Gerald C Rivers News

Theatricum's 'Under the Oaks' series brings performance and live music to the Topanga woods in the intimate S. Mark Taper Pavilion at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum.

Seeing a play where Shakespeare's unfortunate characters escape the city and seek refuge in the Forest of Arden is even more enjoyable when experienced in the idyllic setting of Theatricum Botanicum's natural outdoor theater. Every time I go, I am reminded what an oasis it is in a city overwhelmed with urban sprawl.

A poignant look at justice and the human spirit as told through the eyes of a young girl, Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, continues this summer's 'Americana' season at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum, opening tonight, June 13 at 7:30 p.m.

A poignant look at justice and the human spirit as told through the eyes of a young girl, Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, continues this summer's 'Americana' season at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum, opening June 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum kicks off its 2015 'Americana' season with an all-American staging of William Shakespeare's As You Like It, re-set in the divided South of the post-Civil War era and featuring traditional American folk music and dance from that period. As You Like It opens on Sunday, June 7 at 3:30 p.m.

A frightening thing happens when a woman plays the title role in a gender-reversed King Lear; the betrayal and revenge between mother and sons takes on an added level of horror. What was already tragic to begin with, as originally written for a father and daughters, now feels even more threatening in the reverse.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum kicks off its All-Shakespeare Summer Season in celebration of the Bard's 450th birthday with a gender-reversed Lear for the 21st century, opening tonight, Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m. in the theater's spectacular outdoor amphitheater in Topanga Canyon.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum kicks off its All-Shakespeare Summer Season in celebration of the Bard's 450th birthday with a gender-reversed Lear for the 21st century, opening on Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m., and the return of the company's signature rendering of A Midsummer Night's Dream, with performances beginning Sunday, June 8 at 3:30 p.m. The two productions will continue to run in repertory through the end of Sept. in the theater's spectacular outdoor amphitheater nestled in a Topanga Canyon ravine, and will be joined later in the season by three additional mainstage offerings.

Okay, I'll say it. I haven't seen a production of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW that comes anywhere close to this vivid interpretation of the story. It is spectacular!

Opposites attract, and forces of nature and desire bring lovers together with unexpected results. Theatricum Botanicum kicks off its 40th Anniversary season with two of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies: The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Ellen Geer, opens on Saturday, June 1; one day later, on Sunday, June 2, Theatricum's signature production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, co-directed by Willow Geer and Melora Marshall, hits the boards. Both plays will continue in repertory throughout the summer as Theatricum sets out to celebrate 40 years of theater, music, poetry and performance in the Topanga woods.

Check out a retro TV spot for WRECK-IT-RALPH, the bad-guy character in a classic arcade game who longs to be a hero!

A new international trailer for Walt Disney Pictures' WRECK-IT-RALPH has been released. Opening in theaters on November 2nd, the animated comedy features the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Ed O'Neill, Mindy Kaling, and Adam Carolla. Get a first look below!

This summer, Theatricum Botanicum examines the inequity of a rigid moralistic government and the effect upon its citizens in Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Director Ellen Geer maximizes the impact of the play's themes by moving the time period to the pressure cooker era of the late 1960s, a perfect choice for the Toganga Canyon venue which already feels like you've taken a trip back in time the minute you walk in.

It's the battle of the sexes this summer when Theatricum Botanicum pairs two of the Bard's most foolishly romantic plays. Kicking off Theatricum's six-play repertory season during the first weekend of June, artistic director Ellen Geer directs The Merry Wives of Windsor, opening on Saturday, June 4 at 8 pm.