Rubicon Theatre Presents the Hilarious Comedy MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS

Rubicon Theatre Company presents Moonlight and Magnolias, the hilarious fly on the wall comedy by Ron Hutchinson about how the most iconic film in Hollywood history almost didn't get made. Directed by Stephanie A. Coltrin, this production features the same principal cast members from her critically acclaimed staging of Moonlight and Magnolias at Hermosa Beach Playhouse in 2010. Just in time for the 80th anniversary of Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "Gone With the Wind," Rubicon brings this wildly funny, behind-the-scenes farce to Ventura on Saturday, September 3 at 7:00 p.m. with an after party to follow atThe Greek Mediterranean Steak & Seafood. Previews are August 31, Sept. 1 and 2. The show runs through September 18.

Three weeks into filming "Gone With the Wind"-Atlanta has burned, Scarlett O'Hara has been cast, but there's no workable script and the director has been fired. Legendary film producer David O. Selznick seemingly has the biggest white elephant in Hollywood on his hands and only five days to save the troubled production from certain failure. Desperate, he brings in the formidable Victor Fleming to take over as director and famed screenwriter Ben Hecht to rewrite the lackluster script. The only problem is that Hecht hasn't read the book, and the clock is ticking. With the shades drawn, phone calls unanswered, and subsisting only on a diet of peanuts and bananas, Selznick and Fleming reenact scenes from the novel for Hecht to adapt into a screenplay that would become an epic Academy Award-winning film.

Helmed by Ovation award-winning director Stephanie A. Coltrin, whose credits include the Ovation nominated RTC production of The Last Five Years, You Are Here for Rubicon's Plays-in-Progress series and The Santaland Diaries with BrIan McDonald, this return to Moonlight and Magnolias is a welcome opportunity to revisit the zany play that also touches on serious issues such as race and anti-Semitism in Hollywood. Joining her are the same cast members, Cylan Brown as Victor Fleming, Joel Bryant as Ben Hecht, Patrick Vest as David O. Selznick with Jennifer Ridgway coming on as Miss Poppenghul, Selznick's harried secretary.

"I'm thrilled to be remounting Moonlight and Magnolias at Rubicon," says Coltrin. "I still remember reading the script seven years ago, laughing all the way through it. I knew instantly that this was a play I wanted to direct." "Gone With the Wind" is a film that I had loved since first seeing it (in Atlanta) at six years old," continues Coltrin. "Through the years, I of course started to see the film through a more sophisticated lens, and one of the things I love about the play is that it hilariously reflects the film in all its fun and its flaws. Love it or hate it, the film is a masterful achievement, and I love this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the passion, dedication and commitment it takes to create any piece of art."

As to the play's truthfulness regarding the troubled production of "Gone With the Wind," Coltrin adds, "We'll never know what actually happened. Only Selznick, Hecht and Fleming knew for sure. But Hutchinson has created an amazing fantasy of what may have happened during those long days in Selznick's office. The script definitely takes liberties, but there's a lot that's accurate for film buffs and fans of the movie to enjoy. And he has absolutely created a play that is equally accessible to those who have seen the movie, and those who have not."

When asked about remounting the show after six years, Coltrin said, "When I direct a show, it's never really finished for me. The creative process continues in my head even after the show closes. I have always wanted to see what it would be like to remount a show- to see the play with fresh eyes. This is my first opportunity to do that. And to get to do it with this cast and this creative team? Heaven."

Low-priced previews for Moonlight and Magnolias are Wednesday, August 31 at 7 p.m., Thursday, September 1 at 8 p.m. and Friday, September 2 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Saturday, September 3, at 7 p.m. with a post-show party hosted by The Greek Mediterranean Steak & Seafood on Ventura Harbor. The production continues Wednesdays through Sundays through September 18. All performances are at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District (the corner or Main and Laurel). For tickets, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call (805) 667-2900. Tickets, with the exception of opening night, range from $25 to $54, depending on days of the week and time. Special pricing for students with ID are $20; Equity members and military are $25. Teachers are $30. There is a $5 discount for seniors 65 and older. There is an additional $4 service fee added to all tickets, regardless of point of purchase. For tickets, call (805) 667-2900, Monday-Sunday, noon to 6:00 pm, or visitwww.rubicontheatre.org.

About the Cast

Cylan Brown (Victor Fleming) is thrilled to be performing on the Rubicon stage for the first time reprising the role of Victor Fleming. Hailing from Flagstaff, Arizona where he received a B.S. in theatre from Northern Arizona University, Cylan has lived in L.A. for eight years. He has recently appeared as Lee Harvey Oswald in the L.A. premiere ofOswald: The Actual Interrogation at Little Fish Theater. Other notable roles include Georg Lenck in Bach at Leipzig, Serge in Art at Civic Light Opera of the South Bay Cities, Victor Primm in Private Lives and HarRy Pepper in Barefoot in the Park at Hermosa Beach Playhouse. He has also taken courses and appeared in mainstage productions with the Antaeus Theater Company. Cylan has been seen in many Shakespearean roles including, Hamlet for Shakespeare by the Sea, Julius Caesar, Romeo, Demetrius, Parolles, Edmund, Touchstone and Dromio of Syracuse at Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble. In addition to performing in Shakespeare's plays, Cy teaches and directs youth around L.A. and Ventura counties with the 'Much Ado About Shakespeare' educational company. He has also taught and performed in elementary schools around the Thousand Oaks area with the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company's Educational tour. In addition to performing, Cy has directed for the Little Fish Theater's Pick of the Vine festival of short plays as well as The 39 Steps and Shakespeare by the Sea's production of Cymbeline.

Joel Bryant (Ben Hecht) is originally from Albuquerque, NM, but has called L.A. home since graduating from Pepperdine University with a B.A. in Theatre, and studying with Larry Moss and the Aquila/Morong Studio. Theatre credits include Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Coachella Valley Rep., Desert Star Award Nominee - Best Actor),The Boomerang Effect (Zephyr Theatre, Odyssey Theatre, premiere), Table Manners (Little Fish Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Art and Moonlight & Magnolias(Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities, Stage Scene L.A. Award - Ensemble), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Hudson Stage), Blank (The Ruby Theatre, premiere), AMidsummer Night's Dream and The Merchant of Venice (Knightsbridge Theatre), Monna Vanna (Stella Adler Theatre), numerous roles at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, and many trips to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with original works. Joel's film credits include big studio pictures such as "Valkyrie," "The Heartbreak Kid" and "Music Within" as well as many award-winning independent films (he currently has 3 films garnering accolades on the film festival circuit). He has guest-starred on numerous TV shows including "Monk," "Harry's Law," "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior," "Revenge" and "The Defenders." He is the lead in two pilots currently being shopped to major networks and online outlets ("Ride the Lightning" and "You Are Nothing" with Henry Winkler and Maria Bamford) and has over 25 national commercial credits to his name. Ever since the New Media web series boom, he has been nominated for a Streamy Award as "Best Actor in a Dramatic Role" for the hit "After Judgment" and has had regular roles in online hits such as "Welcome to Sanditon," "Save the Supers" and "Suck and Moan" (on which he also served as a producer and won "Best of the Fest" at L.A. WebFest). Since taking the mic at 17 at Laff's Comedy Club in Albuquerque, he has been a steady name on the standup comedy circuit at comedy festivals and clubs all over the US and has been thrilled to perform in some of the best venues around Southern California such as The Comedy Store, The Improv, The Icehouse and Flapper's Comedy Club. Trained in improv at the famed Groundlings School, he and his wife and comedy partner formed the award-winning comedy duo "Deven & Joel," and have played for audiences as varied as Comedy Clubs, fringe festivals, prisons, private corporate shows and were honored to entertain our troops in Europe and the Middle East. He's also a sought-after Host for programs such as "V-Nation," "Comedy Time" and "Eat. Taste. Live" and a top Emcee nationally and internationally for many corporate shows and gala events. In whatever down-time he has left, he's an active fund-raiser for Team 2 End AIDS and APLA, having both fund-raised and run for their endurance program (a recent sub 4-hour run-time in the Athens Marathon!) and coached their "Mud Run Series" (he is a nationally ranked Obstacle Course competitor).

Jennifer Ridgway (Miss Poppenguhl) returns to Rubicon having first appeared in Defying Gravity, directed by Jenny Sullivan. She has been involved with various Education and Outreach summer camps and classes including playing Constance in King John, Lady MacDuff in Macbeth, and was very proud to co-produce the annual "Kids for Kids" benefit at Rubicon in 2011. Other theatre credits include Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof, Suzy in Winter Wonderettes, Penny in Hairspray at Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, and Shelly in Buried Child (Four Star Theater Award - Outstanding Featured Performance) at Santa Paula Theater Center. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.

Patrick Vest (David O. Selznick) is delighted to make his Rubicon debut in Moonlight and Magnolias. He has been working as a professional actor and director for over 25 years and has performed at theatres all over the country. He was directed by Michael Kahn at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. In Seattle, he worked with Arne Zaslove at the Bathhouse Theatre. At the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, he played many roles including Planchet in Chuck Morey's The Three Musketeers and even had the chance to play his favorite childhood character of Eeyore. Patrick holds an MFA in acting from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and has played key roles in over 40 plays written by the Bard. Favorites include Macbeth, Petruchio, Prince Hal, Mercutio, Malvolio, Marc Antony (in Julius Caesar), Shylock, and Caliban. Non-Shakespeare favorites include Yvan in Art at Hermosa Beach Playhouse, The Bandit in Rashomon at American Southwest Theatre Company, Clitandre in The Misanthrope at The New American Theatre Company, Rev. David in The Foreigner at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, and David O Selznick in Moonlight and Magnolias at Hermosa Beach Playhouse. Patrick also created and performed a one-man show about Henry David Thoreau. He is also a company member of The New American Theatre, where he continues his studies with Jack Stehlin and Alfred Molina. Patrick is a multiple Stage Scene L.A. award winner for his work as both actor and director, and also won "breakout performer" in 2010.

Rubicon Theatre Company is a non-profit regional theatre based in Ventura, California. True to the name and the vision of founders Karyl Lynn Burns and James O'Neil, the company is committed to providing a nurturing environment for artists where exploration and experimentation are encouraged and supported. Now in its 18th Season, Rubicon has earned a reputation for innovative, reinvigorated productions of classics; and for the development of new works. The company has presented more than 115 diverse mainstage productions to more than 400,000 Audience members. Described by critics as "the rising star of the Southern California cultural scene" and the "best theatre between Los Angeles and San Francisco," the company has won a New York Drama Desk Award, the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for "Sustained Excellence," 14 Ovation Awards, an NAACP Award, and multiple Indy, Garland and Robby Awards. Luminaries such as Susan Clark, Dana Delaney, Bonnie Franklin, Joel Grey, Gregory Harrison, Bill Irwin, Harold Gould, Larry Hagman, Stacy Keach, Michael Learned, Ted Neeley, Paul Provenza, Linda Purl, Joe Spano, Bruce Weitz, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Stephanie Zimbalist have graced the Rubicon stage. Jack Lemmon and John Ritter made their final stage appearances with Rubicon.