STRIFE by John Galsworthy to be Presented at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
Performances will run from June 21 to October 4.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz May. 20, 2025
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum will present a new production of Strife by Nobel Prize-winning writer and social activist John Galsworthy. Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer and associate artistic director Willow Geer co-direct, with performances joining Theatricum’s repertory season beginning June 21.
In this production of Galsworthy’s 1909 play, Theatricum moves the story to 1890s Pennsylvania amidst the industrial unrest and labor movements of America’s Gilded Age. At the climactic peak of a labor strike, both the workers and the corporation are faced with untenable options. The play’s emphasis on the often-overlooked human consequences of these struggles—particularly the voices of women and families who endure the brunt of the turmoil—highlights how easily leaders on both sides get so caught up in their arguments, that sometimes they forget whom they are fighting for. Galsworthy avoids making clear-cut moral judgments, instead presenting a nuanced exploration of the complexities inherent in labor relations. The play’s even-handed treatment invites audiences to grapple with the intricacies of negotiation and resolution while considering the costs of extremism on both sides.
“Strife remains uncannily relevant in today’s world, where debates over labor rights, corporate responsibility, and economic justice continue to dominate headlines,” state the directors. “We hope audiences will reflect on these urgent issues, all the while experiencing this gripping story of human endurance, sacrifice, and the fragile balance between justice and compromise.”
The Theatricum cast features Franc Ross as John Anthony, founder of the American Steel Corporation and chairman of its board, whose members are portrayed by Lynn Robert Berg, Alan Blumenfeld, Ted Dane, Roman Guastaferro and Andy Stokan. Members of the “Workers’ Committee,” lined up behind firebrand David Roberts (Gerald C. Rivers), are played by Tom Allard, Hunter James and Cavin (CR) Mohrhardt and Rebecca Oca-Nussbaum. Steel plant manager Francis Underwood (Sam Cowan) and union rep Simon Harness (Brian Wallace) find themselves unable to effect compromise, while the women on both sides (Emily Bridges, Clarissa Park, Earnestine Phillips, Annie Reznik, Aubrey Sage and Susan Stangl) and servants (Damon Rutledge) suffer on the sidelines. The large ensemble also includes Marcus Andrews, Luke Bolle, Julius Geer-Polin, Mo Gordon, Danielle McPhaul, Kevin Rauch, Andrew Rodriguez, David Salper, Georgiana Swanson, Aralyn Wilson, Eliott Gray Wilson, Gabe Worstell and Sammie Zenoz.
The Costume Designer is Caitlin Cisek, with lighting designed by Hayden Kirschbaum and sound by Lucas Fehring and Marshall McDaniel. Alex Penner is the prop master and Beth Eslick is the wardrobe supervisor. The production stage manager is Kim Cameron, assisted by Amayah Watson.
Strife will run in rotation every weekend with Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, each of which open earlier in the season. Two additional productions, The Seagull: Malibu, a free adaptation of Chekhov’s classic play, and Wine in the Wilderness, by celebrated writer Alice Childress, will join the repertory season on July 12 and August 9 respectively. Unlike most theaters in the L.A. area that stage continuous runs of a single play, Theatricum will perform all five plays in repertory, making it possible, once they are all up and running, to see all five in a single weekend.
Theatricum’s beginnings can be traced to the early 1950s when Will Geer, a victim of the McCarthy era Hollywood blacklist (before he became known as the beloved Grandpa on The Waltons), opened a theater for blacklisted actors and folk singers on his property in Topanga. Friends such as Ford Rainey, Della Reese, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie joined him on the dirt stage for vigorous performances and inspired grassroots activism, while the audiences sat on railroad ties. Today, two outdoor amphitheaters are situated in the natural canyon ravine, where audiences are able to relax and enjoy the wilderness during an afternoon or evening's performance. Theatricum’s main stage amphitheater sports a new and improved sun shade for increased audience comfort, installed with support from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Ahmanson Foundation. Theatricum is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Margaret Harford Award for “sustained excellence,” which is the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's highest honor.
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