Jodi Kimura Featured in ‘Women Beyond Borders’

From left: Cristina Frias, Jodi Kimura, Michael Learned, Ukla Simone Mohanty, Jennifer Leigh Warren

VENTURA — “Women Beyond Borders,” a celebration of the voices and visions of women throughout the world, is being performed through June 2 at the Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main St. in Ventura.

Some years ago, a groundbreaking group of women artists determined to make art that could affect the world. They sent small wooden boxes to women throughout the world and asked them to create works of art around the idea of “Women Beyond Borders.” What came back started a global phenomenon — astonishing pieces, along with statements that were by turns exquisitely beautiful, deeply painful, joyously uplifting and full of heartbreak and anger.

In this world premiere, presented in the style of “The Vagina Monologues” and “Love, Loss and What I Wore,” actors perform stories, poems and songs about transcending geographical, emotional and spiritual barriers.

Featuring a new group of actors each week, including Tony, Emmy and Obie award-winners. This week’s cast: Cristina Frias, Jodi Kimura, Michael Learned, Ukla Simone Mohanty, Jennifer Leigh Warren.

Directed by Jenny Sullivan. Written by Claire Bowman, Karyl Lynn Burns, Lauren Patten and Beverly Ward, with additional material by Stephanie Coltrin and Sandra Tsing Loh.

Showtimes: Friday, May 17, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 18, at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m. Tickets: $25 to $55.

For more information, call (805) 667-2900 or visit https://www.rubicontheatre.org.

About Jodi Kimura

Kimura is a nationally and internationally critically acclaimed actor and singer from Maui. She recently appeared as Rosie in Sacramento Music Circus’ “Mamma Mia” right after doing it at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn, N.Y. Before that, she appeared as Mrs. Kipfer in Tim Rice’s new musical “From Here to Eternity” at the Ogunquit Playhouse. She was featured in “If All the Sky Were Paper” alongside Annette Benning, Laura Dern, Brad Hall, Common and Gary Cole at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in L.A. and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Kimura starred as Bloody Mary in the first national tour of Lincoln Center’s Tony Award-winning “South Pacific” (directed by Bartlett Sher), for which she was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Supporting Actress. She took her Bloody Mary across the pond and was the only American in the first national tour of Lincoln Center’s “South Pacific” in the U.K. Since then she has reprised the role at Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Florida), Riverside Theatre (Florida), Gateway Theatre (New York), and, in California, Musical Theatre West, La Mirada Theatre, Palos Verdes Performing Arts’ Norris Theatre, and Rubicon Theatre Company.

Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis hand-picked Kimura to appear as Juno in the world premiere of “Another Side of the Island,” which Dukakis co-wrote, co-directed and starred in, along with Louis Zorich, Apollo Dukakis and Lynn Cohen.

Other regional favorites include: “World Goes Round” (Woman 1 and 3), “The Full Monty” (Vicky), “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Marcy), “Godspell” (Sonia), “Jesus Christ Superstar” (Mary), “Man of La Mancha” (Aldonza), “Phantom of the Opera” (Mdme. Giry) “Ruddigore” (Mad Margaret), and “Gondoliers” (Tessa).

Kimura was an artist-in-residence at Central City Opera, an apprentice artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, and a soloist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. She was also a featured performer at the Crystal Palace in Aspen for many years. She received a B.A. in communication, a B.A. in music and a Master’s of Vocal Performance, all from the University of Colorado in Boulder.

On the Web: https://www.jodikimura.com/