Rubicon Summer PR

For Immediate Release: June 22, 2011
Summertime at Rubicon Theatre Company
Is All About the Kids

(Ventura, CA)  
Summer programs are underway at RTC, a diverse offering for kids (and the young at heart) of all ages. Between now and August there’s more than enough fun for everyone!


The longest day of the year is upon us, and at Rubicon Theatre Company that can only mean one thing – Invasion!  That’s right, the kids have taken over the stage as our summer youth programs kick into gear in all their energetic, megawatt glory.

Things have already kicked off with the acclaimed RTC Theatre Camp, as the energetic cast busily prepares their upcoming musical production of “The Jungle Book” which bows July 8-10 under the direction of Brian McDonald.  Also hard at work are the older kids of the RTC Acting Intensive under the guidance of RTC mainstay Joseph Fuqua, rehearsing Shakespeare’s King John for their debut July 15-17.  After those programs the fun continues with Musical Theatre Camp, which will be mounting a production of Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, coming to the stage August 3-7.

Even with all that high-octane kid energy well underway, there’s still plenty of time to get involved-- along with those three performance pieces RTC opens its doors to kids of all ages with other offerings in the Summer slate. The Summer programs are the product of Rubicon’s Education and Outreach office, helmed by Brian McDonald, who explains: “ As a professional theatre company, I want us to provide an experience to our young actors, an exposure to theatre that’s going to demand a lot more from them than just putting on a play in the way you might typically find in community theatre. I want us to be a resource that guides kids in the theatrical arts in a way that can graduate them, successively and progressively, ever more deeply into a meaningful place where they can choose to participate in the industry of performing arts if they care to continue.”

In that spirit the youth programs offer something for kids of just about any age:
For tots ages 6-8 and 9-11 there’s the Stinky Feet Theatre Workshop, July 5-16, a fun two week program that offers young children the opportunity to express their creativity through theatre games, improvisation, movement, storytelling, and performance Monday through Friday from 10am-12pm. McDonald explains: “ The focus is to get kids in the room, to explore; it’s about getting them to understand story, and collaboration with that; getting them to step a little bit outside of their comfort zone, about reading comprehension, and using imagination -- because they actually come up with their own show, in two weeks, and have a little performance of it.”

For teens ages 12-18 there’s the RTC youth acting class, July 19 - August 9, a series of fast-paced classes that are both challenging and great fun. In a nurturing environment, students learn self-assurance while acquiring intermediate acting skills. Script analysis and character development are taught through monologue and scene work as well as theatre games, voice and movement exercises and improvisation. Individual attention is given to each student.

For young adults 19 and older there’s the summer acting workshop, which runs from July 18-August 10, a very popular class looks to further a student's skills or give them a taste of acting for the first time. Students focus on script analysis, character development, memorization techniques and stage presence while learning how to free the voice and body for individual expression. Contemporary scenes and monologues are chosen by the instructor for each student based on their personal needs and wishes.