June 2018
Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum 2018 Summer Season
The summer season of five mainstage productions kicks off on June 2 with Coriolanus, William Shakespeare’s searing tragedy about a leader who has nothing but contempt for the common people. Also on the mainstage, Opening June 3: Theatricum’s signature production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Opening June 16: The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s timeless — and timely — tale of truth on trial; Opening June 30: Enid Bagnold’s delightful classic, The Chalk Garden, starring members of the Geer family; Opening July 28: Haiti, William DuBois’ historical drama, written in 1938 for the Federal Theatre Project, about the…
Find out more »September 2018
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Theatricum brings back its signature production, an audience favorite with a set design unrivaled by any other theater - because it's the real thing. The most magical outdoor setting in Los Angeles is once again transformed into an enchanted forest inhabited by lovers both fairy and human. Shakespeare conjures a world of wonder, magic and romance where comical misunderstandings and the pain of unrequited love are resolved, and all is reconciled through midsummer night revelries and the…
Find out more »Shakespeare’s ‘Coriolanus’
Coriolanus — An allegory for today’s tumultuous times, Shakespeare’s searing tragedy is a cautionary tale of political manipulation and revenge. Rome, a city where the one-percenters rule, is led by a populist general who has nothing but contempt for the common people and is unable to reconcile his disdain for the citizens with his love of country. WHO: • Written by William Shakespeare • Directed by Ellen Geer and Melora Marshall • Starring David DeSantos (Latino Theater Company production of The Sweetheart Deal; Cloud 9 at Antaeus; Macbeth at A Noise Within) in the…
Find out more »Theatricum’s ‘Under the Oaks’ salon series
Under the Oaks — Four evenings of live music and performance outdoors in the intimate S. Mark Taper Pavilion at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum. WHEN: • Friday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. Composers Collective — Theatricum resident composer Marshall McDaniel brings together some of the entertainment industry’s most prominent contemporary musical scorers of TV, film and stage, including Danny Elfman and Harry Gregson-Williams, to perform original works and world premiere musical compositions. WHERE: Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Topanga, CA 9029 (midway…
Find out more »‘Haiti’ by William DuBois
Haiti — A revival of William DuBois’ historical melodrama about the 1802 overthrow of the colonial Haitian government by Toussaint L’Ouverture. Subtitled “A drama of the black Napoleon,” Haiti was presented in 1938 by the Negro Theatre Unit of the Federal Theatre Project in a radical and controversial production that saw white and black actors performing onstage together at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. WHO: • Written by William DuBois • Directed by Ellen Geer • Starring Altsea Baker, Louis Baker, Tavis L. Baker, Fabian Cook Jr., Tiffany Coty, Alexa Crismon, Kaila…
Find out more »Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’
The Crucible — Arthur Miller’s classic parable of mass hysteria that draws a chilling parallel between the Salem witch hunts of 1692 and McCarthyism, which gripped America in the 1950s, remains eerily timely in today’s climate of fake news. Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, its own history firmly rooted in the McCarthy-era Hollywood blacklist — when actor Will Geer and his wife, Herta Ware, created the theater as a haven for blacklisted actors — opens a new production of Miller’s modern classic…
Find out more »Enid Bagnold’s ‘The Chalk Garden’
The Chalk Garden — Members of the Geer family star in a revival of Enid Bagnold’s delightful classic. Dyed-in-the-wool British dowager Mrs. St. Maugham is a selfish eccentric who spends her days gardening, but can't make anything grow. Her teenage granddaughter, Laurel, is a precocious liar. When enigmatic Miss Madrigal is hired as household companion and manager, the two finally meet their match. WHO: • Written by Enid Bagnold • Directed by Susan Angelo • Starring Ellen Geer, Willow Geer and Melora Marshall • Presented by Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum WHEN:…
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