Rubicon Theatre Company Partners With The Acting Company for Upcoming Productions

Rubicon Theatre Company of Ventura and The Acting Company of New York will present a second-year “encore” collaboration on two new productions to be presented as part of Rubicon’s WINTERFEST, 2025. William Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Dec. 3-21), directed by Risa Brainin, will be performed in repertory with a World Premiere adaptation by Nikki Massoud of Charles Dickens’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS (Dec. 2-21), directed by TAC’s Producing Artistic Director Devin Brain. Following the launch at Rubicon, the productions will tour to 16 cities, also playing in rep with the same multi-talented nine-person cast.

WINTERFEST, which runs the month of December, includes a total of 26 performances – mainstage productions, education programs, benefit performances, youth concerts with special guests, family festivities, and more. In addition to the TAC productions, WINTERFEST highlights include: AN AFTERNOON OF GRATITUDE on Dec. 7, a special benefit reading written and directed by Dakin Matthews starring Rainn Wilson ("The Office"/WAITING FOR GODOT at The Geffen), Emmy Winner Joe Spano ("NCIS" and HEISENBERG at Rubicon), Sylvie Davidson (LONESOME TRAVELER Off-Broadway and Rubicon, and KING LEAR) and other artists; RUBICON CHRISTMAS MEMORIES Dec. 12, a benefit youth concert for Rubicon’s Education and Outreach Programs featuring special guests and Broadway veterans David Burnham (WICKED, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA) and Jennifer Leigh Warren (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, MARIE CHRISTINE), directed by Seryozha LaPorte with Music Direction by Miriam Arichea; and a very special TINY TOTS CONCERT AND SANTA PARTY Dec. 13, featuring a chorus of Rubicon Elves and other guests from the North Pole.

All performances (except AN AFTERNOON OF GRATITUDE) are at Rubicon Theatre Company’s home, The Karyn Jackson Theatre, located at 1006 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001. AN AFTERNOON OF GRATITUDE takes place at the Ventura Center for Spiritual Living, just down the street from Rubicon at 101 S. Laurel Street. For tickets, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call 805.667.2900. Guest Services hours are Tuesday through Saturday Noon to 6pm.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – A Classic in a Contemporary Setting

The Acting Company/Rubicon production of Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM opens Dec. 6 at 7pm, with low-priced previews beginning Dec. 3. Joyful and high-spirited, full of mischievous magic, mistaken identity, and uproarious hijinks, as interpreted by Director Risa Brainin, the story follows four rebellious teenage lovers who sneak away from a contemporary boarding school, finding themselves in the forest on a wild and uproarious adventure entangling them with a Fairy King and Queen and a group of amateur actors preparing to perform for a Royal Wedding! Featuring Shakespeare’s glorious poetry and some of the most delightful romantic hilarity ever put on a stage, audiences will be transported by this classic laugh-filled romance about the timeless absurdity of love. “LORD, WHAT FOOLS THESE MORTALS BE!”

Risa Brainin, who directs MIDSUMMER, is a freelance director based in Santa Barbara. She returns to Rubicon having previously directed “A” TRAIN by Annie Torsiglieri, an acclaimed play about a family raising a child with autism. Brainin is Founder and Artistic Director of LAUNCH PAD at UCSB, featured in American Theatre magazine for its innovative contributions to new play development. A graduate of the Carnegie Mellon Drama Program, Brainin served as Artistic Director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Associate Artistic Director for both Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Indiana Repertory Theatre, and Resident Director and Associate Company Director at the Guthrie Theater. Other directorial credits include plays at Actors' Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Denver Center Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Mixed Blood, Pittsburgh Public Theater, and Red Bull Theatre, among others. 

“GREAT EXPECTATIONS” for Nikki Massoud’s World Premiere Adaptation

The second production in WINTERFEST, performed by the same nine-person cast is a newly commissioned world premiere adaptation by Nikki Massoud of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, opening on December 7 at 7pm, with low-cost previews beginning December 2. Under the direction of TAC Producing Artistic Director Devin Brain, The Acting Company reinvigorates Charles Dickens’ timeless novel with an effervescent stage adaptation brimming with unexpected hilarity and romantic heart. GREAT EXPECTATIONS follows working-class orphan Pip as he navigates a harrowing upbringing at the hands of his abusive sister, encounters an escaped prisoner, and meets Estella, a stunning and intelligent heiress who has been brought up to be ruthless by the eccentric and wealthy Miss Havisham, who was thwarted in love. When Pip receives a sizable fortune from a mysterious donor and enters the ranks of high-society London, his life is forever changed, and he must face hard truths about integrity, loyalty, and love.                                                   

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Director Devin Brain, also TAC’s Producing Artistic Director, began as Staff Repertory Director for the company in 2012. In his own artistic practice, Devin is a freelance stage director specializing in contemporary productions of classical texts, as well as original work. Select recent productions include OTHELLO, JULIUS CAESER, MACBETH, YOU / EMMA by Paz Pardo (an adaptation of Madame Bovary), EXPOSURE by Laura Zlatos (an exploration of the life and work of Francesca Woodman), BONES IN THE BASKET (on original adaptation of Russian Fairy Tales), MIDDLETOWN by Will Eno, BREATH OF KINGS (his adaptation of RICHARD II, HENRY IV, and HENRY V), BLACKTOP SKY by Christina Anderson, and THE DROLL{or, a play about the END of theatre} by Meg Miroshnik. Brain holds an M.F.A. in Directing from the Yale School of Drama where he also served as Artistic Director of the Yale Cabaret

According to Brain, “Nikki Massoud’s take on this uproarious, thrilling, and surprisingly relatable story will keep audiences of all ages on the edge of their seats! I find it akin to a bingeable dramedy carved with the beautiful prose that made Dickens popular.”

Maassoud’s adaptation is her first collaboration with The Acting Company. An Iranian-Canadian-American playwright and actor, she is a recent 2050 Fellow at NYTW and a Roundabout Underground Resident Playwright. In addition to TAC, she is a commissioned playwright with Noor Theater and Atlantic Theater Company and has recently developed work with The Ground Floor/Berkeley Rep and Fault Line Theatre. Her recent acting credits include television roles on Life and Beth (Hulu) and Love Life (HBO Max) and roles at the Guthrie Theater and The Goodman Theatre. Massoud is the Audie Award-winning narrator of over 80 audiobooks, available on Audible. She received her M.F.A. from Brown University/Trinity Rep and attended Georgetown University and BADA.  

The TAC Partnership and Winterfest Offer Local Theatre-Lovers and Visitors a Rarefied Experience

“Part of the joy of the partnership with The Acting Company,” says Rubicon Founder and Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns, “is giving our audiences the opportunity to experience shows in repertory – and to witness the chameleon-like transformations of the actors. Last season we were thrilled, for example, to see Michael A. Shepperd give a towering performance as Memphis Lee railing against injustice in TWO TRAINS RUNNING at one performance, and just a few hours later watch audiences roar with laughter at his scene-stealing turn as a sassy abbess in THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. This year, like last, some actors will even perform multiple roles within the same show.”

Rubicon’s Co-Producing Artistic Director, J. Scott Lapp, explains, “Today, there are very few non-profit, fully professional theatres - especially in the U.S. - that can still offer a true repertory experience. The cost of maintaining a resident company and constantly changing sets makes it difficult. Examples include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in the U.S., the Stratford and Shaw Festivals in Canada, and the Royal Shakespeare Company in the U.K. Thanks to our partnership with TAC, we’re able - if only for a short time - to honor this rich tradition and give local audiences and visitors a rare experience.”

“For theatre lovers near or far,” says Rubicon Board President Doug Halter (Deputy Mayor of Ventura), “WINTERFEST offers an extraordinary total immersion possibility. An audience member could come the first weekend, for example, and attend openings for two different shows at Rubicon, meet the actors at the opening gala at a Mediterranean-style view home in Ventura, see Rainn Wilson and other great actors perform a reading at a venue down the street from Rubicon, and make a donation to attend an intimate dinner with Wilson and others at a private home to support the rep. Out-of-towners can add a weekend stay, a stroll on the beach, and a chance to visit breweries, boutiques and galleries in the walkable downtown area. What could be more fun?”                                                                                                           

The Repertory Cast – Following in the Footsteps of Remarkable Artists

The talented and versatile cast members for the 2025-2026 repertory tour have extensive credits and follow in the footsteps of actors of renown who have gotten their start with The Acting Company, among them Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Jeffrey Wright, and Rainn Wilson.

TAC alum Angie Janas plays Miss Havisham and Mrs. Joe in GREAT EXPECTATIONS and Hippolyta and Oberon in MIDSUMMER. Janas’ Off-Broadway credits include HAMLET, ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, MACBETH, and A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT with The Acting Company; and STUFFED at The Westside Theatre. She has also worked at other venues including Syracuse Stage, Barrington Stage Company, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and Guthrie Theater, where she received her B.F.A. 

Mallory Avnet whose rep roles include Helena and Starveling, played Nora in A DOLL’S HOUSE at Hedgerow Theatre, and holds an M.F.A in Acting from NYU. Madeleine Barker (Estella, Biddy, Hermia and Snout) appeared Off-Broadway in THE MEETING: THE INTERPRETER at St. Clements Theatre, GREGORIAN with The WAT Project at Soho Rep, and has worked with Northern Stage, Arkansas Rep, Hartford Stage, North Coast Rep, and Trinity Repertory, where she received her M.F.A. Tay Bass, another Trinity/Brown M.F.A. (Herbert Pocket, Hot Sergeant and Bottom) also appeared Off-Broadway in HYPEMAN: A BREAK BEAT PLAYat The Flea, and at Williamstown Theatre Festival and Trinity Rep. Christian Frost (Drummle, Compeyson, Orlick, Demetrius and Quince), a B.F.A. graduate of Elon University, has worked with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and SAHA Theatricals. 

Brendan D. Hickey (Magwitch, Jaggers, Theseus, and Titania), a Brown/Trinity M.F.A. graduate, has performed with Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Arkansas Repertory Company, Portland Stage Company, Williamstown and Trinity Rep. Sam Im assays the roles of Pip, Lysander and Flute and appeared Off-Broadway in MACHINALat New York City Center after receiving an M.F.A. from Juilliard. Pauli Pontrelli plays Pumblechook, Camilla Pocket, Wemick, Puck and Philostrate and has appeared Off-Broadway in THE TREES at Playwrights Horizons, THIS CLEMENT WORLD at St. Ann’s Warehouse, and THE VISITOR at The Public, as well as Long Wharf and Geva. Pauli received an M.F.A. from NYU. 

George Anthony Richardson, whose credits include Broadway’s TOPDOG/UNDERDOG (also Palm Beach Dramaworks, TheaterWorks Hartford) appears in rep as Joe, Matthew, Egeus and Snug and is a B.F.A. graduate of Juilliard. Krista Grevas, Devan Kelty and Kleo Mitrokostas serve as understudies. Casting is by Claire Yenson, CSA.

The creative teams for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and GREAT EXPECTATIONS include Tanya Orellana(Scenic Design), Valérie Thérèse Bart (Costume Design, Great Expectations), Devon Painter (Costume Design, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM), Alan C. Edwards (Lighting Design), Sharath Patel (Sound Design), Lindsay Jones(Composer), Alex Choate (Props), Duane Boutté (Voice and Text), Christina McCarthy (Choreography, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM), Eli Lynn (Fight Choreographer & Intimacy Coordinator), Kristin Leahey (Dramaturgy, GREAT EXPECTATIONS), and Kate Pitt (Associate Director). The Production Stage Manager is Jessica Forella, and the Assistant Stage Manager is Liz Hetzel. 

Rep performances are between Dec. 2 and 21; days and times vary. For details, see below, visit the Rubicon Theatre website at www.rubicontheatre.org, or call 805.667.2900. 

AN AFTERNOON OF GRATITUDE Stars Rainn Wilson, Joe Spano, Sylvie Davidson and Others

On Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2pm, audiences are invited to attend a staged reading celebrating the many languages of thankfulness – sacred and secular, ancient and modern, solemn and sly. Five exceptionally talented artists will perform a staged reading entitled AN AFTERNOON OF GRATITUDE as a benefit for Rubicon and The Acting Company in support of the organizations’ partnership and education programs. 

Broadway veteran Dakin Matthews, who is beloved in the L.A. theatre and film community, adapts and directs this benefit reading of works by Shakespeare, Dickens, and other writers, thinkers and leaders to celebrate the season of giving. Artists announced to date include Rainn Wilson (The Office/WAITING FOR GODOT and THOM PAINE at The Geffen/Shakespeare in the Park), Emmy Winner Joe Spano (NCIS/Rubicon’s HEISENBERGand WHO’S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf), Sylvie Davidson (Rubicon’s KING LEAR, LIBERTY VALANCE, and LONESOME TRAVELER(also Off-Broadway)).

Structured in three parts, Matthews’ script journeys across centuries and continents to explore how human beings have expressed gratitude through words, music, and prayer. The opening section draws from the roots of thanksgiving itself: George Washington’s 1789 proclamation establishing a national day of gratitude; the spiritual poetry of the Psalms and the Apostle Paul; the hymns of Martin Rinkhart; the humility of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist traditions; the earthy wisdom of the Dalai Lama and Meister Eckhart; and even the irreverent spark of George Bernard Shaw. This first movement becomes a chorus of faiths and philosophies, each offering its own rhythm of reverence and awe. 

In the second section, Matthews turns to Shakespeare -- the most eloquent chronicler of human frailty and grace -- finding in his plays a kaleidoscope of thankfulness and its shadow, ingratitude. Through witty duels between Beatrice and Benedick, the bitter humor of Jacques, the raw sorrow of Lear, and the tenderness of Viola and Polixenes, we see gratitude as both balm and battle, laughter and lament. 

The final part gathers a broader chorus of voices -- from Cicero to Oscar Wilde, Dickens to O. Henry, Tecumseh to John F. Kennedy -- each reminding us that gratitude transcends politics, creed, and time. In these final passages, Lincoln’s Civil War proclamation stands beside an astronaut’s quip, a child’s wonder, and the wisdom of global traditions, culminating in song -- a tribute to life itself and the act of giving thanks through art.

Says Rubicon’s Co-Producing Artistic Director J. Scott Lapp, “AN AFTERNOON OF GRATITUDE is more than a performance - it is a meditation, a celebration, and a call to unity. Through humor, history, and humanity, this piece invites audiences to rediscover the simple, transformative power of saying thank you.”

The performance will take place at the Ventura Center for Spiritual Living at 101 S. Laurel. Ticket prices range from $30 for students and teachers, to $124.50 for VIP seats which include a signed poster and a tax-deductible contribution. Those who donate $1,000 or more will receive an exclusive invitation to a post-show private dinner with the actors generously hosted by Stacy and Ryan Hanlon. The dinner is limited to 20 guests and includes wine, cocktails and appetizers, and a three-course catered meal. Tickets are available through Rubicon Guest Services, 805.667.2900, or online at www.rubicontheatre.org.

RUBICON CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Broadway veterans David Burnham (WICKED, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA) and Jennifer Leigh Warren (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, MARIE CHRISTINE) are special guest artists for a youth concert entitled RUBICONCHRISTMAS MEMORIES, performed Fri., Dec. 12, at 7pm.  The production is directed by Seryozha La Porte with music direction by Miriam Arichea and includes traditional carols and contemporary holiday songs featuring 15 Rubicon Elves (11-15-year-old students from Rubicon’s Summer Programs), education program alumni (including Anna Demaria, Madeline Gambon, and Rebecca, Gus and Natalie Graham, accompanied by a three-piece band. 

Tickets are $25 for students and $54.50 for adults, with proceeds supporting Rubicon’s education programs. Tickets are available through Rubicon Guest Services, 805.667.2900, or online at www.rubicontheatre.org.

TINY TOTS CONCERT AND SANTA PARTY for Children 7 and Under

Now an annual neighborhood tradition, the TINY TOTS CONCERT AND SANTA PARTY is specially created for the enjoyment of toddlers and children up to age 7 accompanied by a grown-up. Set for Saturday morning, Dec. 13 at 10am, the event starts with a 30-minute program of holiday songs (some with audience participation encouraged), performed by Rubicon Elves, with a guest appearance from Santa and friends from the North Pole. After the concert, children can visit with Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph and Frosty downstairs in The Rose Room – a great opportunity to take holiday photos, while enjoying hot cocoa, juice, and cookies (included)!

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children (FREE with a gift of canned goods which will be donated to Food Share). Tickets are available through Rubicon Guest Services, 805.667.2900, or online at www.rubicontheatre.org.

Student Matinees and Community Outreach

During WinterFest, Rubicon and TAC offer school-day student performances of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM(Thurs., Dec. 11 at 10am) and GREAT EXPECTATIONS (Fri., Dec. 5 at 10am) for high school and college students. A study guide is provided, and the performers and staff participate in a moderated post-show discussion with students about the themes and issues of the play and the process. Reduced individual ticket prices are also offered for students for all regularly scheduled stage performances of both plays. For information about Rubicon’s Education and Outreach programs, please contact Education & Outreach Director Seryozha LaPorte at slaporte@rubicontheatre.org. For discounted student tickets, call Guest Services at 805.667.2900.