Welcome Parents, Family and Friends!

Four shows written within the last four hundred years, celebrated in their own time and continuously produced to wild acclaim ever since…THAT’S what’s on the line-up at Rubicon Theatre this summer! The enchanting (and complex) characters from Disney’s FROZEN kids, Shakespeare’s masterpiece RICHARD III, the timeless classic FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Jr. and the more recent hit LEGALLY BLONDE will inhabit the intimate and magical Yunker Hall from June 29th through August 11th. Our students, aged 5 to 25, will be performing for you as the  culmination of our four distinct 2-to-4 week youth programs which focus on the fun and rewards of acting, singing, and dancing. Theatre arts programs geared for young people are alive and well in Ventura thanks to generous patrons and audience members like YOU! Thank you for supporting live theatre and our parent organization, the gem that is RUBICON THEATRE COMPANY!

Please enjoy the show and thank you for encouraging the stars of tomorrow!

Warmly & Dramatically Yours,

Joseph Fuqua
Summer Education Director
Rubicon Theatre Company Member since 2000

WYNSUM JO KEARNS (Director and Choreographer)

she/her, is thrilled to be returning to the Stinky Feet production team this summer, this time as the program’s director! As a proud Rubicon Theatre Summer Program alumnus, she is delighted to be giving back to the program and providing a new generation of young performers with the opportunity to grow and shine. Wynsum received her Bachelor of Arts in Drama from UC Irvine in 2016, and since then has been pursuing a successful career in education. She thanks Grandma Jo for getting her involved in the arts at a young age, her mother Jackie for always supporting her artistic endeavors, and all the families of her young performers for trusting her to give their children the same beautiful opportunities for creativity and performance. 

PENELOPE DE SOTO (Production Stage Manager)

is a rising freshman at Sarah Lawrence college, intending to study theatre in the fall. Over the past years she has had a variety of experience both on stage and in tech-crew positions at Ventura High School and various local theatres. This will be Penelope’s second year working on Stinky Feet and she is ecstatic to be a part of Rubicon’s summer youth program.

ANTHONY M. COLOMBO (Scenic and Lighting Designer)

was born in Brooklyn and attended high school in Florida, winning the Young Floridian Award for Drama. First an actor, he attended IRSC on a performance scholarship before attending the University of Florida. While in Gainesville, Anthony served as Resident Stage Manager at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and was Production Stage Manager for Gainesville Opera Theatre Company. He toured North America with productions such as Annie and Beauty and the Beast and served as Head Carpenter for a touring Holiday Cirque show for five years before moving to California. This year marks Anthony’s second season with Rubicon, serving first as Backstage Manager for Almost, Maine, and Associate Technical Director for In the Heights. In addition to his TD duties, this is Anthony’s second year serving as Lighting and Set Designer for Rubicon’s summer education programs. Anthony is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and IATSE. He is thrilled to be part of Rubicon’s 25th Season and a Co-Producer for Ventura Live. He dedicates his creative endeavors to his late best friend Zathy, whose spirit continues to guide us all toward better choices every day.

CHRIS RIOS (Sound Designer/Engineer)

brings over 12 years of experience in audio production across Southern California. He has collaborated with renowned acts including Common, David Crosby, and David Blaine. Chris has also contributed to notable projects such as the hit TV series “Friday Night Vibes” on TBS and served as Stage Manager for “Movement: Presented by Mountain Dew.”

SARAH WILLEY (Prop Designer)

is happy to be back this year! Sarah is an artist and vintage lover who lives in Ventura with her daughter Vivian. Sarah uses her imagination and treasure-hunting skills to create the ideal prop needed for the scene. Previous credits include Sally Sells Seashells, As You Like It, Mamma Mia!, Moana Jr., 101 Dalmatians, Henry V, Addams Family Jr., and Pippin. This will be her third summer working as the Prop Designer for the Rubicon Theatre Summer Education Program.

TARA VANONI (Costume Designer)

began sewing when she was very young. She has always been extremely creative. Besides drawing, painting, collage-making, and floral design, Tara began designing costumes for theatrical shows. In the theatre arts, she found her passion and built a sophisticated skill set in costume patterning, costume construction, wigs, hair, and makeup, as well as sewing machine maintenance. Her speed was and still is regarded as unique by fellow professionals. Tara enjoys the challenge of creating costume design image boards and costume rendering, balancing the designer’s vision with production costs and actor’s needs. She has worked on numerous shows over the last decade with many theatres and creates custom costumes and costumes for cosplay.

LEXI QUOLAS (Assistant Costume Designer)

has been working with Rubicon Theatre since early 2022 and has also had the fortunate pleasure to work on other Rubicon productions like Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, Lonesome Traveler: Generations, In the Heights, and World Premiere New Musical Dark of the Moon. This will be her second year working with the education program. Previous to working with Rubicon, Lexi was a part of the theatre department at Ventura Community College, working as a Costume Design Assistant, Lead Hair and Makeup, and Prop Assistant for several productions including The Addams Family, Hansel and Gretel: An Opera, These Shining Lives, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Other productions in which she has been involved include Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific, and La Traviata. Outside of working in the theatre arts, Lexi she has made a career as a professional makeup artist and hair stylist for over 12 years. Her TV and film credits include “Only Here and Now,” “The Countdown,” “Divided,” “Take the Money and Run,”, “Faraway,” and “Olympia.” Lexi holds separate Associates degrees in Arts & Humanities, Photography, and Social Media from Ventura College, as well as Proficiency Awards in Makeup and Costuming; and a BA in Art: Drawing from CSUN, She believes there is no limitation to education and continues to improve her knowledge. www.Lexi-Quolas.com

JOSEPH FUQUA (Summer Program Director)

is the founder of Rubicon’s Fearless Shakespeare program, now in its thirteenth year. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, his Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include Brighton Beach Memoirs and 110 in the Shade at Lincoln Center. Regionally, Joseph has appeared at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, Dallas Theatre Center and Ensemble Theatre. On television, Joseph guest starred in “The X-Files,” “The Profiler,” “Brooklyn South,” “The Pretender,” “Chicago Hope,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” and “Becker.” Film credits include J.E.B. Stuart in “Gettysburg” opposite Martin Sheen, a role he reprised in “Gods and Generals.” In 2000, Joseph joined Rubicon Theatre as the first company member in 2000. Roles at Rubicon include the title role in Hamlet (Indy Award), The Boys Next Door (Indy Award), The Rainmaker (Robby Award and Rep Award), All My Sons (Ovation Award), Bruce Wagner in Conviction, Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, Marshal Johnson in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Pap in Big River, and, Thomas Allen in Dark of the Moon.

JULIA DONLON (Summer Production and Company Manager)

was born and raised in Oxnard, California, and graduated from Pepperdine University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Production Design with an emphasis in Stage Management. She spent the years following doing theatre onboard a cruise ship in New Zealand, Ventura County, and around Los Angeles. Previous credits include the Ventura Live Series, “A” Train, The World Goes Round, Almost, Maine, In the Heights (Rubicon Theatre), Calvin Berger (The Colony Theatre), Accommodation (Odyssey Theatre) Broadway @ The (Bourbon Room), and The Abode (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). While working at Rubicon as the Production Manager, Company Manager, and in-house Stage Manager, Julia also represents Pennies, a local Ventura alternative pop-punk band.

ANTHONY M. COLOMBO (Technical Director) see bio under PRODUCTION TEAM BIOS