were asked to put their names into a bucket for selection by drawing. Winners of the drawing were then paired with what Gillett considered “iconic” plays from Rubicon’s history.

They include former Ventura Mayor Rosa Lee Measures in a depiction of the William Inge play “Bus Stop,” certified financial planner Merle DiVita as Nurse Ratched from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and octogenarian Realtor Helen Yunker — her hair loosened from its usual bun — as Blanche DuBois in a tableau from “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

The calendar’s images were shot on the Rubicon stage by photographer Jeanne Tanner during a single, busy week in October, between performances of “Daddy Long Legs.” The women did their own hair and makeup and in some cases brought their props.

“When you see them, you really get the sense that these are gorgeous, confident women who felt the importance of taking it off for charity,” said Gillett. “We loved doing it, and would consider doing it again.”

Daring calendar duo

Dramatic Dames 2010: The calendar produced by the Grandes Dames as a fundraiser for Rubicon Theatre Co. in Ventura will debut at the group’s luncheon and boutique from 11:30 a.m. Dec. 7 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Oxnard, 600 E. Esplanade Drive. It also is available by calling Rubicon development coordinator Amber Landis at 667-2912, ext. 237. Cost is $20 for advance orders, $25 after Dec. 7.

SAVE THE DATE

Come fly with us to 1940s Broadway!

Rubicon Theatre Company Presents
The Broadway Ball
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Starts at 6:00 p.m.
Ronald Reagan Library
AIR FORCE ONE PAVILION
Attire: 1940s or black tie

More information to come!

December 12, 2003

Efrem Zimbalist Jr., his daughter Stephanie Zimbalist, Amanda McBroom, George Ball, David Birney and Bonnie Franklin were among the bright lights adding to the luster of the Rubicon Theatre Company's $250-a-person benefit this past Sunday evening.

Held at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, a classy venue to start with, the theater's Winter Wonderland extravaganza attracted more than 300 guests from near and far and brought in more than $250,000, thanks to the generosity of special donors including Helen Yunker, Micheline and Albert Sakharoff, Cynde and Steve Magidson, Barbara and Larry Meister, Loretta and Mike Merewether and Howard Boroughs. They're evidently inclined to take their theater-going seriously.

But everyone loves the Rubicon, including its president Claire Bowman, there with her husband Reid and lots of hardworking board members such as Merle DiVita, Mary and Don Gloiston, Midge and Dave Stork, Elise and Bill Kearney, Janet and Steven Snyder and Warren Lovell as well as Grandes Dames President Dottie Novatt, there with her husband Bernie.

Founded five years ago by husband-and-wife team James O'Neil and Karyl Lynn Burns, the company has made its theatrical home for the past five years at The Laurel, which is in the historic district of downtown Ventura. The venue, a church in its former life, is now on the market, and the Rubicon is a very motivated buyer.

"It's an exciting time for the Rubicon," said Norbert Tan, Rubicon's managing director. "Our goal is to raise $3 million dollars, not only to purchase the property but also to renovate and expand."

Joining him at the party was his wife Tracy as well as numerous dignitaries including Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long, Ventura Mayor Brian Brennan and Ventura City Council member Christy Weir plus Bob Wilson, mayor of Thousand Oaks.

During the social hour the crowd swept through the library and museum, sipped champagne, bid on auction items, noshed and admired the dozens of twinkling, holiday trees as well as each other, including Gail Lansbury, who was wearing rhinestone encrusted, Guiseppe Zanotti sandals.

"I saw them and I couldn't resist," confided Lansbury of the strappy, five-inch stilettos. She was there with her husband Bruce Lansbury as well as Susan Cooper and her husband, Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper.

Co-chairpersons for the glamorous, wintry get together -- attended by Judie and Mel Swope, Joanne and Monroe Kaplan, Helen Karlsberg, Edith Pafford, Toni and Richard Mathews, Celine Gillibrand, Jeanne Canty, Freddie and Al Contarino, Nancy and Richard Francis, Marylyn and Terry Ragan and Patti and Gary Channer -- were Eloise and Chuck Cohen and Rosa Lee Measures and her husband Albert G. Harris.

-- For information on the Rubicon Theatre Company, call 667-2900. Cate Brown is a Star columnist. For coverage of a nonprofit event, contact her in advance at cate@bluemax.net.

Cate Brown / Special to The Star

From left, actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr (whose long career includes the 1965 series "The F.B.I."), Rubicon Theatre Managing Director Norbert Tan, actress Stephanie Zimbalist, actor David Birney and Rubicon Theatre Artistic Director James O'Neil attended Sunday's Rubicon Theatre benefit. Stephanie Zimbalist ("Remington Steele"), Efrem's daughter, stars as astronaut Christa McAuliffe in the current Rubicon production, "Defying Gravity."



Cate Brown / Special to The Star

Actress Bonnie Franklin, who starred in Rubicon's production of "Dancing at Lughnasa" earlier this year, attended the gala with husband Marvin Minoff. Franklin, who was married in 1980 in Ventura on the deck of the weekend home she still keeps, is best known for playing the divorced working mom on the 1975-84 CBS series "One Day at a Time."

Joining the Grandes Dames is a wonderful way to meet fellow theatre lovers and be the first to hear about upcoming productions and backstage news. Men are always welcome! Our Grandes Dames help by providing actor meals, ushering, being part of mailing teams, putting up posters, passing out post cards, working in the box office, helping arrange luncheons, assisting with fundraising for Rubicon and numerous other fundamental theatre functions. Grandes Dames receive preference in their chosen volunteer areas, and have their own luncheons where they are entertained by our talented performers.

Grande Dames Luncheons in the past have featured performances by Rubicon favorites like Linda Purl and Stephanie Zimbalist as well as Broadway stars from Wicked, Les Miserables, Into the Woods, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and many more.

Luncheons for 2008 are scheduled for Monday, January 14th at 11:30 am, Tuesday, April 29th at 11:30 am, and Tuesday, June 10th at 11:30 am.

Grandes Dames Annual membership dues are only $40.

To join please contact Development Associate Amber Landis at 805.667.2900 ext.239

GOLD COIN CLUB
($10,000 a year for three years)

Members Receive -

• Entry into every Rubicon event, including:
  • 2 Fundraising Ball Tickets
  • 2 Opening Night season subscriptions or any series of your choice
  • 2 tickets to all special events and performances
• Access to a new Exclusive Hot Line for Gold Coin members

Plus all the Diamond Jewel Club level benefits.

DIAMOND LEVEL
($5,000 a year for three years)

• Gold Jewel Club pin with a diamond inset
• 75% discount on two season subscriptions
• 75% discount on two additional subscriptions
• Season program listing at the Diamond Level
• Two vouchers for two tickets (four tickets total) to give as a gift or keep for yourself
• Access to purchase additional "house seats"
• Cast-signed posters of every show
• Complimentary concessions per show (show your Jewel Club pin at concessions)
• Plus day trips, Directors' Previews and the Jewel Club Hotline

EMERALD LEVEL
($2,500 a year for three years)

• Silver Jewel Club pin with an emerald inset
• 50% discount on two season subscriptions
• Season program listing at the Emerald Level
• One voucher for two tickets to the production of your choice in our 10th anniversary season
• Six complimentary concession vouchers
• Plus day trips, Directors' Previews and the Jewel Club Hotline

RUBY LEVEL
($1,000 a year for three years)

• Silver Jewel Club pin with a ruby inset
• Season program listing at the Ruby Level
• Two complimentary concession vouchers
• Invitations to show-related day trips and tours
• Invitations to Directors' Previews
• Exclusive Jewel Club hotline with subscription priority seating

RTC'S PAST 
SEASONS / EVENTS / ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2004-2005

 

Rubicon's Grateful Thank you to all the attendees of last Sunday evening's Rubicon benefit, Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino! A grand success, the evening was a tribute to incredible music, inspiring performers and an exciting theatrical future thanks to the wonderful patrons of Rubicon. For those of you who couldn't make it (and those of you who love reminiscing), here are some pictures of the event attendees (thank you to Brian McDonald for his photographic abilities):   The gorgeous Topa Tower Club, the setting of the event.   Director Daisy Prince and evening's honored guest, John Bucchino         Laura Linney.   A dancing dervish: Claire Bowman, Leeyann Neeley, and Sandra Laby   Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino October 7 at The Topa Tower Club Cocktails at 6 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. Show follows immediately afterwards Tickets are $175 including $100 tax-deductible donation VIP Tables of 8: $5,000 Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino is a one-night-only celebration of a brilliant songwriter who is poised for Broadway stardom with his musical A Catered Affair. Performing his songs is a star-studded cast including: Joan Almedilla (Broadway's Miss Saigon, Les Miserables and Jesus Christ Superstar) Wilson Cruz (Broadway's Rent, TV's "My So-Called Life," "Party of Five," "Ally McBeal," West Wing," "ER") Laura Dean ("Fame" and Broadway's The Who's Tommy and Doonesbury) Jason Graae (Broadway's A Grand Night For Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy!, and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, numerous opera, TV and film credits including being the voice of Lucky, the Leprechaun in Lucky Charms Cereal commercials) Amanda McBroom (famed cabaret singer, songwriter and Golden Globe award winner) Sean McDermott (Broadway's Miss Saigon, Chicago, Jekyll and Hyde, Jesus Christ Superstar, Falsettos, Starlight Express, Grease, Carousel and Showboat) Linda Purl (Broadway's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Getting and Spending, TV's "Happy Days" and "Matlock" and film's "Mighty Joe Young," among others) Sara Ramirez ("Grey's Anatomy," Tony award-winner for the Broadway production of Monty Python's Spamalot) Andrew Samonsky (Ventura native, star of Rubicon's tick... tick... BOOM! and Nick in National Tour of Disney's On the Record) The presentation will be directed by Daisy Prince (daughter of mega-Broadway producer, Hal Prince), who will also direct Rubicon's production of It's Only Life and directed it previously at the Lincoln Center.   Join us for an unforgettable evening!

The Bucchino Stops Here John Bucchino Already a beloved figure on the New York City cabaret scene, John Bucchino is poised for Broadway stardom. And thanks to Rubicon, you have the opportunity to experience the magic of his music in an up-close-and-personal setting. The New York-based songwriter, whose touching ballads have been recorded by everyone from Patti LuPone to Art Garfunkle, will soon have his first show on Broadway, A Catered Affair. That high-profile production, which stars Harvey Fierstein and Faith Prince, is previewing in September at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre. In the spring, Rubicon will present the first fully staged production of Bucchino's smaller-scale show It's Only Life, a concert version of which was performed at New York's Lincoln Center to rave reviews. Those curious to discover this important new voice, or simply interested in a moving, entertaining night of great singing, should mark their calendars for the evening of Sunday, Oct. 7. Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino, the latest offering in Rubicon's Broadway Cabaret series, will take place at the Topa Tower Club, 300 E. Esplanade Drive in Oxnard. Amanda McBroom and Jason Graae will be among the outstanding singers performing Bucchino's music at the event, which Daisy Prince is flying out from New York City to direct. The evening will also include silent and live auctions.   Amanda McBroom Jason Graae Tickets, which are $175, include a fine dinner with wine and the show. A VIP table for eight costs $5,000. The event is expected to sell out, so do not delay. To make a reservation, call Amber Landis at (805) 667-2912, ext. 239. If you love musical theatre and are in a position to be a sponsor, please call Mychele Dee at (805) 667-2912, ext. 227. Many Reasons to be 'Grateful' An outstanding cast has been assembled for Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino, the highly anticipated next event in Rubicon's Broadway Cabaret series. The one-night-only celebration of a brilliant songwriter who is poised for Broadway stardom will take place Sunday, October 7th at the Topa Tower Club in Oxnard. The performers will include: Sara Ramirez (a star of the hit television drama "Grey's Anatomy," and winner of a Tony award for the Broadway production of Monty Python's Spamalot). Ojai resident Amanda McBroom (famed cabaret singer, songwriter and Golden Globe award winner). Linda Purl (Broadway's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Getting and Spending, TV's "Happy Days" and "Matlock" and film's "Mighty Joe Young," among others). Jason Graae (Broadway's A Grand Night For Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy! and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? in addition to numerous opera, TV and film credits including being the voice of "Lucky, the Leprechaun" in Lucky Charms Cereal commercials). Laura Dean ("Fame" and Broadway's The Who's Tommy and Doonesbury). Joan Almedilla (Broadway's Miss Saigon, Les Miserables and Jesus Christ Superstar). Sean McDermott (Broadway's Miss Saigon, Chicago, Jekyll and Hyde, Jesus Christ Superstar, Falsettos, Starlight Express, Grease, Carousel and Showboat). Wilson Cruz (Broadway's Rent, Rubicon's tick...tick...Boom! and TV's "My So-Called Life") Ventura native Andrew Samonsky (star of Rubicon's tick...tick....Boom!, the national tour of Disney's On the Record and numerous regional theatre performances)       John Bucchino's songs have been performed by Judy Collins, Barbara Cook, Michael Feinstein, Art Garfunkel, Patti LuPone, Yo-Yo Ma, Audra MacDonald, Liza Minnelli, Deborah Voight, The Boston Pops, The Los Angeles Philharmonic and many others. Bucchino's first Broadway musical, A Catered Affair, is scheduled to open in New York next April, following a preview run in San Diego this fall. With a book by Harvey Fierstein and direction by Tony award winner John Doyle, A Catered Affair boasts a cast that includes Fierstein, Faith Prince and Tom Wopat. Rubicon will present the West Coast premiere of his revue It's Only Life next spring. Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino will commence at 6 p.m. at the Topa Tower Club Sunday, October 7th with cocktails. Dinner follows at 7, with the show beginning immediately afterwards. Tickets are $175 and include a $100 tax deductible donation. VIP tables for eight are available for $5,000.   Sara sings! Did you catch the season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" Thursday night? If you're a fan of the show, you'll be particularly interested in the next installment of Rubicon's Broadway Cabaret series, which is coming up Oct. 7th. Sara Ramirez (Dr. Callie Torres on the medical drama) will be among the incredible perfomers singing the songs of composer John Bucchino. She is a musical theatre veteran, and the winner of a Tony® Award for her work in the Broadway musical Monty Python's Spamalot. The outstanding cast also includes Amanda McBroom (who is currently playing the role of Edna in A Delicate Balance), Linda Purl, Jason Graae and two stars of Rubicon's tick...tick...BOOM!, Andrew Samonsky and Wilson Cruz. A critically acclaimed fixture of the New York City cabaret scene, Bucchino is poised for stardom. His new musical A Catered Affair, starring Faith Prince and Harvey Fierstein, is currently playing at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and will move to Broadway in the spring. Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino will commence at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7th at the Topa Tower Club with cocktails, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the show beginning immediately afterwards. Tickets are $175 and include a $100 tax-deductible donation. VIP tables for 8 are available for $5,000. For more information regarding this event, call Development Associate Amber Landis at (805) 667-2912 ext. 239.

Nobody likes to hear “I told you so,” and we really wish we didn't have to say it, HOWEVER we did mention that getting tickets early for Month of Love events at Rubicon Theatre was a good idea. And, I believe we mentioned it more than once.

So, we can't be held accountable for the fact that our Broadway Cabaret Night at the Tower Club on February 5th was SOLD-OUT!

	Or that both nights of Love Letters with Karyl Lynn Burns and James O'Neil on the 19th, and 20th are already full.
Karyl Lynn Burns and James O'Neil (Photo by: Brian McDonald)

We tried our best to encourage you to call. So, for your own good,

PICK UP THE PHONE RIGHT NOW AND DIAL (805) 667-2900!

There are only two special events left in the Month of Love
(A Romantic Rendezvous with Linda Purl and Susan Clark in A Woman of Independent Means)

Tickets are still available NOW, but we'd hate to think you didn't get a chance to show off your good taste and romantic acumen by taking your sweetheart to these Valentine spectaculars.

Just Announced! Patrick Cassidy to Join Stellar Cast for Rubicon Theatre Benefit:

Broadway Cabaret Celebrates Music of Maltby & Shire at

the Topa Tower Club on Monday, February 5, 2007

February 5, 2007 – Actor Patrick Cassidy, whose Broadway credits include Aida, 42^nd Street , Annie Get Your Gun and Pirates of Penzance, has just been announced as part of the lineup for Rubicon’s Broadway Cabaret Benefit at the Topa Tower Club in Oxnard at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, February 5, 2007.

Cassidy joins previously announced performers George Ball and Amanda McBroom, Joel Silberman, Kevin Odekirk, Misty Cotton, Julie Dixon Jackson, Kevin Earley, Brian McDonald and Jayme Lake. Actor Dan Gunther will serve as emcee and auctioneer.

Patrick Cassidy is the son of actors Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy. In addition to his Broadway credits, Patrick originated the role of the Balladeer in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins at Playwrights Horizons. He was seen as Radames in the National Tour of Aida, Joseph in the tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Frederick in Pirates of Penzance, Regionally, Patrick appeared in Conrack (Helen Hayes nomination) at Ford’s Theatre, Martin Guerre at Hartford Stage, and The End of the Day at Williamstown Theatre Festival. In Los Angeles , he played Macheath in The Threepenny Opera for Reprise! (receiving a Backstage West Garland Award for Best Actor in a Musical), Bobby in Company (with Carol Burnett), and appeared in Love Letters and Assassins at LATC. Other theatre appearances include The Robber Bridegroom, Little Shop of Horrors, Camelot and The Sound of Music. On film, Patrick appeared in “Longtime Companion,” “I’ll Do Anything,” “I Won’t Dance” and “Burning Love.” His television credits include “Dress Grey” (Emmy nomination), “Napoleon & Josephine,” “ Oklahoma City ,” “Something in Common,” “Christmas Eve,” “How the West Was Fun” and “Follow Your Heart”. Patrick has been a series regular on “Bay City Blues,” “Dirty Dancing” and “Smallville.”

In the benefit, Patrick Cassidy will sing “Earthbound,” a song written for Maltby & Shire’s upcoming London production entitled Take Flight. This event marks the first time this song has been sung publicly.

This Broadway Cabaret is a tribute to the music and lyrics of Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby Jr. and Academy and Grammy Award-winner David Shire, whose World Premiere A Time for Love previews February 1^st and opens February 3^rd  at Rubicon Theatre Company under the direction of Joel Silberman.  

Guests at the Broadway Cabaret will enjoy a three-course gourmet dinner (grilled salmon, filet mignon or a vegetarian entree) with accompanying wines at the private Topa Tower Club while being serenaded with hits from this prolific celebrated team, including songs from Ain’t Misbehavin’, Fosse, Big, Baby, Closer Than Ever, Starting Here, Starting Now, and Miss Saigon performed by a panoply of talented artists. Audience members will also hear a sneak preview from the upcoming Broadway musical The Pirate Queen, for which Mr. Maltby is lyricist.

The cost for the evening is $175 and includes the cabaret, dinner, a short live auction, and a tax-deductible contribution to Rubicon Theatre Company’s productions, new play development programs and educational outreach projects. Auction items include three one-of-a-kind theatre packages, one in Los Angeles , one in Las Vegas and one in New York - including opening night tickets for The Pirate Queen on Broadway. Proceeds help underwrite Rubicon Theatre Company’s productions, play development programs and education outreach efforts.

More about the Other Cabaret Performers

George Ball most recently he starred as Cervantes/Don Quixote in Rubicon Man of La Mancha to great critical acclaim. He appeared in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris on and off Broadway, and in the LA, San Francisco , Boston and Dutch productions and starred in the pre-Broadway production of the musical Cowboy in New York . George originated the role of Man One in Lies and Legends: The Musical Stories of Harry Chapin at the Apollo Theatre in Chicago , and won both Drama-Logue and LA Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for his recreation of that role at Pasadena Playhouse and the Canon Theatre in LA. 

Amanda McBroom has been called “...the greatest cabaret performer of her generation, an urban poet who writes like an angel and has a voice to match.” She is a renowned singer/songwriter and creator of the hit song "The Rose," made famous by Bette Midler, and the musical Heartbeats. Amanda previously appeared at Rubicon in Lady Macbeth Sings the Blues  and Love Letters, and in the Ovation nominated ensemble of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Amanda starred in the New York , Los Angeles , San Francisco and European productions of Jacques Brel.... Her extensive credits include performances at The Old Globe, Theatre Three in Dallas, The Cleveland Play House, Goodspeed Opera House, The Mechanic in Baltimore, Pasadena Playhouse and Sacramento Music Circus. Amanda appeared on Broadway in Seesaw, and has starred in Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music and Mame.

Joel Silberman has appeared in the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in Italy , The Chelsea Festival in London , The Four Winds Festival in Australia , and the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York . His motivational performance Keep the Music Playing, underwritten by the Nadel Foundation, has played in Santa Barbara , Las Vegas and Los Angeles . He is the recipient of The Lincoln Center Award, The Bistro Award from Backstage magazine, and two MAC Awards as Singer-Instrumentalist of the Year from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets.

Kevin Odekirk was a part of the Ovation-nominated ensemble for Rubicon’s Songs for a New World. A California  native, Kevin made his Broadway debut as Marius in Les Miserables. He has performed at the Lincoln Center , in the National Tour of The Garden, and in regional productions of Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Chess. Kevin's film and television work includes “Clueless,” “Unhappily Ever After” and “The Prodigal Son.”

Misty Cotton played Ellen in Miss Saigon on Broadway and was The Narrator in the National Tour of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Other credits include Les Miserables, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Annie, Triumph of Love, Spitfire Grill, Oliver, Peg O’ My Heart, Anyone Can Whistle and the West Coast premiere of Side Show (LA Drama Critics Circle Award and Ovation Award). 

Julie Dixon Jackson was featured in Rubicon Theatre’s production of Side by Side by Sondheim when it traveled to Pasadena . She was in the National Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. Her regional credits include the West Coast Premiere of Side Show at the Colony Theatre (for which she and Misty Cotton won the LA Drama Critics Circle Award), The Wild Party with the Blank Theatre Company and I Do! I Do! with Pasadena Playhouse. 

Kevin Earley has been honored with the LA Drama Critic's Circle Award, two Robby’s, and an Ovation Nomination. He has appeared on Broadway in Les Miserables.  His regional credits include work at theatres including the Hollywood Bowl, CLO South Bay , The Colony, Reprise! and Laguna Playhouse in shows including City of Angels, The Music Man, Carousel, Titanic, Guys and Dolls’, 1776, Follies, The Most Happy Fella’, Spitfire Grill, and the critically acclaimed Side Show.

Brian McDonald was lauded for his recent performance as The Barber in Man of La Mancha at Rubicon. Previously he starred in The Importance of Being Earnest. Other theatre credits include Saturday Night at Pasadena Playhouse and Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center . In 2002, LA Weekly honored Brian with Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in Circle X’s production of Brecht’s Edward II. Santa Barbara audiences will remember him in Ensemble Theatre’s production of Sideman. He has taught acting to Rubicon students for the past five years and is the Founder of Rubicon’s Summer Musical Theatre Camp. Brian serves as Rubicon’s Associate Producer and Outreach Director.

Jayme Lake originated the role Veronica in the new musical The Wildest!!! at PCPA. Other credits include Songs for a New World, HONK!, Crazy for You, Wonderful Town , Little Women, Enter the Guardsmen, Quilters, and many more. Jayme’s Rubicon credits include Defying Gravity.

Dan Gunther has appeared at Rubicon Theatre in Fools and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Regionally Dan has appeared with Ensemble Theatre Company in Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Side Man, As Bees in Honey Drown, Sight Unseen, Moon over Buffalo and in the West Coast premiere of Terrence McNally’s A Perfect Ganesh (Independent Theatre Award). Dan appeared in fifteen productions at San Diego ’s Globe Theatres (formerly The Old Globe Theatre), including world and regional premieres and many Shakespeare productions.  He also has numerous film and television credits.

Rubicon’s prior Broadway Cabaret events at the Tower Club have been spectacularly well received, with prior honorees including composers Jason Robert Brown and Stephen Schwartz. Seating is limited and early reservations are strongly recommended. Tickets are $175 per person. Attendees who order a Valentine’s Day package of both the Broadway Cabaret and the February 12 “Romantic Rendezvous with Linda Purl Concert” fundraising event save up to $50 on tickets for the two events together. For further details, or to order tickets, visit Rubicon’s website at www.rubicontheatre.org, or call Development Associate Amber Landis at (805) 667-2900.

Broadway Star Patrick Cassidy Just Announced to Join Singers including
George Ball and Amanda McBroom for Maltby & Shire Cabaret!

Monday, February 5, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
Broadway Cabaret Night at the Topa Tower Club.

A fabulous line-up of stellar entertainers including George Ball, Julie Dixon-Jackson, Kevin Earley, Amanda McBroom, Joel Silberman, Kevin Odekirk and (newly announced!) Patrick Cassidy will sing their hearts out in an unforgettable and intimate cabaret performance featuring songs from Ain’t Misbehavin’, Fosse, Big, Baby and Miss Saigon. We’ll even have a sneak peak of the upcoming Broadway musical The Pirate Queen! A superb gourmet dinner with wines will be served. Patrons keep telling us the Jason Robert Brown and Stephen Schwartz Cabaret Nights were two of the most special nights imaginable! Here’s your chance to see these fine entertainers up close and personal.
Be sure to call early as seating is limited.
RSVP by February 1, 2007 ~ $175
SPECIAL!! Take Feb. 5 & Feb. 12 event for $200 - that's 2 shows and 2 dinners! (see below)
Black-tie optional

Call (805) 667-2900
Or click here to reserve online

World-Class Performers at Broadway Cabaret this coming Monday! Monday, February 5, 2007, 7:00 p.m. Rubicon Theatre offers a tribute to the music and lyrics of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire with another dazzling evening in its renowned Broadway Cabaret Nights series. This is the best entertainment value on the planet! We guarantee you will NEVER hear such stellar artists in such an intimate setting anywhere. Guests will enjoy an exquisitely prepared meal at the exclusive and luxurious TOPA TOWER CLUB while being serenaded with hits from this prolific and celebrated team. Hear songs from hits such as Ain't Misbehavin', Fosse, Big, Baby, Closer Than Ever, Starting Here, Starting Now and Miss Saigon. You will also hear a sneak preview from the upcoming Broadway musical The Pirate Queen, for which Mr. Maltby is writing the lyrics. At the benefit, PATRICK CASSIDY will sing "Earthbound," a song written for Maltby & Shire's upcoming London production entitled Take Flight. This event marks the first time this song has been sung publicly.
George Ball in Man of La Mancha. Photo credit: Ed Krieger.	The roster of stellar entertainers includes GEORGE BALL, who most recently starred in Rubicon's sold-out, extended production of Man of La Mancha, and has performed both on and off-Broadway over the course of his illustrious career.
Amanda McBroom in Jacques Brel... Photo credit: Timothy Swope.	He is joined by his wife singer/songwriter/actress AMANDA McBROOM, who previously appeared at Rubicon in Jacques Brel... and Lady Macbeth Sings the Blues. Amanda created and starred in the musical Heartbeats and also wrote the song "The Rose," made famous by BETTE MIDDLER. She has been called "... the greatest cabaret performer of her generation, an urban poet who writes like an angel and has a voice to match."
	JOEL SILBERMAN, who is currently directing A Time for Love at Rubicon, is the recipient of the Lincoln Center Award, the Bistro Award from Backstage magazine, and two MAC Awards as Singer-Instrumentalist of the Year from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets.
	BETS MALONE is one of the most adorable performers you will ever meet, with an incredible belt voice. She has worked with theatres including Reprise!, Musical Theatre West, Milwaukee Rep and Performance Riverside in roles ranging from Eva Peron in Evita to Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls.
	PATRICK CASSIDY, whose Broadway credits include Aida, 42nd Street, Annie Get Your Gun, Pirates of Penzance and Leader of the Pack. In Los Angeles, he played Macheath in The Threepenny Opera for Reprise! (Garland Award for Best Actor in a Musical), Bobby in Company (with Carol Burnett), and was the Balladeer in the critically hailed Assassins at LATC.
	Rubicon Theatre's Associate Producer and Outreach Director BRIAN McDONALD was widely heralded for his recent performance as The Barber in Man of La Mancha and for his comic turn as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. (It's a magical treat to hear him sing - and amazingly, he's also the person producing this awesome evening!)
	The young and lovely JAYME LAKE interned with Rubicon after completing her training at PCPA Theaterfest. Her credits include the new musical The Wildest, Songs for a New World, HONK!, Crazy for You, Wonderful Town and Quilters.
	JULIE DIXON JACKSON was featured in Rubicon Theatre's production of Side by Side by Sondheim when it traveled to Pasadena, where she also performed in I Do!, I Do! recently. She won the LA Drama Critics Circle Award and the Ovation for her work in the West Coast Premiere of Side Show.
	KEVIN EARLEY and his gorgeous voice appeared on Broadway in Les Miserables. His regional credits include work at the Hollywood Bowl, CLO South Bay, The Colony, Reprise!, and Laguna Playhouse. You might remember him at the recent Ovation Awards ceremony as the singer JASON GRAAE didn't want to follow :).
	KEVIN ODEKIRK was a member of the Ovation-nominated ensemble Songs for a New World at Rubicon and appeared on Broadway as Marius in Les Miserables.
	Darling DAN GUNTHER, one of the smartest men on two feet, has wowed Rubicon audiences with his wide-ranging character work in Fools and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Dan will serve as both emcee/narrator and auctioneer for the event. Expect three very special one-of-a-kind theatre packages in the live auction - including one pair of house seats for previews to The Pirate Queen on Broadway.
Rubicon's prior Broadway Cabaret events at the Topa Tower Club have been spectacularly well received, with prior events celebrating the artistry of JASON ROBERT BROWN and STEPHEN SCHWARTZ. Seating is limited and early reservations are strongly recommended. The admission price includes the cabaret, dinner, and a short live auction. Attire: Black-tie optional Price: $175 per person Special Offer: Attendees who order a Valentine's Day package of both the Broadway Cabaret and the February 12th "Romantic Rendezvous with Linda Purl Concert" fundraising event (see below) save up to $50 on tickets for the two events together. For reservations, please call (805) 667-2900. Or click here to reserve online.

UPDATE 2/20/06: