Rubicon Theatre Hosts Staged Reading of J FOR J Next Month

Rubicon Theatre has announced a special benefit staged reading of J FOR J, a poetic, powerful and poignant family story written by Jenny Sullivan and Barry Sullivan and directed by Jenny Sullivan. This limited engagement (two performances only) is set for Saturday, February 3 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, February 4, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. at Rubicon’s home, The Karyn Jackson Theatre in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District. The reading stars Emmy winner Jeff Kober ("Sons of Anarchy,” "General Hospital,” "The Walking Dead"); Eric Lange ("Escape at Dannemora,” "Perry Mason,” "Narcos"); and Nancy Travis ("Becker,” "The Kominsky Method,” "So I Married an Axe Murderer"). 

Tickets for J FOR J are $49.50 per person. VIP tickets (only available on Saturday) are $75 and include a champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception with the artists and director following the performance. Proceeds support Rubicon’s mission to provide innovative first-rate productions, concerts and special events for the entertainment, enrichment and education of the region’s residents and visitors. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call Guest Services at (805) 667-2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org.  

About the Story

J for J is a semiautobiographical memory play. It opens with the character of Jenny (played by Travis) finding a journal that her father, Hollywood film, TV and stage actor Barry Sullivan (“The Great Gatsby,” “The Bad and the Beautiful,” “The Tall Man”) started when her brother Johnny was born. 

The entries continue after Jenny’s birth, ending with the words, “Remember Johnny, you must take care of your sister Jenny - it’s J for J.” But over time, it becomes clear that Brother Johnny is “slow,” incapable of taking care of himself or anyone else. In this literate and lovingly conceived story, Sullivan explores the ache and anger of “not being enough”; the awesome, sometimes awful responsibility of feeling responsible for another’s physical and emotional well-being; and the strange, sweet surprise of being loved at an unexpected moment.

History of the Show

Rubicon produced the World Premiere of J FOR J in 2001, with Kober, Sullivan and the late John Ritter (best known for the film “Sling Blade” and the TV series “Three’s Company”), directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera. The L.A. Times review called the play, “a quiet little miracle of a show about families everywhere.”

The production was a sell-out and transferred to The Court Theatre in Los Angeles under the direction of Joseph Fuqua, where it continued to garner rave reviews.

The upcoming staged reading of J FOR J is an opportunity for audiences to experience a newly updated version of the play. 

Says Rubicon Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns, “J FOR J was one of the early premieres produced by Rubicon, and it remains one of our most cherished experiences. It’s a riveting, relatable story about a father who longs for a perfect son and a daughter who yearns to be enough. The play is also filled with fascinating insights about growing up as the child of a Hollywood celebrity.”

More About the Artists

Jeff Kober has been a series regular or recurring guest star as Sgt. Evan “Dodger” Winslow on “China Beach,” Jacob Hale, Jr. on “Sons of Anarchy,” Harris Keane on “NCIS: Los Angeles,” Joe in

“The Walking Dead,” and Cyrus Renault in “General Hospital” among others (Daytime Emmy Award). In addition to having appeared in the original J for J, Kober has appeared at Rubicon in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Defying Gravity.

Eric Lange received a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for his transformative role in Showtime’s award-winning series “Escape at Dannemora.” He last appeared as a Series Regular in HBO’s period drama “Perry Mason,” starring opposite Matthew Rhys. Other credits include “Brand New Cherry Flavor,” “Narcos,” "Man in the High Castle,” “The Bridge,” “Weeds” and “Lost.” Stage credits include The Country House on Broadway and at The Geffen and Driving Miss Daisy and A Streetcar Named Desire at Rubicon.

Nancy Travis has a broad range of credits on screen and stage. She was part of the SAG Award-nominated cast of “The Kominsky Method,” and a series regular on “Becker,” “Ride” and “Last Man Standing.” Her film credits include “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” “The Vanishing,” “Three Men and a Little Lady,” “The Janet Austen Book Club,” and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” Nancy’s Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include I’m Not Rappaport with Judd Hirsch and Cleavon Little and King of Connecticut with Frances McDormand. At Rubicon, she was part of the cast of Love, Loss and What I Wore.

Director and Writer Jenny Sullivan is an Artistic Associate at Rubicon, where she has directed numerous productions since the company’s inception, among them Moon for the Misbegotten, Our Town, The Mystery of Irma Vep (5 Ovation noms), Wiesenthal, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Jenny’s credits also include work Off-Broadway and regionally at Laguna Playhouse, Ensemble Theatre, Lobero Theatre, L.A. Theatreworks, San Jose Rep, The Falcon, Pasadena Playhouse, The Geffen, Long Wharf Theatre (CT Critics’ Directing Award), and six seasons at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

To purchase tickets online, or for more information about J for J, visit www.rubicontheatre.org. Tickets are available by phone at 805.667.2900, or may be purchased in-person at Guest Services at the theatre, located at 1006 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA  93001 (Laurel entrance). Guest Services is open from Noon to 6:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.  

Celebrate Rubicon’s 25th Anniversary Season “Truly Yours”

Rubicon Theatre Company’s 25th Silver Anniversary Season, entitled TRULY YOURS, continues with Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, “A”-Train and Once. Three-show mini-series are still available at a 15% discount and include benefits such as guaranteed seats, exchange privileges and advance notice of added concerts, staged readings like J for J, and other special events. To order, call Guest Services at 805.667.2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org. 

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