Will Geer News

Inara George presents Eleni Mandell's Song Club - Music and conversation with some of Los Angeles' best songwriters, including Bhi Bhiman, Inara George, John Goldman, Eleni Mandell, Richard Moore, Van Dyke Parks, Bella Porter, Fred Tackett, Mike Viola and Wendy Wang, moderated by John Horn (KPCC's "The Frame").

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum presents the first-ever revival of a historical melodrama about the Haitian revolution that graced the stage at New York's Lafayette Theatre in Harlem in 1938 as part of the Federal Theatre Project. Haiti by William DuBois will join Theatricum's summer repertory season beginning July 28. Performances will continue at Theatricum's beautiful outdoor venue in Topanga through Sept. 29.

Theatricum Botanicum takes on Shakespeare's stinging drama CORIOLANUS this summer on its outdoor stage in Topanga Canyon and offers an intriguing look at the cynicism of politics and power. The work includes a massive cast of 45. Some are seasoned veterans and many are young actors in the early stages of their careers, including a sweet Geer granddaughter (Quinnlyn Scheppner). Together they bring forth the early days of Rome when democracy was in its infancy and mob mentality could turn the tide in the blink of an eye.

Family Barn Dance and Barbeque  - Celebrate the 4th at Theatricum with a family hoe-down. Activities include live music, a barn dance, pie-eating contest, watermelon seed-spitting contest, cake walk, horseshoes, relay races, dunk bucket, family games, silent auction and more. Barbeque and fixin's, beer and wine available for purchase. Folk and country fun!

 A mystery of hidden pasts, lost loves and false identities in a world where living things cannot grow. Members of the Geer family star in a revival ofThe Chalk Garden by Enid Bagnold, a unique comedy that blends witty humor with insightful truths. Susan Angelo directs Bagnold's captivating psychological chamber piece for a June 30 opening at Theatricum Botanicum's outdoor amphitheater in Topanga.

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams' much loved, absurdist and subversive satire, is presented in a vibrant, fast paced, gender-bending production directed by Madeleine Dahm, from Thursday, June 14 through Sunday, June 17, 2018, including a Science Fiction Costume Night on June 16, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in the Lovelace Studio Theater. After its first appearance as a radio play originally produced by BBC 4 Radio in 1978, Adams' work quickly became a worldwide cult classic celebrated for its sharp wit and ironic style. Dahm's version at The Wallis integrates puppetry, stylized movement, miniature sets and live music to bring the timely political satire to life.  

A parable of mass hysteria that draws a chilling parallel between the Salem witch hunts of 1692 and McCarthyism, which gripped America in the 1950s, The Crucible by Arthur Miller 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 onJune 30. Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer, Will's daughter, is at the helm, with family members Thad Geer,Willow Geer and Melora Marshall featured in the cast.

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.

William Shakespeare'sCoriolanus, a tragedy based on the life of legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus, opens the summer season at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum on June 2.

Momentum Place - This Mother's Day, the 20th annual Momentum Place creates a fantastical world of aerial and circus performers, dancers and musicians in Theatricum Botanicum's rustic outdoor amphitheater. Bring your mother to honor the MOMentum in her life - always on the go for others. Now, she can sit back, relax and enjoy an uncommon afternoon of performance delights that are kid friendly and full of surprises. For an extra treat, enjoy a scrumptious brunch in Theatricum's rustic gardens before the performance.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum is back with an exciting summer line-up of socially conscious theater, music and performance. The Summer 2018 Season, including five plays set to open in rapid succession and perform in repertory throughout the summer together with a host of satellite events, will open June 2 and continue through mid-October in the company's breathtakingly beautiful outdoor Topanga setting.

The Theatre Group at SBCC concludes the 17/18 season with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, CRIMES OF THE HEART by Beth Henley.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum will launch its new Weekend Shakespeare Retreat Friday, March 23rd through Sunday, March 25th on their 9-acre outdoor campus and 299-seat amphitheater nestled in the Santa Monica Mountain Range town of Topanga, California. Throughout the weekend, Theatricum will provide classical theatre workshops for participants taught by professional instructors and international leaders in various techniques related to bringing Shakespeare to life. Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy special discounts from local Topanga's unique business community including bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and retail vendors.

Sideshow Theatre Company is pleased to announce the newest playwrights chosen for its annual "The Freshness Initiative," the company's commissioning and new play development program, now in its fourth year. The 2018 Freshness Initiative will feature PRO-AM, written by Brynne Frauenhoffer and directed by Regina Victor and LORCA PLAY written by Ariel Zetina and directed by artistic director Jonathan L. Green. Free readings of the productions will be presented in July 2018 at Victory Gardens Theater. Sideshow world premieres developed through "The Freshness Initiative" include Kristiana Rae Colon's Tilikum, Philip Dawkins' The Happiest Place on Earth and Calamity West's Give It All Back.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) has announced its nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles, Orange County and Ventura County theatre for the year 2017 (Dec. 1, 2016 Nov. 30, 2017).

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, is pleased to announce that prot g s and mentors have been selected for the organization's new Mentorship Program for Women.

A new production of Playwright Neil Simon's beloved comedy BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, produced by Adrienne Visnic and directed by Brandon Baer strolls into LA's Lyric Hyperion Theatre with an all-star ensemble cast of five set for a limited run November 30 December 3.

A new production of Playwright Neil Simon's beloved comedy BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, produced by Adrienne Visnic and directed by Brandon Baer strolls into LA's Lyric Hyperion Theatre with an all-star ensemble cast of five set for a limited run November 30 December 3.

Newlyweds Paul and Corie are beginning their new life together in a tiny Manhattan walk-up. They couldn't be more different -- he's a straight-laced lawyer, and she's a free spirit who's always looking for the latest adventure. Paul doesn't understand Corie's relaxed ways, and she'd like him to be just a bit more spontaneous. Even something as simple as running 'barefoot in the park' would be a start. Throw in a New York brownstone in constant disrepair, an eccentric neighbor, and a surprise visit from Corie's mother, and watching the ups and downs of married life has never been so enjoyable.

The Athena Cats, a collective of Southern California female playwrights and directors, presents the world premiere of a madcap romantic comedy that's a perfect escape for the holidays. Ashes to Ashes, written by Debbie Bolsky and directed by Katherine James, opens as a visiting production at the Odyssey Theatre on Dec. 9, where it continues through Jan. 14, 2018.