Rubicon Theatre Company to Present ALMOST, MAINE in September

Rubicon Theatre Company will present the third production of its 2022-2023 Season with ALMOST, MAINE, written by John Cariani and directed by STEPHANIE A. COLTRIN. ALMOST, MAINE begins previews on Wednesday, September 7; opens on Saturday, September 10 at 7 p.m.; and runs through Sunday, September 25 at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District. For tickets, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call (805) 667-2900.

Welcome to Almost, Maine, a place so far north, it's barely in the United States. Where the residents are so disorganized, it's not quite a town. On one cold clear winter's night, as the Northern Lights float magically in a star-filled sky, the inhabitants of Almost find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways.
In nine entwined stories, strangers become friends, friends become lovers and lovers become strangers. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But The Bruises heal, and the hearts mend - almost. Sweet, witty, full of laughs and surprises, this romantic comedy has broken box office records and received critical acclaim throughout the nation.

About the Playwright

John Cariani (Playwright) is an award-winning actor and an accomplished playwright. He is probably best known for his role as CSU Tech Julian Beck on television's "Law & Order," and for his performance as Motel the Tailor in the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Cariani made his New York stage debut in It's My Party (And I'll Die if I Want To), starring Joyce Van Patten and Academy Award Winner F. Murray Abraham. His recent Broadway appearances include Stuart Gellman in Caroline, or Change, Itzik in The Band's Visit, and Nigel Bottom in Something Rotten. Cariani has shared the screen with such legends as Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and Edward Asner. In addition to his five-year stint on "Law & Order," Cariani has had recurring roles as Professor Otto Bahnoff in the final season of CBS' "Numb3rs," and as reporter Michael Falk on the IFC's "The Onion News Network." Almost, Maine, Cariani's first play, premiered at Portland Stage Company in 2004, opened Off Broadway in 2006, and is featured in Smith and Kraus' "New Playwrights: Best Plays of 2006." Since its debut Off-Broadway, Almost, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced plays in the United States, with nearly 2,000 productions to date. It has also been translated into eight languages. His second play cul-de-sac premiered off-Broadway in a 2006 Transport Group production. Last Gas and Love/Sick premiered at Portland Stage Company in 2010 and 2013 and is slated for an Off Broadway engagement. Originally from Presque Isle, Maine, Cariani is a graduate of Amherst College, and now lives in New York City.

STEPHANIE A. COLTRIN (Director/Associate Artistic Director) is an award-winning producer and director with credits ranging from musicals to Shakespeare to World Premieres, from comedies to dramas. Rubicon directing credits include Buyer and Cellar, Taking Sides, Sylvia (V.C. Reporter Award - Best Play and L.A. Stage Scene Award),Moonlight and Magnolias, and the Ovation-recommended production of The Last Five Years. Coltrin is the Artistic Director for Shakespeare by the Sea (SBTS), a summer Shakespeare festival touring two shows in rep to more than 24 locations throughout Southern California, having directed Richard III, Henry V, Titus Andronicus, The Winter's Tale, Othello, and numerous others For her work with SBTS, Coltrin was interviewed on PBS and for a Folger Shakespeare Library podcast. Other directing credits include Bloody Poetry, The Weir, The Lonesome West (Stage Scene L.A. Award), Oswald, Spit Like a Big Girl, Godspell, Barefoot in the Park, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Garland Award nomination), Private Lives, Steel Magnolias, The Green Room (World Premiere), Quilters, Wait Until Dark, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues; Manson's Girls, and others. Coltrin previously served as the Artistic Director of CLO of South Bay Cities and the Hermosa Beach Playhouse, helming a ten-show season at both venues, and directing productions including Miss Saigon (Ovation winner for Best Musical, and earning her a directing nomination), Seussical the Musical (Broadway World Award for Best Director), Jesus Christ Superstar (Stage Scene L.A. Award, Director) andShe Loves Me (Stage Scene L.A. Award- Director of the Year). www.stephaniecoltrin.com.

The cast of ALMOST, MAINE features (in alphabetical order): LEAH DALRYMPLE, Tara Donovan, Joseph Fuqua, BRENDAN KANE, Katie Pelensky and Patrick Vest.
The award-wining design team for ALMOST, MAINE includes Set Designer Mike Billings, Lighting and Projections Designer Brian Gale, Costume Designer JEFFREY SCHOENBERG, AJS Costumes, and Prop Designers TYLER GABBARD and Kevin Williams. STEPHANIE A. COLTRIN serves as Executive Producer, and JULIA DONLON is Production Stage Manager.
Schedule and Pricing

Low-priced previews of ALMOST, MAINE begin Wednesday, September 7 at 7:00 p.m. and continue Thursday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m. and Friday, September 9 at 8:00 p.m. The production opens on Saturday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. The production runs through Sunday, September 25.

Performances are Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (followed by a talkback), Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.; Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

How to Purchase Tickets

Ticket prices range from $30.00 - $59.50.

To purchase tickets for ALMOST, MAINE or the company's 2022-2023 Four-Show Mini-Series, which also include IN THE HEIGHTS, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' and THE REALISTIC JONESES, call Rubicon Guest Services at (805) 667-2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org.

Rubicon Guest Services is located at 1006 E. Main Street (Laurel entrance), and is open from Noon to 6:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturday, and Sundays during the run. Single tickets for each of the shows are also on sale and available via the box office or the company's website.

Four-Show Mini-Series packages start for as little as $150 and include special savings, guaranteed seating, ticket insurance, free exchanges (with 72 hours' notice), and advance notice of special events. Flex passes are also available at a savings.

About Rubicon Theatre Company

Rubicon Theatre Company has been described as "the rising star of the Southern California cultural constellation." The not-for-profit professional regional theatre has reached more than 500,000 attendees and 51,000 students. Rubicon serves area residents and visitors with innovative productions of classic and contemporary plays, as well as a wide array of educational programs and events. Acclaimed by critics and industry professionals, the company has received the L.A. Drama Critics Margaret Harford Special Award for "Sustained Excellence," a Drama Desk Award for the Off-Broadway production of The Best is Yet To Come and has won more than 20 Ovation Awards from the L.A. Stage Alliance.

Just prior to the pandemic, Rubicon transferred three shows to New York (Wiesenthal - Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations; Lonesome Traveler - Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations; and Daddy Long Legs (Drama Desk Award). Rubicon has welcomed a steady stream of high-profile national and international actors and directors, including Bruno and Odiseo Birchir, Susan Clark, Dana Delaney, Conchata Ferrell, Bonnie Franklin, Harold Gould, Joel Grey, Larry Hagman, Bill Irwin, Stacy Keach, Jack Lemmon, Justina Machado, Amanda McBroom, Ted Neeley, Paul Provenza, Linda Purl, Rondi Reed, John Ritter, Joe Spano, Bruce Weitz, Lillias White and others. Company members are George Ball, Joseph Fuqua and Jenny Sullivan.

Based in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District, just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, Rubicon resides in a 185-seat historic church built in the 1920s. In this renovated historic landmark, audience members are never further than 10 rows from the stage on the main floor. (The balcony, which seats twenty, is available for private parties or corporate groups.)

True to the company's name and the vision of artistic directors Karyl Lynn Burns and James O'Neil, Rubicon has created an environment where commitment and risk are encouraged, and where artists are nurtured and respected. As a result, the company has gained a reputation for invigorating interpretations of the classics and for supporting the development of new works. Rubicon presents at least one World Premiere each season, as well as readings of works-in-progress.

Deeply rooted in the region it serves, Rubicon offers extensive outreach programs, including daytime matinees for high school students, after-school and weekend programs for at-risk youth, and summer musical theatre, drama and technical camps.

A board of directors of prominent social and civic leaders governs Rubicon under the leadership of Doug Halter. The company is also supported by an advisory group of regional ambassadors and a volunteer auxiliary with nearly 200 members.

For more information about Rubicon Theatre Company, or to purchase tickets, call (805) 667-2900 or go to www.rubicontheatre.org. The theatre is located at 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District.