Somebody to Love 

Plays-in-Progress of a New Musical in Development

Written by Rob Sternin and Prudence Fraser

Music by The Bands We Listened to on Vinyl in Our Basements

Directed by Sean Daniels

Music Supervision by Dillon Kondor

Music Direction by Brett Ryback 

Produced by Stephanie Coltrin

Four friends meet freshman year of college and vow to be there for each other, always. Created by the writers of hit TV shows like “The Nanny,” and Off-Broadway’s Under My Skin, this concert reading of a new rock-and-roll musical-in-the-making is a heartfelt and funny story about the choices we make, the triumphs, the failures, and the one thing that matters most…somebody to love. Rubicon’s Plays-in-Progress program has supported playwrights, lyricists and composers in the development of new works for the past 25 years, with many shows going on to commercial or regional successes and becoming part of the theatrical canon. Join us for this special opportunity to gain insight into the process of creating a new musical and to provide valuable feedback during a facilitated post-show discussion with the artists!

MEET THE WRITERS:

ROBERT STERNIN & PRUDENCE FRASER (Authors) met freshman year of college in 1973 in the theater department at Tufts University and became fast friends. After graduation, they headed to L.A., where Rob got an M.F.A. in playwriting at UCLA and Pru pursued an acting career. He cast her in his play, Do You Think the Line Will Get a Laugh? at Stage 13 on Santa Monica Blvd., where her creative input and writing skills quickly became obvious! They got engaged, became a husband-wife writing team and went on to write and produce network television for 25 years, with such hits as “Who’s the Boss” and “The Nanny,”  among many others, totaling over 300 hours of prime-time television on all the major networks. They then returned to their first love, theater, collaborating with Brill building songwriting icon, Jeff Barry, on a medieval musical, Knightlife, that was first produced by the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera before moving to the Riverside Theater in Vero Beach Florida. They then worked with arranger & composer Deke Sharon (”Pitch Perfect”) on an original touring acapella show, Vocalosity and soon after, teamed up with director Sean Daniels, for a reading of their new comedy, Under My Skin at the Granada and went on to the Pasadena Playhouse and a successful Off-Broadway run. A few years later, they again met up with Sean at a rock show in Vegas to discuss writing a life long love story, with the music by the bands we all made out and danced to! That night, covid struck and the world shut down! Now, years and countless Zoom meetings later, we welcome you to the first live, public presentation of Somebody to Love.

DIRECTORS AND ARTISTIC:

SEAN DANIELS (Director) His work has been seen in Scotland (Traverse, Tron) United Kingdom (St. James, Southwark Playhouse – The Lion, winner Best New Musical) and Baltic American Playwrights Conference in Hiiumaa, Estonia.In the United States at Manhattan Theatre Club (The Lion, Drama Desk Award & Theatre World Award, nominated for Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle), 59e59 (NYC, I and You, nominated for Outer Critics Circle) Lynn Redgrave (NYC) The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), and at many wonderful regionals including: Old Globe, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cal Shakes, Arizona Theatre Co, American Conservatory, Geffen, Cleveland Playhouse, Merrimack Rep, Milwaukee Rep., Long Wharf, Alliance, and the Neo-Futurists in Chicago. Sean has been named “one of the top fifteen up & coming artists in the U.S., whose work will be transforming America’s stages for decades to come” & “One Of 7 People Reshaping and Revitalizing The American Musical” by American Theatre magazine.

DILLON KONDOR (Music Supervisor)  is a composer, orchestrator, and guitarist in NYC. His TV/film credits include  Jesus Christ Superstar Live on NBC (with John Legend and Sara Bareilles), Kennedy Center Honors with the cast of Hamilton in 2018, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Schmigadoon, Fosse/Verdon, Tick Tick Boom, Spirited, Vivo, Dear Evan Hansen, and Lyle Lyle Crocodile. He also toured as the guitarist for Blood Sweat and Tears from 2014-2017. Dillon studied at Ithaca College and the Manhattan School of Music, where he focused on avant garde concert music. Eager for a return to more accessible forms of music and storytelling, he began working on Broadway while also writing and producing his own work.

CAST:

JAMES BEARDSLEY (Ensemble) is absolutely stoked for his first project at the Rubicon Theatre. Marketer by day and performer by night, he is excited to join the ensemble for Somebody to Love.  Favorite shows include Big River, The Music Man, Footloose, Parade, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 35mm, and Seussical. Many thanks to Angelica, Natalie, teachers, friends, family, and loved ones for their continuous support.

JOSLYN CORTES (Stella)  is very excited to be making her Rubicon Theatre Company Debut! It has always been her career goal to originate a role and tonight that goal comes to pass! Outside of performing live theatre, Joslynn keeps busy as a film and commercial actress and as a Vocal Instructor/Business owner at Vocal Love! Some of her favorite credits include Nat’l Tour: Nick Nutrition and His Wonder Dog Fiber. Regional credits include: Eva Peron in Evita, Claire in Ordinary Days, Junie B. Jones in Junie B. Jones the Musical, Queen Aggravain in Once Upon a Mattress, Katisha in The Hot Mikado and Anita in West Side Story. A special thank you to my incredible support system, Jalen Lum, Anthony Boyer at DDO Artists Agency, family, friends and Jehovah! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 @joslynn_cortes | www.joslynncortes.com | BFA: AMDA NY & LA

EDDIE EGAN (Frank)  is thrilled to be making his Rubicon debut presenting this fantastic new show! In New York, he spent several seasons as a vocalist in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Some favorite regional credits include Monty in Violet (Theatre Squared), Huey in Memphis (Actors’ Playhouse), for which he received a Carbonell Award nomination for Best Actor, Tony in West Side Story (La Mirada Theatre, City Springs Theatre), Jerry in The Full Monty (Argyle Theatre), All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914(Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Chris in Miss Saigon (Flat Rock Playhouse), Gabe in Next to Normal (La Mirada Theatre), Jamie in The Last Five Years (Shadowland Theatre), and Mercier in The Scarlet Pimpernel (Engeman Theatre). On television, he has appeared on “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” (Lionsgate/Starz). Many thanks to the entire creative team and to everyone at the Rubicon for their commitment to the development of new works. @EddieEgan_

MOLLY KIRSCHENBAUM (Sarah)  is an actor and musician from beautiful Burbank, California. Most recently, they have appeared in Tim Robbins’ new play Topsy Turvy at the Actor’s Gang. Other credits include: Transparent The Musical (Development reading, Tina Landau), and Straight Play: A Gay Musical (LA Performance Practice, Sorority Theater), as well as their musical-comedy solo show, Hot!, which won an Encore Award at the Hollywood and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. They received their BFA from NYU Tisch School of Drama, and are very excited to be making their Rubicon Theatre debut with Somebody To Love. Big thanks and love to their mom, Kelsey, Cosmo, and Goo Goo.

LAUREN NOLL (Ensemble)is a Los Angeles based actor and filmmaker with an MFA in Acting from Harvard/American Repertory Theatre. She’s thrilled to return to her musical theatre roots with this reading of Somebody to Love. Favorite theatre credits include Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (A.R.T.), Middletown (A.R.T.), Hair (Egyptian Theatre), The Glass Menagerie (The Grand Theatre), and Little Women (Hale Center Theatre). Her film The Heart of Texas is currently collecting awards around the world on a festival tour, including Best Actress wins for Lauren at Mammoth Film Festival and Hollywood ShortsFest . Follow at www.heartoftexasmovie.com. IG: laurencnoll

FEATURED FOOD TRUCK:

We invite you to arrive early and check out our brand-new outdoor patio! It’s the perfect spot to relax before the show, enjoy mouthwatering bites from our featured food trucks, and sip on specially crafted themed cocktails. For “Somebody to Love“ we are featuring HAPPY PLACE EATERY, an award-winning food truck nestled in the heart of Ventura County (gearing up to open a new restaurant in Downtown Ventura right on Main St in the Jimmy’s Slice location!). They specialize in a mouthwatering array of Smash Burgers, Wings, Cheese Steaks, Pretzel Bites with Hatch Cheese, and Crispy Fries. We strongly encourage you to get here 2 hours before showtime to allow plenty of time to order and enjoy your meal and make the most of your night! Take a look at their menu below:

Know Before You Go