Rubicon Theatre Company

10/29/2026

It's No Tricks and All Treats at Rubicon on Halloween Night!

Looking for an alternative to ghosts and goblins? 👻

Join us for the show that is thrilling critics and audiences alike - and save $10 per ticket! Grab yourself a sweet treat at the concession stand and check out the Tony Award-winning masterpiece, RAGTIME!

🍬 Use Code TREAT10 to get $10 off tickets for the 7pm show on Saturday, October 31st

Grab your tickets at ttps://rubicontheatre.org/events/ragtime/ or call the box office at 805.667.2900

RAGTIME is the Tony Award-winning musical that follows three families at the turn of the 20th Century as they each pursue their own versions of the American Dream. Featuring themes of racism, immigration, and class, the story centers on a unifying desire for social change and the resonating hope for a better future.

RAGTIME 🗽

Book By TERRANCE MCNALLY
Music by STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Lyrics by LYNN AHRENS
Musical Direction by ABDUL HAMID ROYAL
Choreography by NATALIE ISCOVICH
Direction by J. SCOTT LAPP

Oct. 21 - Nov. 15, 2026
Produced by Rubicon Theatre Company
At the Karyn Jackson Theater, Ventura, CA

📸: Loren Haar

10/27/2026

✨ THE REVIEWS ARE IN! ✨“A deeply moving, vocally magnificent staging.” — LAexcites

In a glowing new review, Imaan Jalali of LAexcites praises Rubicon Theatre Company's production of RAGTIME, highlighting its extraordinary vocal performances, inventive staging, and deeply emotional storytelling.

Read the full review : https://laexcites.com/2026/10/25/review-rubicon-theatre-company-ragtime-ventura/

RAGTIME | Now playing through November 15

Directed by J. Scott Lapp
Musical Direction by Abdul Hamid Royal
Choreography by Natalie Iscovich

Featuring Ben Michael, Marisa Moenho, Carter Michael, Chelle Denton, Danny Becker, and the extraordinary ensemble.

🎟️ THIS WEEK'S PERFORMANCES ARE FILLING FAST!

Wed, Oct. 28 at 2 PM: SOLD OUT
Wed, Oct. 28 at 7 PM: Nearly Sold Out
Thurs, Oct. 29 at 7 PM: Nearly Sold Out
Fri, Oct. 30 at 7 PM: Nearly Sold Out
Sat, Oct. 31 at 2 PM: Nearly Sold Out
Sat, Oct. 31 at 7 PM: Nearly Sold Out
Sun, Nov. 1 at 2 PM: SOLD OUT

Other performances still have seats available. Don't miss your chance to experience RAGTIME!

🎟️ Tickets : Save $5 with code SOC www.RubiconTheatre.org

Rubicon Theatre Company's "Ragtime" in Ventura is an intimate, stirring production exploring injustice, family, and the American dream.

10/24/2026

Today is the day! RAGTIME opens tonight at Rubicon!

We sat down with Coalhouse Walker, Jr. actor Carter Michael to talk about this exciting production and what makes RAGTIME so special - and so important.

Don’t have tickets yet? Head to the link in our bio to grab yours while you can! An extra week of performances has been added - but don’t wait too long, this show is selling out fast!

🎟️ https://rubicontheatre.org/events/ragtime/ l 805.667.2900

📸 Loren Haar

10/20/2026

🎶 It was the music of something beginning… the people called it RAGTIME!

Come see the beginning of Rubicon’s 28th Season as we open with RAGTIME, the Tony Award-winning musical that follows three families at the turn of the 20th Century as they each pursue their own versions of the American Dream. Featuring themes of racism, immigration, and class, the story centers on a unifying desire for social change and the resonating hope for a better future.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now! Use code DREAM5 to save $5 on performances thru 10/30!

RAGTIME 🗽

Book By TERRANCE MCNALLY
Music by STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Lyrics by LYNN AHRENS
Set Design by MIKE BILLINGS
Sound Design by DANNY FIANDACA
Costume Design by PAMELA SHAW
Hair/Makeup Design by DANIELLE WHITE
Musical Direction by ABDUL HAMID ROYAL
Choreography by NATALIE ISCOVICH
Direction by J. SCOTT LAPP

Oct. 21 - Nov. 15, 2026
Produced by Rubicon Theatre Company
At the Karyn Jackson Theater, Ventura, CA

Tickets are only available through Rubicon, we don’t use third-party ticket sellers!

You can grab yours on our website at https://rubicontheatre.org/events/ragtime/ or call the box office at 805.667.2900

10/18/2026

Tony Award–Winning Musical ‘Ragtime’ Comes to Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre! Sweeping Story of Early 20th-Century America is Karyl Lynn Burns Last Show.
By Maggie Yates
https://www.independent.com/2026/10/16/tony-award-winning-musical-ragtime-comes-to-venturas-rubicon-theatre/

RAGTIME (by Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty, and Lynn Ahrens) has been selected as the final show of her tenure for outgoing producing artistic director Karyl Lynn Burns, who is retiring after several decades with the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. Set in early 20th-century America, Ragtime dovetails stories of the white upper-middle class with Harlem culture and Ellis Island immigrants settling in the “new world.” Usually performed with a cast of around 40 people, the Rubicon’s production, directed by J. Scott Lapp, has pared the cast down to fewer than 20 actors to fit this grand story onto the intimate Rubicon stage.

“There are some stories that we return to because they’re beautiful; some we return to because they’re necessary to hear,” says Lapp. “Even with a show set in 1906, Ragtime is still very relevant today … it asks one of the most essential questions that an American play can ask: who gets to belong?”

Carter Michael plays Coalhouse Walker, who represents the Black experience during this period of history. Coalhouse was born after the abolition of slavery, during a time when, says Michael, “Black people had aspirations for what the new century was going to be…. They want to move forward in the country, but that hope is slowly taken away from them. They figure out that they have to keep striving, regardless.”

“RAGTIME is a story about connection and the possibility of change,” says Lapp. “Questions of immigration and race and inequality and the American dream are at the center of our conversation. Ragtime doesn’t offer easy answers — it shows us a country capable of tremendous generosity, but also tremendous cruelty. It shows people reaching for a better way of life but also carrying the weight of history with them. In 2026, that feels remarkably close to home.”

The Rubicon has extended their run of RAGTIME, so you can see the show October 21 through November 15.

Tickets: www.rubicontheatre.org or call Guest Services 805-667-2900.

Rubicon Theatre 1006 E. Main St. Ventura, CA 93001

10/16/2026

🎭 URGENT CASTING CALL | RAGTIME

Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura is urgently seeking boys ages 4–8 of African or African-American descent to play the role of Coalhouse Walker III in our upcoming production of Ragtime.

This is a wonderful opportunity to work alongside a professional cast under the direction of award-winning director J. Scott Lapp.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Coalhouse Walker III is the young son of Coalhouse and Sarah. The character appears briefly at the end of the musical and has no spoken lines or songs.

We are hoping to cast two young performers to share the role throughout the run. This is a non-Equity opportunity with compensation provided.

REHEARSAL & PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Tech rehearsals begin this weekend.

October 20–25: Onstage rehearsals, previews and opening.

Performances continue through November 15, 2026.

Regular performances: Wednesdays at 2 PM and 7 PM, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 2 PM and 7 PM, and Sundays at 2 PM.

Student matinees: October 23 and November 5.

AUDITIONS ARE BEING ARRANGED IMMEDIATELY!

Parents, teachers, youth theatre directors and community members, we would be grateful for your help spreading the word!

If you know a young performer who might be a wonderful fit, or have a child interested in auditioning, please contact us as soon as possible.

Contact Producer - Stephanie Coltrin
[email protected]

Please share with anyone who may be interested!

10/13/2026

🎟️ Do you have your tickets yet?

Rubicon’s 2026/2027 season opening show RAGTIME is right around the corner and tickets are selling fast – So fast, in fact, that we’ve already added another week of shows! Don’t miss out on this modern-day masterpiece with a timeless message, opening October 24th and extended through November 15th!

RAGTIME is the Tony Award-winning musical that follows three families at the turn of the 20th Century as they each pursue their own versions of the American Dream. Featuring themes of racism, immigration, and class, the story centers on a unifying desire for social change and the resonating hope for a better future.

RAGTIME 🗽

Book By TERRANCE MCNALLY
Music by STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Lyrics by LYNN AHRENS
Musical Direction by ABDUL HAMID ROYAL
Choreography by NATALIE ISCOVICH
Direction by J. SCOTT LAPP

Oct. 21 - Nov. 15, 2026
Produced by Rubicon Theatre Company
At the Karyn Jackson Theater, Ventura, CA

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now! Use code DREAM5 to save $5 on performances thru 10/30!

Visit https://rubicontheatre.org/events/ragtime/ for tickets or call 805.667.2900

10/09/2026

Here’s your first look at RAGTIME, the 2026/2027 Season opener at Rubicon Theatre Company!

CARTER MICHAEL as Black pianist, Coalhouse Walker, Jr.
DANNY BECKER as Jewish immigrant, Tateh.
CHELLE DENTON as wealthy white matriarch, Mother.

If you were able to come to our season preview event, then you heard all three of these remarkable actors perform numbers from this outstanding show. If not - you are in for a treat!

These are just three members of the stellar cast that takes the stage in less than two weeks. We’ve added an extra week of shows due to high demand - grab your tickets before this highly anticipated show sells out!

RAGTIME 🗽

Book By TERRANCE MCNALLY
Music by STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Lyrics by LYNN AHRENS
Musical Direction by ABDUL HAMID ROYAL
Choreography by NATALIE ISCOVICH
Set Design by MIKE BILLINGS
Costume Design by PAMELA SHAW
Hair/Makeup Design by DANIELLE WHITE
Direction by J. SCOTT LAPP

Oct. 21 - Nov. 15, 2026
Produced by Rubicon Theatre Company
At the Karyn Jackson Theater, Ventura, CA

RAGTIME is the Tony Award-winning musical that follows three families at the turn of the 20th Century as they each pursue their own versions of the American Dream. Featuring themes of racism, immigration, and class, the story centers on a unifying desire for social change and the resonating hope for a better future.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now! Use code DREAM5 to save $5 on performances through 10/30!

Visit https://rubicontheatre.org/events/ragtime/ for tickets or call 805.667.2900

📸 Loren Haar

10/01/2026

🎭 THIS MONDAY, GO BEHIND THE SEASON AT RUBICON
You’ve seen the lineup. Now come hear the stories behind it.
Join us Monday, October 5 at 2 PM or 6 PM for Rubicon Theatre Company’s FREE 2026–2027 Season Preview and take a deeper look at The Ties That Bind.

Hear directly from the artists shaping the season, enjoy live musical excerpts, and get an inside look at the creative vision behind the shows coming to the Rubicon stage.

✨ Meet directors, actors and designers
🎶 Hear live performances from upcoming productions
🎬 Learn more about the stories, themes and artistic choices behind the season
🥂 Stay afterward for light refreshments in The Rose Room Cabaret & Bistro

NEW SUBSCRIBERS SAVE 15% PLUS $15 ON THE PROCESSING FEE when they subscribe at the event.

🍷 PLUS, ENTER TO WIN A NAPA VALLEY GETAWAY FOR UP TO EIGHT GUESTS!

Admission is FREE, but seating is limited.
Reserve your seats now, RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd1hp_NBY2Dptgz2poX8jd3FFNEGKzfZ5xlfH7qGl5_eLmtjQ/viewform
or call Guest Services at (805) 667-2900

Come get closer to the stories, artists and ideas that will bring this season to life.

Rubicon Theatre Company 1006 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001

09/21/2026

Meet the cast of Rubicon’s 2026/27 season opener RAGTIME! 🗽

This Tony Award-winning musical masterpiece is a portrait of a country - and its people - on the brink of change. Based on E.L. DOCTOROW’s acclaimed novel set at the turn of the twentieth century in New York, three distinctly American tales are woven together - that of a stifled upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant and a daring young Harlem musician - united by their courage, compassion and belief in the promise of the future. Together, they confront history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair.

With a book by TERRENCE McNALLY and music and lyrics by STEPHEN FLAHERTY and LYNN AHRENS, the soaring, emotionally rich score features show-stopping numbers like “Wheels of a Dream,” “Make Them Hear You,” and “Back to Before.”

RAGTIME 🗽

Written By TERRANCE MCNALLY
Music by STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Lyrics by LYNN AHRENS
Musical Direction by ABDUL-HAMID ROYAL
Choreography by NATALIE ISCOVICH
Directed by J. SCOTT LAPP

Oct. 21 - Nov. 15, 2026
Produced by Rubicon Theatre Company
At the Karyn Jackson Theater, Ventura, CA

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now! Use code DREAM5 to save $5 on performances thru 10/30!

Get your tickets here 👉 https://rubicontheatre.org/events/ragtime/
RubiconTheatre.org | 805.667.2900