Rubicon Theatre gets biggest donation ever, will buy visiting artists’ residence
Rubicon Theatre Company, a professional company in Ventura, has received the biggest donation in its history, some of which will go to buy a four-unit residential property to house visiting artists and performers, the company announced Jan. 11.
The gifts total $2.3 million, and come from Karyn Jackson of Arcadia, a former Ventura resident; her sister Nancy Allen of Ventura; and Nancy Allen’s husband, Leo Allen. The family donated the down payment for a $1.5 million four-plex in downtown Ventura, near the theater, and Jackson also pledged a donation of $1.6 million from her estate.
In honor of the gifts, Rubicon will name its venue on Main Street the “Rubicon Theatre Company at The Karyn Jackson Theatre,” and it will name the visiting artists’ residence in Nancy Allen’s honor. The name of the company itself will remain the same.
Rubicon is planning a public ceremony to mark the changes in February.
Rubicon was founded in 1998, and the nonprofit theater company has never received a gift as big as the ones from the Allen/Jackson family, according to the company’s news release.
“It is a remarkable tribute to the world-class artistry that has been a hallmark of Rubicon productions, and a vote of confidence in the future,” Doug Halter, the chairman of the Rubicon board and a Ventura city councilman, said in the release. “We could not be more touched by the largesse of these special friends, or more grateful to them for making sure that Rubicon is here for future generations.”
