Will Geer News

Knot Free Productions presents In Trousers, a 'prequel' to William Finn's groundbreaking March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, directed by Ryan O'Connor.

William Shakespeare's rollicking and ever-popular comedy of mistaken identity, TWELFTH NIGHT, brings its magical combination of mischief, madness and romance into the outdoor amphitheater at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum this summer where it plays in rep through September 28. Written in 1601 and first seen in the Inns of Court shortly after Christmas (hence, the title), the holiday was celebrated as a festival during which everything was made delightfully topsy-turvy, much like the world of the play's Illyria. And you could not ask for a more ideal cast of characters to bring The Bard's non-stop, high energy hijinks to life.

Last season's acclaimed, Ovation recommended production of The Gin Game, directed by Christian Lebano at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, will be re-staged outdoors at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum, with real life husband and wife team Alan Blumenfeld and Katherine James reprising their roles.

Botanicum Seedlings: A Development Series for Playwrights -Botanicum Seedlings augments Theatricum Botanicum's summer repertory season with free readings of two new plays about American families confronting their very particular legacies across generations. Readings take place under the oaks in Theatricum's intimate S. Mark Pavilion outdoor space in Topanga. Admission is free.

Two venerable Los Angeles intimate theaters will each host a Mueller Report Read-A-Thon, offering Angelenos the opportunity to hear the Mueller Report read aloud, in its entirety, on either side of the City. The Fountain Theatre in East Hollywood will host a single, 15-hour event on Thursday, July 18 from 9 a.m. to midnight. The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in West L.A. will hold a separate marathon reading, breaking it up into two 8-hour sessions on Monday, July 22 and Tuesday, July 23, each from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission to both Read-A-thons is free and open to the public.

The Skin of Our Teeth, the Pulitzer Prize-winning tribute to the indestructibility of the human race by Thornton Wilder, opens on the beautiful outdoor stage at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum on Saturday,July 13, where performances continue through Sept. 29. 

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum continues its mission to resist and struggle against the forces of inequality and injustice by presenting socially conscious classics that speak to today. A new version of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, freely adapted by artistic director Ellen Geer and co-directed by Geer and Melora Marshall, joins Theatricum's 2019 summer repertory season beginning Saturday, June 22.

The Wallis Studio Ensemble's latest production THE HITCH-HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY will open at The Wallis June 6, 2019. Established in 2016 by theatre director and choreographer Madeleine Dahm, WSE (in partnership with GRoW @ The Wallis) strives to share the arts with audiences of all ages. One of WSE's four original company members Alexander Sheldon will be performing multiple roles onstage and off in HITCH-HIKER. Alexander made some time available to answer my queries between his never-ending multi-tasking for WSE.

Mischief, madness and romance are in the air this summer when Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum presents William Shakespeare's rollicking comedy, Twelfth Night, in its magical, outdoor Topanga amphitheater. Twelfth Night opens Theatricum's summer repertory season onSaturday, June 1 at 8 p.m., where performances will continue through Sept. 28.

A celebration of one of the greatest novels ever written and a triumph of theatrical imagination. Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum presents Moby Dick-Rehearsed by Orson Welles.

Mischief, madness and romance are in the air this summer when Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum presents William Shakespeare's rollicking comedy, Twelfth Night, in its magical, outdoor Topanga amphitheater. Twelfth Night opens Theatricum's summer repertory season on Saturday, June 1 at 8 p.m., where performances will continue through Sept. 28.

The Guys - In tribute to our own first responders and brave Woolsey Fire fighters, Dan Lauria (This Is Us, The Wonder Years) and Wendie Malick (This Is Us, Just Shoot Me, Hot In Cleveland) star in the acclaimed two-hander by Anne Nelson about the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. In Nelson's play. Nick, an FDNY captain who lost most of his men that day, and Joan, a writer who helps Nick prepare their eulogies, discover friendship and a shared love for the spirit of New York City.

Spring has sprung, andWill Geer's Theatricum Botanicum is thrilled to announce its annual summer line-up of theater, music and performance in its unique and stunning outdoor setting in Topanga. The Summer 2019 Season will include six plays opening in rapid succession and performed in repertory throughout the summer, along with a host of satellite events.

Back by popular demand, Warriors for Peace Theatre presents another night of The Women of Shakespeare. Come and take a journey through the world of Shakespeare through the eyes of glorious women. This is an opportunity for some of LA's most exciting actresses to delve into the most compelling characters in William Shakespeare's litany of work. Under the direction of Susan Angelo, one of the foremost Shakespeare instructors and directors in the Los Angeles area.

Hudson Theatre Works Presents"The Caretaker'by Harold Pinter at their new space 80 Hauxhurst Avenue Weehawken, NJ 07086 on February 21 thru March 10 Today - Saturday @8pm, Sunday @5pm

Hudson Theatre Works Presents"The Caretaker'by Harold Pinter at their new space 80 Hauxhurst Avenue Weehawken, NJ 07086 on February 21 thru March 10 Thursday - Saturday @8pm, Sunday @5pm

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC), which presented its first awards for excellence in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Ventura County a half-century ago, has begun the gala celebration of its 50th anniversary by announcing its nominations for the year 2018 (Dec. 1, 2017 - Nov. 30, 2018).

Valley Youth Theatre (VYT) opens the only play of their 30th anniversary season, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, this Friday, February 8, at 7:00 pm, at Valley Youth Theatre.  In addition to opening night, public performances include Saturdays and Sundays, February 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm.

Hudson Theatre Works will present Harold Pinter's masterpiece, 'The Caretaker.'

The Wallis Studio Ensemble presents S.O.S.,  an original multi-media physical theatre work about love and resilience in times of crisis, directed by Madeleine Dahm, from Thursday, January 31 through Sunday, February 10, 2019 at the Circle X Theatre (Please note: S.O.S.is not  being performed at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, but at the Circle X Theatre in Atwater Village). The production uses little known love letters by great writers and activists such as Vita Sackville West, Frederick Douglas, Maya Angelou, Tchaikovsky, Frida Kahlo, Virginia Woolf, Rainer Maria Rilke and others, along with original text, movement, film and photography.