Photo Flash: Joan Almedilla, Teri Bibb and More in A RUBICON FAMILY CHRISTMAS Concert

Move over Grinch... Santa Claus is back in town! Thursday, December 20 through Sunday, December 23, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and the big jolly man himself reunite with the spectacular Rubicon Family Christmas cast for a joyous celebration at the Ventura College Theatre for seven performances only. The stellar cast includes Joan Almedilla, Teri Bibb, Dina Bennett, Trey Ellett, Anthony Manough and Brian Sutherland, who have starred on Broadway in such shows as Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, Jesus Christ Superstar, Miss Saigon, 1776 and Rent, among others. Get a first look at the show with the photos below!

They are joined by an ensemble of talented young artists from the region: Daniel Brackett, Cassidy Craig, and Sarah Mehrnia from Ventura; Madeline Gambon from Camarillo; and Jessie Graham and Gus Graham from Santa Paula. This year’s concert will also have a few new surprises, including a 60 member children’s choir under the direction of concert pianist Miriam Arichea.

Glorious renditions of holiday carols and contemporary songs-of-the-season will be performed in styles including classical, pop, jazz and gospel. The result is an hour and a half of the best-performed holiday music you’re likely to hear all season. Anyone in search of an instant dose of Christmas spirit need look no further than A Rubicon Family Christmas Concert, the best and brightest live “Holiday Special” in town.

A RUBICON FAMILY CHRISTMAS CONCERT runs December 20th through December 23rd, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. All performances are at the newly renovated Ventura College Theatre located at 4700 Loma Vista Road, Ventura, Calif. Tickets are $45 for adults, $35 for Rubicon subscribers, and $20 for children 12 and under. They are available through the Rubicon Box Office at 805.667.2900 or online at www.rubicontheatre.org.

Rubicon Theatre Company is Ventura County’s premiere non-profit professional theatre company. Founded in 1998 by Artistic Directors James O’Neil and Karyl Lynn Burns, Rubicon’s mission is to entertain, enrich and educate the region’s residents and visitors through production of innovative professional theatrical productions, festivals, special events, and education programs. Now in its fifteenth season, Rubicon has presented more than 100 mainstage productions and education outreach programs to more than 200,000 audience members and 40,000 students. Rubicon has received eleven L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards and 90 nominations, and recently received a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue for its off-Broadway presentation of The Best Is Yet To Come: The Music of Cy Coleman.

Photo Credit: Jeanne Tanner

Joan Almedilla (Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway), Anthony Manough (Broadway's The Lion King and Jesus Christ Superstar), Teri Bibb (Christine in Phantom of the Opera for 7 years on Broadway), Brian Sutherland (whose New York credits include 1776 and Light in the Piazza and others), Dina Bennett (of Dina Deluxe and the Mood Swings) and Trey Ellett (Mark in Rent on Broadway).

Dina Bennett (of Dina Deluxe and the Mood Swings), Musical Director Gerald Sternbach, Anthony Manough (Broadway's The Lion King and Jesus Christ Superstar), Joan Almedilla (Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway), Teri Bibb (Christine in Phantom of the Opera for 7 years on Broadway), Brian Sutherland (whose New York credits include 1776 and Light in the Piazza and others) and Trey Ellett (Mark in Rent on Broadway).

Snowman, Ken Jones as Santa Claus and Rudolph with youth chorus, front row left to right; Xander Young and Emilee Krablin from Ventura, Alexis Neumann from Thousand Oaks, Sydney Unseth and McKenna Tedrick from Camarillo, Daniel Brackett from Ventura, Michael Kennedy from Westlake Village, and Laci Kay from Ventura. Back row left to right; Marnie Vaughan and Gabrielle Trainor from Ventura, Kurt Kemper from Camarillo, Nicolas Vaughan, A.J. Morales, and Heidi Bjorndahl from Ventura. Musical Director Gerald Sternbach at piano in 2009's A Rubicon Family Christmas.

Brian Sutherland (whose New York credits include 1776 and Light in the Piazza and others), Teri Bibb (Christine in Phantom of the Opera for 7 years on Broadway), Anthony Manough (Broadway's The Lion King and Jesus Christ Superstar), Joan Almedilla (Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway), Dina Bennett (of Dina Deluxe and the Mood Swings) and Trey Ellett (Mark in Rent on Broadway).

Youth chorus from left to right; Daniel Brackett from Ventura, Alexis Neumann from Thousand Oaks, Michael Kennedy from Westlake Village, Sydney Unseth from Camarillo, Emilee Krablin from Ventura, McKenna Tedrick from Camarillo, A.J. Morales and Heidi Bjorndahl from Ventura, and Kurt Kemper from Camarillo in 2009's A Rubicon Family Christmas.