VENTURA — The Rubicon Harmonix and the Museum of Ventura County together will present “Out of the Ashes: Healing in Story and Song,” a unique program, May 11, that honors the shared losses of our community from the Thomas Fire, through spoken word and song. The event will begin with a pre-concert wine reception at 5:15 pm and the 75-minute program will start at 6:00 p.m.
Harmonix, a six-member vocal troupe widely known for its appearances at community and Downtown Ventura events, will perform a program of monologues and vocal selections that touch upon the myriad of experiences and emotions shared by so many in the wake of the Thomas Fire. The program will be produced and directed by Rubicon Theatre Artistic Director Brian McDonald, with musical direction provided by Miriam Arichea.
The stories – compiled by local writers Ivor Davis and Michael Sigman, as well as by McDonald and Arichea – are drawn from poetry, social media posts and blogs written immediately after the fire, as well as interviews with Ventura residents. These stories will be paired with songs from musical theatre (Godspell, Songs from a New World, Dear Evan Hansen) and well-loved familiar pop tunes, including Stand by Me and There’s a Hero, all sung by the talented Harmonix. Special guests from the community will also participate.
Out of the Ashes is a collaboration between Rubicon Theatre and the Museum of Ventura County, which is undertaking an extensive project to create a multidimensional, multimedia series of presentations that capture the remarkable stories of the most devastating natural tragedy in county history. The Harmonix program will be recorded by CAPS media and will become part of the Museum’s repository of stories from the Thomas Fire.
The wine reception will continue after the program, and attendees will have the opportunity to meet the persons whose stories were told. Information will also be available to individuals interested in contributing to the Museum’s own compilation of oral histories.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and proceeds will go toward the Museum’s Thomas Fire project. Tickets can be purchased at https://harmonixoutoftheashes.eventbrite.com