'A RUBICON FAMILY CHRISTMAS' Brings Festive Cheer to Rubicon Theater 12/6

Ventura's new holiday tradition 'A RUBICON FAMILY CHRISTMAS' Conceived and Directed by BrIan McDonald With Musical Arrangements by Steven Cahill Opens Saturday, December 6th at the Rubicon Theater in Ventura!

Move over Scrooge...here comes Santa Claus! From December 4 through December 28, Rubicon Theatre Company swings and sings its way through the holidays with the delightful musical presentation of A Rubicon Family Christmas. Enjoy complementary warm cider and sweet treats as the stellar cast of Broadway performers and a choir of the region's brightest young stars serenade you with fanciful renditions of traditional Christmas classics and favorite holiday songs. This magical concert, framed in a glorious wintery wonderland is sure to bring a smile to the face and warmth to the heart.

The show will be performed at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA. Tickets are $39 to $75 and are available through the Box Office at 805.667.2900 or online at rubicontheatre.org

Bring the entire family! Audiences of all ages will delight in this show and will be touched with the true meaning of Christmas brought to life. Songs include traditional classics such as "There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays," "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" to new favorites, including "When You Believe" (From The Prince of Egypt) and "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)."

There will even be a chance to win a visit from Santa to your house on Christmas Eve! Inquire at Box Office for details.

About the Performers

Teri Bibb has played the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera more than 1,000 times on Broadway and with the national tour, singing for both former Presidents Clinton and Bush (at a command performance at the White House) and earning a Helen Hayes Award nomination and a Carbonell Award along the way. She was also seen on Broadway in the revival of She Loves Me where she stood by for and played the role of Amalia. Regionally she played the title role in Fanny opposite the late José Ferrer at the Paper Mill Playhouse, and starred in the world premiere of Songs From the Tall Grass at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Bibb has been a featured soloist in tributes honoring Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, and Harold Prince, including "The Broadway Prince" at Carnegie Hall (with Len Cariou and Elaine Stritch) and six annual "The Night of 1,000 Voices" concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall. She sang duets with José Carreras at his Radio City Music Hall engagement, sang a gala for Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and in 2002 starred in "One Enchanted Evening" in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has sung with orchestras across the US, including the Santa Fe, St. Louis and Pacific Symphonies and the New York Pops; and can be heard on the recordings "Unsung Irving Berlin" and "A Gala Concert for Hal Prince."

In the Los Angeles area Teri has been seen as Lily in The Secret Garden (South Bay C.L.O.), Amalia in She Loves Me (Musical Theatre West) and Marian in The Music Man (Performance Riverside). She also sang the role of Clara in the LA concert premiere of Sondheim's Passion (for MTG/Reprise!). She has guest starred on TV, been a supporting player on film, and has sung on several film scores, including "102 Dalmatians," "Ice Age" and "Polar Express." Last season Teri was a featured soloist on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."

Brian Sutherland is delighted to return to the Rubicon, having last been seen here in Maltby/Shire's A Time For Love. He has played leading roles on Broadway in The Sound of Music, 1776, Victor/Victoria, Steel Pier, Cats, Dance a Little Closer, A Change in the Heir, and 110 in the Shade (NYC Opera). National tours include The Light in the Piazza, Disney's On the Record, Guys and Dolls (w/Maurice Hines), Cabaret (w/Joel Grey), and 42nd Street (European tour). Numerous regional theatre includes Kiss Me, Kate (St. Louis Rep), Shenandoah (Fords Theatre), Man of La Mancha (Pittsburgh Public), Pirates of Penzance (Guthrie Theatre), Breaking Legs (Coconut Grove Playhouse), She Loves Me (Cincinnati Playhouse), and Enter the Guardsman (Indiana Repertory Theatre). He's also sung many concerts with orchestras worldwide -alongside his wife and frequent co-star, Diane Sutherland.

JESSICA GORDON was born and raised in the region, and is glad to be home again after spending her collegiate and post-collegiate years on the east coast. As a performer, Jessica¹s most noteworthy achievement was ending up in the top 60 contestants of "American Idol" in both seasons 5 and season 6 after being selected from a stadium of over 10,000 hopefuls. Her first performance at Rubicon was as a part of the ensemble for She Loves Me, and now assists in Rubicon's goal to attract young people to the stage through the Education Outreach center.

Anthony Manough or "Manough" (pronounced May-No) as he is more commonly known, first appeared on the Rubicon stage in Songs For A New World. A graduate of The Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Howard U., he has been nominated for the prestigious Helen Hayes Award and an Ovation Award. Manough was last seen in The Magic of Motown: A Tribute to Barry Gordy at the Hillcrest County Club, as Launce in Shakespeare Festival/LA's production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Britney Spears in "We Will Rock You." Other productions include: Disney's, The Lion King in which he starring as Simba and Bonsai, and Jesus Christ Superstar as Jesus and Judas.

PLUS an ensemble of young actors and actresses from around Ventura County, featuring: Lili Babb and Alexis Niroomand from Thousand Oaks; Heidi Bjorndahl, Angela Carobini, Corinn Conant, Siana Harley, Emilee Krablin, Madison Montemayor, Sophia Montano, Jessica New, Klaire Homb, Jessica Slaght, Keegan Bell, Daniel Holst, and Xander Young from Ventura; Shayna Cohen from Ojai; Kurt Kemper from Camarillo; and Ethan Messecar from Oxnard.

About the Director

BRIan McDonald directed Rubicon Theatre's production of Bus Stop, which received the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Nomination for Best Production of a Play for 2008

Brian is Rubicon Theatre's Director of Education and Outreach, and is the theatre's Instructor for Acting for High School/Middle School and Director of The Jack Oakie Summer Musical Theatre Camp and Acting Intensive Program) Brian was recently honored with the Ventura Mayor's Award for Emerging Artist. Before moving to the West coast he appeared in the national tours of Miss Saigon and Forever Plaid, the latter of which he also directed for Rubicon in 2002 in addition to several East coast productions. Regionally, he has appeared on the stages of the Denver Center (Room Service), Theatre Virginia (Gifts of the Magi), Lyric Stage (Master Harold.and the boys, and Shaw's You Never Can Tell), La Mirada Performing Arts Center (Grease), and the Ahmanson (3hree). Some of his favorite roles include Robert In The Rimers of Eldtrich, Cathy in Cloud Nine, Jud in Tribute and Clifford in Sideman. His most recent work on stage was in Rubicon's productions of Man of La Mancha and The Importance of Being Earnest. Before that, he appeared in MTG's production of 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 as Gaveston in Circle X's production of Brecht's Edward II directed by Michael Michetti. Television audiences may have seen him in "In the Shadow of Love: A Teen AIDS Story" the award-winning ABC/PBS Afterschool Special and on "Gilmore Girls." Mr. McDonald joined the Rubicon staff in 2002 as Production Manager and Director of Education. Since then he served as Associate Producer and has supported the company in many areas including casting, marketing and development. He is the founder and program director of Rubicon's Summer Youth Programs which offer theatre training intensives in Musical Theatre, Drama and Technical Theatre. Since its inception in 2002 the program has grown tremendously with enrollment rising from 20 participants in its first year to current numbers reaching 200 students from all over Ventura County. Brian served as Assistant to Tony nominated Director Christopher Renshaw during his development work on Queen the Musical (a.k.a. We Will Rock You) and the Broadway production of The King and I starring Lou Diamond Philips and Donna Murphy. Other directing credits include, Tennessee Williams Talk to me Like the Rain and Let me Listen, Hooters, Our Town, Little Women, Bye Bye Birdie, HONK!, Babes in Arms, Once on this Island, Schoolhouse Rock, LIVE!, and Seussical the Musical. As a producer, he has helped raise funds for AIDS organizations around the country by presenting Cabaret Concerts with some of Broadways brightest stars. Currently, Mr. McDonald continues his work at Rubicon both on and off stage and teaches a Fundamentals of Acting course at Ventura College. Brian is a B.F.A. graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, Dance and Theatre and a member of the Screen Actors Guild, The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and Actors' Equity Association.

Show dates and times

12/4 - 8 PM
12/5 - 8 PM
12/6 - 7 PM
12/7 - 2 PM & 7 PM
12/10 - 2 PM & 7 PM
12/11 - 8 PM
12/12 - 8 PM
12/13 - 2 PM & 8 PM
12/14 - 2 PM & 7 PM
12/16 - 7 PM
12/17 - 2 PM & 7 PM
12/18 - 8 PM
12/19 - 8 PM
12/20 - 2 PM & 8 PM
12/21 - 2 PM & 7 PM
12/24 - 2 PM & 7 PM
12/26 - 8 PM
12/27 - 2 PM & 8 PM
12/28 - 2 PM & 7 PM

Show Run
A RUBICON FAMILY CHRISTMAS opens December 4th and runs through December 28th.

Sponsors
Sponsored by Miss Helen M. Yunker and Marriott Ventura Beach. Co-sponsored by Mertz Computer Services and Rabobank.

Location
All performances are at Rubicon Theatre, an intimate former church built in the 1920s. The theatre is located at 1006 E. Main Street (the corner of Main and Laurel) in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District.

For Tickets
Please call Rubicon Theatre Company's box office at (805) 667-2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org

Press Information
For interviews with the artistic team of A RUBICON FAMILY CHRISTMAS, to receive photos, or to arrange for press tickets, please contact:

Rubicon Theatre Company is Ventura County's premiere non-profit professional theatre company. Founded in 1998 by Artistic Directors James O'Neil and Karyl Lynn Burns, Rubicon's mission is to present a diverse season of classic and contemporary comedies, dramas and musicals for the entertainment, enrichment and education of residents and visitors to the region. Now in its eleventh season, Rubicon has presented more than 80 mainstage productions and education outreach programs to more than 200,000 audience members and 40,000 students. Rubicon also presents its new play development program "Plays in Progress" annually. Rubicon has received six L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards and 60 nominations, including Best Production for "All My Sons." O'Neil received an NAACP Award for Best Director for "Driving Miss Daisy," which toured to the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, Canada.