ROMEO & JULIET and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM to Open Outdoor Summer Season at Theatricum Botanicum
All performances will run in repertory at Theatricum’s outdoor theater nestled in the heart of Topanga.
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Cross the bridge from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum and immerse yourself in live theater set against Topanga Canyon. Kicking off the summer repertory season on June 6 and June 7 are Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream — two productions that blend timeless storytelling with the natural splendor of Theatricum’s outdoor venue. Later in the summer, the repertory lineup will expand to include Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island (as reimagined by company artistic director Ellen Geer), Noël Coward’s Waiting in the Wings, and the newest play by Bernardo Cubría, The People of Pompeii. All performances will run in repertory at Theatricum’s outdoor theater nestled in the heart of Topanga.
Co-directors Ellen Geer and Willow Geer have set their Romeo and Juliet in New York City during the tumultuous Gilded Age, a period marked by stark social inequality and rampant industrialization. Through this lens, the famous love story becomes not just a tragedy, but a powerful warning about the costs of division, hatred and fear. Teens Asher Hagler and Quinnlyn Scheppner star as the star-crossed lovers.
The ensemble cast includes David Benne as Tybalt, Connor Bowen as Mr. Mulligan (Lord Montague), Jesse Corwin as Benvolio, Rhett Curry as Mercutio, Ethan Haslam as Paris, Brooke Heatley as Mrs. Mulligan, Michelle Jasso as Mrs. Callahan (Lady Capulet), Max Lawrence as Friar Lawrence, Shane McDermott as Father John, Michelle Merring as the Apothecary, Christopher Miles as Sampson, Elijah Reyes as Abraham, Ethan Ricks as Balthasar, Franc Ross as the Magistrate, Jon Sprik as Mr. Callahan and Ellen Geer as the Nurse. Taking on a variety of smaller roles are Cole Dechant, Asher Edwards, Kiley Fallon, Estrella Garcia-Starr, Abbs Stoiber and Elliott Grey-Wilson. The creative team includes fight choreographer Cavin (CR) Mohrhardt, Costume Designer A Jeffrey Schoenberg, lighting designer Geoff Barton, sound designer Irene Silbert, properties master Shoshanna Green and wardrobe supervisor Beth Eslick. The assistant director is Natalia Jofre and the production stage manager is Karen Osborne, assisted by Amayah Watson. Sophie Edwards is production assistant.
Romeo and Juliet opens on Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through September 26.
On Sunday, June 7 at 3:30 p.m., Theatricum’s signature production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream returns for its opening matinee performance. Set against the natural backdrop of Topanga’s woods, this production requires no elaborate set design to conjure Shakespeare’s enchanted forest brimming with magic, mischief and romance. Audiences of all ages will be enchanted by the whimsical entanglements of four lovers, a troupe of bumbling actors, and the mischievous fairies who meddle with them.
Willow Geer co-directs alongside Jonathan Blandino, who also plays Theseus. Returning cast members include Christopher Glenn Gilstrap as Puck, Max Lawrence and Aubrey Saverino as Oberon and Titania, and Alan Blumenfeld and Katherine James as Bottom and Quince. Sophia Dawson returns as Hermia, this year opposite Edwin Zha as Lysander, Aubrey Sage as Helena, and Rhett Curry as Demetrius. The rest of the cast includes Garry Geiken (Egeus); Marcello Padilla (Philostrate); Cortney Wright (Hippolyta); Luke Bolle, Tomás François and Asa Fris (the Mechanicals); Aubrey Clyburn, Anay Deo, Caitlin Durkin, Julius Geer-Polin, Luther Geer-Polin, Amy Goldring, Sarah Hajmomenian, Georgiana Swanson, Jessica Williams, Gemariah Williams-Morgan and Aralyn Clare Wilson (Fairies); Polina Davydov, Mariana Lilla and Victoria Spelman (Amazons); Asher Edwards, Christopher Miles, Nicholas Martinez, and Elijah Reyes (Lords); and Ivy Geer-Polin (Changeling Child). The creative team includes fight choreographer Cavin (CR) Mohrhardt, Costume Designer Tracy Wahl, lighting designer Hayden Kirschbaum, properties master Shohanna Green and wardrobe supervisor Beth Eslick. The production stage manager is Kim Cameron, who also designs sound. The assistant stage manager is Abbs Stoiber, and Sophie Edwards is production assistant. Live musical effects are created on stage by Sky Wahl. A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs through October 10.
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