‘Wendy’s Peter Pan’ brings
Neverland to life at Theatricum 

Calling all young-at-heart: Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum has transformed its uniquely beautiful outdoor amphitheater into the imaginary isle of Neverland for a magical production of Wendy’s Peter Pan. Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer directs her “retelling” of the 1904 play by J.M. Barrie, with performances running June 22 through October 4.

“This beloved, classic fairytale of a boy who refuses to grow up was written 120 years ago,” notes Geer. “Like Shakespeare, the adventures in Neverland will remain in our vocabulary and hearts forever. May our next generation never lose the innocence of belief in other worlds and other ways.”

All the familiar characters are present as now grown-up Wendy (Willow Geer) recounts her marvelous childhood adventure to her own children. The tale comes to life on Theatricum’s wooded stage as Wendy recalls how she and her brothers (Quinnlyn Scheppner as young Wendy, Jaz Bennassar as John, Julius Geer-Polin as Michael) flew off to Neverland with Peter Pan (Gabrielle Beauvais), cared for the Lost Boys (Cole Dechant, Emelie Dechant, Asher Edwards, Logan Filippi, Luther Geer-Polin, Schroeder Shelby-Szyszk, Aster Laine Smith, Georgiana Swanson, Aralyn Clare Wilson, Elliott Grey Wilson), and crossed paths with Tiger Lily (Ianthe Marini), a mermaid (Robyn Cohen), Captain Hook (Lynn Robert Berg), the pirates (Hunter James, Craig “Linc” Lincoln, John Ellsworth Phillips, Kevin Rauch, Adam Roberts, Sky Wahl) and, of course… Tinkerbell.

The creative team includes composer and musical arranger Marshall McDaniel, choreographer Lexi Pearl, and fight choreographer Cavin (CR) Mohrhardt. Costume design is by Tracy Wahl, lighting design is by Zach Moore, and sound design is by Grant Escandón. Ian Geatz is the prop master and Beth Eslick is the wardrobe supervisor. The assistant director is Hannah Froman. The production stage manager is Kim Cameron, assisted by Alex Penner.

Wendy’s Peter Pan will run in rotation every weekend with Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, each of which open earlier in the season. Upcoming, productions of Tartuffe: Born Again, translated and adapted from Molière by Freyda Thomas, and The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote, a new play by Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubría, will join the repertory season on July 13 and August 24 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 to see them all in a single weekend once they are all up and running.

Other events taking place at Theatricum this season include comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe Off the Grid at the end of each month (June 28, July 25, Aug. 30, Sept. 26); the Under the Oaks salon series on Fridays in September, and Theatricum’s fourth annual Holiday Family Faire on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Theatricum Botanicum has been named “One of the 50 Coolest Places in Los Angeles” by Buzz magazine, “One of Southern California’s most beguiling theater experiences” by Sunset magazine, and “Best Theater in the Woods” by the LA Weekly. “The enchantment of a midsummer night at Theatricum Botanicum [makes it] crystal clear why audiences have been driving up into the hills since Theatricum’s maiden season way back in 1973. Summer Shakespeare doesn’t get any better than this,” writes StageSceneLA. Says Los Angeles magazine, “The amphitheater feels like a Lilliputian Hollywood Bowl, with pre-show picnics and puffy seat cushions, yet we were close enough to see the stitching on the performers costumes. Grab a blanket and a bottle and head for the hills.” In 2017, Theatricum was named “one of the best outdoor theaters around the world” by the Daily Beast.

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 Ahmamson 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.

Wendy’s Peter Pan opens on Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. and continues to run in repertory through October 4. For a complete schedule of performances, scroll all the way down or visit the website. Tickets range from $15 to $48; premium seating is available for $60. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available for the performance on Friday, July 26, which will also feature a prologue (pre-show discussion) from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. Please note: Topanga Canyon Blvd is currently closed between the theater and PCH; to access Theatricum from the Valley, exit the 101 at Topanga Canyon Blvd. South.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 455-3723 or visit theatricum.com

Does your complaint need to be ESCALATED? Here’s your chance to speak with The Supervisor HIMSELF! Book your personalized session now via our tickets tab or message us if you’d like to schedule a custom performance time not listed!

This show is a solo interactive experience (for 1-2 audience members in the same party) unlike anything you’ve EVER seen, at a TOP SECRET location that’s never been used theatrically before!

Go to www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10867 for performance dates and times for these 30 minute performances.

Please note, the starting point for this one-on-one experience is the “NO TRUCKS OVER 6,000 LBS” sign at the corner of S. Santa Monica Blvd & W. Lillian Way, which is across the street from The Broadwater Plunge on Lillian.

The Supervisor will sync up with you there at the start of your performance time and will then guide you to his Top Secret Office location nearby and will escort you back to the sign/starting point once ‘all business has concluded’ at his office.

Please be aware that this immersive, interactive experience includes walking to and from the meeting point to The Supervisor’s Temp Office and upon arriving to the undisclosed office, riding in an elevator. If you are uncomfortable with enclosed spaces, this may not be the show for you.

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have! Feel free to drop us a line anytime.

www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10867

Learn More at linktr.ee/thecomplaintsdept

*HFF2023 Producer’s Encore Award winner, HFF2023 Jaxx Cultural Envoy Nominee and HFF2023 Best Solo Performance Nominee

MISSIONS is about A queer, mixed-indigenous teen who goes on a mission trip to her family’s ancestral homelands with her suburban church youth group and realizes… she’s with the bad guys.

From the creator of “This Was Never Supposed To Be A One Woman Show (A One Woman Show)” (HFF 2023 Encore Producer’s Award Winner, Jaxx Cultural Envoy Nominee and Best Solo Performance Nominee) comes a funny, chaotic, irreverent coming of age story about how childhood, spirituality, nature, sexuality, colonization and intergenerational legacy intersect, and how God has quite the sense of humor.

This show combines sound healing techniques, temperature/touch, smellscapes, and audience interaction to create an immersive, sensory rich experience.

Friday July 12 2024, 7:00 PM

Friday July 26 2024, 7:00 PM

‘Tartuffe: Born Again’ is hilarious, modern–day
adaptation of Molière at Theatricum 

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum presents a hilarious satire about greed, corruption and hypocrisy. In Tartuffe: Born Again, translator and adaptor Freyda Thomas puts a contemporary spin on the original French play, recasting Molière’s Tartuffe as a deposed televangelist who takes advantage of his naïve and gullible host to rook him and his family of their money. Performances run July 13 through October 13 at Theatricum’s beautiful outdoor venue in Topanga.

Moliere’s legendary comedic characters are wonderfully at home in this present day version, which is set in a religious television studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and written wholly in delightful modern verse. David DeSantos (last seen at Theatricum as Coriolanus) headlines in the title role, while Lynn Robert Berg (concurrently appearing as Captain Hook on the same stage in Wendy’s Peter Pan) stars as Orgon. Michelle Jasso (now on Theatricum’s stage as Emelia in The Winter’s Tale) plays Elmire; Jon Sprik (Richard III in last season’s War of the Roses) portrays Damis; Jonathan Blandino (multiple appearances at Theatricum, including Oberon in last summer’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) plays Cleante; Cynthia Kania (most recently seen at Theatricum in War of the Roses) is Mrs. Pernell; and Isabel Stallings (also starring as Helena in this season’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) is Maryann opposite Ethan Haslam (Theatricum’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and Trouble the Water) as Valere. Also in the cast are company members Blaire Battle, Ted Dane, Shoshanna Green, Rebecca Oca-Nussbaum, Sky Wahl and Timothy Willard. The production is directed by Melora Marshall.

“How do you stop an invasive, cultish worm who uses lies of Biblical proportions to wind his way into your family life, your town, your city… your country?” asks Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer. “Through the brilliant storytelling of Molière and Freyda Thomas’s clever adaptation in rhyming couplets, we watch a Southern family in the 1980s begin to recognize a taker in their midst. Hilarious mayhem ensues as they recognize the danger, rise up and remove the culprit.”

Set and props are by Ian Geatz, lighting is by Hayden Kirschbaum and costumes are by Vicki Conrad. Music is compiled and arranged by Kellen McDaniel and Marshall McDaniel, with sound design by Grant Escandón. Berber Heerema is the assistant director. Beth Eslick is the wardrobe supervisor and Amayah Watson is the assistant stage manager. The production stage manager is Karen Osborne.

Tartuffe: Born Again will run in rotation every weekend with The Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Wendy’s Peter Pan, each of which open earlier in the season. Upcoming, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote, a new political comedy by Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubría, will join the repertory season on August 24. 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 to see them all in a single weekend once they are all up and running.

Other events taking place at Theatricum this season include comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe Off the Grid at the end of each month (June 28, July 25, Aug. 30, Sept. 26); the Under the Oaks salon series on Fridays in September, and Theatricum’s fourth annual Holiday Family Faire on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Theatricum Botanicum has been named “One of the 50 Coolest Places in Los Angeles” by Buzz magazine, “One of Southern California’s most beguiling theater experiences” by Sunset magazine, and “Best Theater in the Woods” by the LA Weekly. “The enchantment of a midsummer night at Theatricum Botanicum [makes it] crystal clear why audiences have been driving up into the hills since Theatricum’s maiden season way back in 1973. Summer Shakespeare doesn’t get any better than this,” writes StageSceneLA. Says Los Angeles magazine, “The amphitheater feels like a Lilliputian Hollywood Bowl, with pre-show picnics and puffy seat cushions, yet we were close enough to see the stitching on the performers costumes. Grab a blanket and a bottle and head for the hills.” In 2017, Theatricum was named “one of the best outdoor theaters around the world” by the Daily Beast.

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 Ahmamson 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.

Tartuffe: Born Again opens on Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. and continues to run in repertory through October 13. A prologue (pre-show discussion) will take place on Sunday, Aug. 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. For a complete schedule of performances, scroll all the way down or visit the website. Tickets range from $15 to $48; premium seating is available for $60. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available for the performance on Monday, Sept. 9 (may be purchased online one week prior to the performance, or cash at the door).

The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 455-3723 or visit theatricum.com

Echo Theater Company presents West Coast premiere of
darkly funny, off–beat ‘Dido of Idaho’ by Abby Rosebrock 

The Echo Theater Company presents a very dark comedy about the lengths to which a woman might go for the love of a good man. Abigail Deser directs the West Coast premiere of Dido of Idaho by Abby Rosebrock, running July 20 through August 26 at Atwater Village Theatre. Three Pay-What-You-Want previews are set for July 17, 18 and 19.

Alana Dietze (Echo productions of Everything Will Be Different, for which she was Ovation nominated, Gloria, An Undivided Heart) brings us Nora, a lovelorn baroque musicologist with a drinking problem, who is head-over-heels for an English professor, Michael, played by Joby Earle (Indecent at CTG, War Horse on Broadway). Unfortunately, this particular good man has already been claimed by Crystal (Nicole Duport, seen in Cry It Out and Gloria at the Echo), a former Miss Idaho with a penchant for home manicures. When the extramarital hijinks go brutally awry, Nora flees to the Rocky Mountains to seek comfort from her estranged mother, Julie (Julie Dretzin, previously at the Echo in Babe) and Julie’s new partner, Esther (Elissa Middleton of Here After and Small Time, both streaming on Amazon Prime). In her desperate bid to find compassion, Nora risks losing the only family she’s ever had — maybe forever.

“This play is wonderfully raw, original, authentic and funny,” says Deser. “Nora faces her own potential annihilation because she only knows how to exist in the reflection of the male gaze. Self-love is the only beacon that might help her find her way back to safe shores.”

The title of the play is derived from the story of Dido and Aeneas. In the course of his travels, Aeneas stops in Carthage, where he has a passionate love affair with the recently widowed Queen Dido. As soon as he learns that the gods have assigned him another, more glorious fate, Aeneas abandons Dido, whereupon she kills herself in rage and despair.

“I wanted to write about a woman who feels hopeless of ever being loved, and to imagine a way out of that for her,” Rosebrock explained in an interview. “The only way to make that kind of play bearable for me or for anyone experiencing it is to make it as funny and exciting as possible. My hope has been that crafting a lot of physical comedy, wordplay and rapid-fire punchlines, all situated in something like realism, makes the story something people can really inhale, even as it challenges them.”

The creative team includes scenic designer Amanda Knehans, lighting designer Xinyuan Li, sound designer Alysha Grace Bermudez, costume designer Dianne K Graebner, make-up designer Jennifer Pritchard and fight choreographer Ahmed Best. The production stage manager is Megan Tomei. Chris Fields, Kelly Beech and Marie Bland produce for the Echo Theater Company.

Abby Rosebrock is a Brooklyn-based writer and actress from South Carolina. Her work has been commissioned, developed and produced throughout New York City and across the country. Other full-length works include Wilma, Blue Ridge, Singles in Agriculture, Monks Corner and Ruby the Freak in the Woods. Several of those titles will soon be available through Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Abby is a proud alum of writers groups at Clubbed Thumb, The Orchard Project and Ensemble Studio Theatre and is currently at work on a trilogy.

Founded in 1997, the Echo Theater Company has gained a reputation for producing and developing exciting new work. Under the artistic leadership of Chris Fields, the company has championed playwrights for a quarter century, producing and commissioning numerous world premieres and introducing Los Angeles to playwrights David Lindsay-Abaire, Adam Rapp and Sarah Ruhl among others. The Echo has won countless Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly and Stage Raw awards, and is frequently cited on end-of-the-year “Best of Lists” including by the Los Angeles Times, LA Observed and NPR affiliate KCRW 89.9 FM, among others. The company was anointed “Best Bet for Ballsy Original Plays” by the LA Weekly and was a recipient of a “Kilroy Cake Drop” to honor its efforts to produce women and trans writers. KCRW declared that “Echo Theater Company is on a fierce journey,” and Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote, “Artistic directors of theaters of all sizes would be wise to follow the [lead] of the Echo’s Chris Fields, who [is] building audience communities eager for the challenge of path-breaking plays.” In April, the Echo was honored with three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards including the prestigious Margaret Harford Award for Excellence In Theatre. In May, last season’s production of How It’s Gon’ Be by JuCoby Johnson was the recipient of four Stage Raw awards.

Dido of Idaho opens on Saturday, July 20, with performances continuing on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. through August 26. Three preview performances are set for Wednesday, July 17; Thursday, July 18; and Friday, July 19, each at 8 p.m. Tickets are $34 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. All Monday night performances, as well as previews, are pay–what–you–want. Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (747) 350–8066 or go to www.EchoTheaterCompany.com.

We laugh so we don’t cry.” –  This Show is Surrounded by True Events is a play that highlights the frustrations in our justice and prison systems with comedy while leading an unsuspecting audience to a gut punch of truth.

While the plot of this show is fictional, actual cases that were affected by a miscarriage of justice are referenced throughout. The dialogue is comedic while the subject matter is heavy.

Written by Pamela Eberhardt, a female playwright who’s been self producing since she was 17 in both LA and NYC.

(TST) brings back SUM Poetry by popular demand on Saturday, July 27^th at 8pm at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre Los Angeles in Hollywood. A bench of established and promising poetic performers tackles today’s current topics with depth, humor, and insight in this creative artform that has been a TST audience favorite since 2018. An open mic follows the performance, so any and all can participate in spoken word expression. Published writer RJ Wayne, author of Milkcrate Monologues Volume 1, leads TST performers in SUM Poetry with co-host Melissa Booey, author of Birdbrain/the Calamitous Chronicle of Mr. Livingston and Tiger Lily, and award-winning slam poet JP Rapozo.

Bigfoot! The Musical by Amber Ruffin

WINNER – Fringe Award for Musicals & Operas (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2024)

WINNER – Best Ensemble (The TVO Awards 2024)

NOMINEE – Jaxx Cultural Arts Envoy Award (Presented by Jaxx Theatricals)

NOMINEE – Three Clubs Production Award (Presented by Three Clubs Theatre)

What happens when a well-meaning kid has a slight pituitary gland issue that makes him increase in height while simultaneously growing a considerable amount of body hair? How can his sickly mother and overwhelmed doctor protect him from the town’s corrupt mayor, who spends his time whipping his constituents into a frenzied mob instead of admitting his own incompetence? Mud Dirt, USA is the backwoods town you always knew you never needed, and it is also the colorful backdrop for Bigfoot’s journey that puts the age-old question into stark relief: “why can’t you just be yourself, even if you are a terrifying eight feet of muscles and hair?” Luckily Bigfoot meets Joanne, a conspiracy-minded survivalist, who helps him challenge the people of Mud Dirt and their prejudices against very large, slightly clumsy creatures. Come on out to Mud Dirt to celebrate the mystery, the myth, and the man, that is Bigfoot!

Book and lyrics by Amber Ruffin and Kevin Sciretta, Music by David Schmoll, Directed by Victor Isaac, Produced by Meghan Allison and Emily Clark

Sunday July 28 2024, 7:00 PM

https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10550

www.instagram.com/unknownartistsla/

‘Wendy’s Peter Pan’ brings
Neverland to life at Theatricum 

Calling all young-at-heart: Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum has transformed its uniquely beautiful outdoor amphitheater into the imaginary isle of Neverland for a magical production of Wendy’s Peter Pan. Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer directs her “retelling” of the 1904 play by J.M. Barrie, with performances running June 22 through October 4.

“This beloved, classic fairytale of a boy who refuses to grow up was written 120 years ago,” notes Geer. “Like Shakespeare, the adventures in Neverland will remain in our vocabulary and hearts forever. May our next generation never lose the innocence of belief in other worlds and other ways.”

All the familiar characters are present as now grown-up Wendy (Willow Geer) recounts her marvelous childhood adventure to her own children. The tale comes to life on Theatricum’s wooded stage as Wendy recalls how she and her brothers (Quinnlyn Scheppner as young Wendy, Jaz Bennassar as John, Julius Geer-Polin as Michael) flew off to Neverland with Peter Pan (Gabrielle Beauvais), cared for the Lost Boys (Cole Dechant, Emelie Dechant, Asher Edwards, Logan Filippi, Luther Geer-Polin, Schroeder Shelby-Szyszk, Aster Laine Smith, Georgiana Swanson, Aralyn Clare Wilson, Elliott Grey Wilson), and crossed paths with Tiger Lily (Ianthe Marini), a mermaid (Robyn Cohen), Captain Hook (Lynn Robert Berg), the pirates (Hunter James, Craig “Linc” Lincoln, John Ellsworth Phillips, Kevin Rauch, Adam Roberts, Sky Wahl) and, of course… Tinkerbell.

The creative team includes composer and musical arranger Marshall McDaniel, choreographer Lexi Pearl, and fight choreographer Cavin (CR) Mohrhardt. Costume design is by Tracy Wahl, lighting design is by Zach Moore, and sound design is by Grant Escandón. Ian Geatz is the prop master and Beth Eslick is the wardrobe supervisor. The assistant director is Hannah Froman. The production stage manager is Kim Cameron, assisted by Alex Penner.

Wendy’s Peter Pan will run in rotation every weekend with Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, each of which open earlier in the season. Upcoming, productions of Tartuffe: Born Again, translated and adapted from Molière by Freyda Thomas, and The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote, a new play by Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubría, will join the repertory season on July 13 and August 24 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 to see them all in a single weekend once they are all up and running.

Other events taking place at Theatricum this season include comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe Off the Grid at the end of each month (June 28, July 25, Aug. 30, Sept. 26); the Under the Oaks salon series on Fridays in September, and Theatricum’s fourth annual Holiday Family Faire on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Theatricum Botanicum has been named “One of the 50 Coolest Places in Los Angeles” by Buzz magazine, “One of Southern California’s most beguiling theater experiences” by Sunset magazine, and “Best Theater in the Woods” by the LA Weekly. “The enchantment of a midsummer night at Theatricum Botanicum [makes it] crystal clear why audiences have been driving up into the hills since Theatricum’s maiden season way back in 1973. Summer Shakespeare doesn’t get any better than this,” writes StageSceneLA. Says Los Angeles magazine, “The amphitheater feels like a Lilliputian Hollywood Bowl, with pre-show picnics and puffy seat cushions, yet we were close enough to see the stitching on the performers costumes. Grab a blanket and a bottle and head for the hills.” In 2017, Theatricum was named “one of the best outdoor theaters around the world” by the Daily Beast.

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 Ahmamson 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.

Wendy’s Peter Pan opens on Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. and continues to run in repertory through October 4. For a complete schedule of performances, scroll all the way down or visit the website. Tickets range from $15 to $48; premium seating is available for $60. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available for the performance on Friday, July 26, which will also feature a prologue (pre-show discussion) from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. Please note: Topanga Canyon Blvd is currently closed between the theater and PCH; to access Theatricum from the Valley, exit the 101 at Topanga Canyon Blvd. South.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 455-3723 or visit theatricum.com

‘Tartuffe: Born Again’ is hilarious, modern–day
adaptation of Molière at Theatricum 

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum presents a hilarious satire about greed, corruption and hypocrisy. In Tartuffe: Born Again, translator and adaptor Freyda Thomas puts a contemporary spin on the original French play, recasting Molière’s Tartuffe as a deposed televangelist who takes advantage of his naïve and gullible host to rook him and his family of their money. Performances run July 13 through October 13 at Theatricum’s beautiful outdoor venue in Topanga.

Moliere’s legendary comedic characters are wonderfully at home in this present day version, which is set in a religious television studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and written wholly in delightful modern verse. David DeSantos (last seen at Theatricum as Coriolanus) headlines in the title role, while Lynn Robert Berg (concurrently appearing as Captain Hook on the same stage in Wendy’s Peter Pan) stars as Orgon. Michelle Jasso (now on Theatricum’s stage as Emelia in The Winter’s Tale) plays Elmire; Jon Sprik (Richard III in last season’s War of the Roses) portrays Damis; Jonathan Blandino (multiple appearances at Theatricum, including Oberon in last summer’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) plays Cleante; Cynthia Kania (most recently seen at Theatricum in War of the Roses) is Mrs. Pernell; and Isabel Stallings (also starring as Helena in this season’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) is Maryann opposite Ethan Haslam (Theatricum’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and Trouble the Water) as Valere. Also in the cast are company members Blaire Battle, Ted Dane, Shoshanna Green, Rebecca Oca-Nussbaum, Sky Wahl and Timothy Willard. The production is directed by Melora Marshall.

“How do you stop an invasive, cultish worm who uses lies of Biblical proportions to wind his way into your family life, your town, your city… your country?” asks Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer. “Through the brilliant storytelling of Molière and Freyda Thomas’s clever adaptation in rhyming couplets, we watch a Southern family in the 1980s begin to recognize a taker in their midst. Hilarious mayhem ensues as they recognize the danger, rise up and remove the culprit.”

Set and props are by Ian Geatz, lighting is by Hayden Kirschbaum and costumes are by Vicki Conrad. Music is compiled and arranged by Kellen McDaniel and Marshall McDaniel, with sound design by Grant Escandón. Berber Heerema is the assistant director. Beth Eslick is the wardrobe supervisor and Amayah Watson is the assistant stage manager. The production stage manager is Karen Osborne.

Tartuffe: Born Again will run in rotation every weekend with The Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Wendy’s Peter Pan, each of which open earlier in the season. Upcoming, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote, a new political comedy by Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubría, will join the repertory season on August 24. 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 to see them all in a single weekend once they are all up and running.

Other events taking place at Theatricum this season include comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe Off the Grid at the end of each month (June 28, July 25, Aug. 30, Sept. 26); the Under the Oaks salon series on Fridays in September, and Theatricum’s fourth annual Holiday Family Faire on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Theatricum Botanicum has been named “One of the 50 Coolest Places in Los Angeles” by Buzz magazine, “One of Southern California’s most beguiling theater experiences” by Sunset magazine, and “Best Theater in the Woods” by the LA Weekly. “The enchantment of a midsummer night at Theatricum Botanicum [makes it] crystal clear why audiences have been driving up into the hills since Theatricum’s maiden season way back in 1973. Summer Shakespeare doesn’t get any better than this,” writes StageSceneLA. Says Los Angeles magazine, “The amphitheater feels like a Lilliputian Hollywood Bowl, with pre-show picnics and puffy seat cushions, yet we were close enough to see the stitching on the performers costumes. Grab a blanket and a bottle and head for the hills.” In 2017, Theatricum was named “one of the best outdoor theaters around the world” by the Daily Beast.

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 Ahmamson 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.

Tartuffe: Born Again opens on Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. and continues to run in repertory through October 13. A prologue (pre-show discussion) will take place on Sunday, Aug. 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. For a complete schedule of performances, scroll all the way down or visit the website. Tickets range from $15 to $48; premium seating is available for $60. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available for the performance on Monday, Sept. 9 (may be purchased online one week prior to the performance, or cash at the door).

The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 455-3723 or visit theatricum.com

Echo Theater Company presents West Coast premiere of
darkly funny, off–beat ‘Dido of Idaho’ by Abby Rosebrock 

The Echo Theater Company presents a very dark comedy about the lengths to which a woman might go for the love of a good man. Abigail Deser directs the West Coast premiere of Dido of Idaho by Abby Rosebrock, running July 20 through August 26 at Atwater Village Theatre. Three Pay-What-You-Want previews are set for July 17, 18 and 19.

Alana Dietze (Echo productions of Everything Will Be Different, for which she was Ovation nominated, Gloria, An Undivided Heart) brings us Nora, a lovelorn baroque musicologist with a drinking problem, who is head-over-heels for an English professor, Michael, played by Joby Earle (Indecent at CTG, War Horse on Broadway). Unfortunately, this particular good man has already been claimed by Crystal (Nicole Duport, seen in Cry It Out and Gloria at the Echo), a former Miss Idaho with a penchant for home manicures. When the extramarital hijinks go brutally awry, Nora flees to the Rocky Mountains to seek comfort from her estranged mother, Julie (Julie Dretzin, previously at the Echo in Babe) and Julie’s new partner, Esther (Elissa Middleton of Here After and Small Time, both streaming on Amazon Prime). In her desperate bid to find compassion, Nora risks losing the only family she’s ever had — maybe forever.

“This play is wonderfully raw, original, authentic and funny,” says Deser. “Nora faces her own potential annihilation because she only knows how to exist in the reflection of the male gaze. Self-love is the only beacon that might help her find her way back to safe shores.”

The title of the play is derived from the story of Dido and Aeneas. In the course of his travels, Aeneas stops in Carthage, where he has a passionate love affair with the recently widowed Queen Dido. As soon as he learns that the gods have assigned him another, more glorious fate, Aeneas abandons Dido, whereupon she kills herself in rage and despair.

“I wanted to write about a woman who feels hopeless of ever being loved, and to imagine a way out of that for her,” Rosebrock explained in an interview. “The only way to make that kind of play bearable for me or for anyone experiencing it is to make it as funny and exciting as possible. My hope has been that crafting a lot of physical comedy, wordplay and rapid-fire punchlines, all situated in something like realism, makes the story something people can really inhale, even as it challenges them.”

The creative team includes scenic designer Amanda Knehans, lighting designer Xinyuan Li, sound designer Alysha Grace Bermudez, costume designer Dianne K Graebner, make-up designer Jennifer Pritchard and fight choreographer Ahmed Best. The production stage manager is Megan Tomei. Chris Fields, Kelly Beech and Marie Bland produce for the Echo Theater Company.

Abby Rosebrock is a Brooklyn-based writer and actress from South Carolina. Her work has been commissioned, developed and produced throughout New York City and across the country. Other full-length works include Wilma, Blue Ridge, Singles in Agriculture, Monks Corner and Ruby the Freak in the Woods. Several of those titles will soon be available through Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Abby is a proud alum of writers groups at Clubbed Thumb, The Orchard Project and Ensemble Studio Theatre and is currently at work on a trilogy.

Founded in 1997, the Echo Theater Company has gained a reputation for producing and developing exciting new work. Under the artistic leadership of Chris Fields, the company has championed playwrights for a quarter century, producing and commissioning numerous world premieres and introducing Los Angeles to playwrights David Lindsay-Abaire, Adam Rapp and Sarah Ruhl among others. The Echo has won countless Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly and Stage Raw awards, and is frequently cited on end-of-the-year “Best of Lists” including by the Los Angeles Times, LA Observed and NPR affiliate KCRW 89.9 FM, among others. The company was anointed “Best Bet for Ballsy Original Plays” by the LA Weekly and was a recipient of a “Kilroy Cake Drop” to honor its efforts to produce women and trans writers. KCRW declared that “Echo Theater Company is on a fierce journey,” and Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote, “Artistic directors of theaters of all sizes would be wise to follow the [lead] of the Echo’s Chris Fields, who [is] building audience communities eager for the challenge of path-breaking plays.” In April, the Echo was honored with three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards including the prestigious Margaret Harford Award for Excellence In Theatre. In May, last season’s production of How It’s Gon’ Be by JuCoby Johnson was the recipient of four Stage Raw awards.

Dido of Idaho opens on Saturday, July 20, with performances continuing on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. through August 26. Three preview performances are set for Wednesday, July 17; Thursday, July 18; and Friday, July 19, each at 8 p.m. Tickets are $34 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. All Monday night performances, as well as previews, are pay–what–you–want. Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (747) 350–8066 or go to www.EchoTheaterCompany.com.

We laugh so we don’t cry.” –  This Show is Surrounded by True Events is a play that highlights the frustrations in our justice and prison systems with comedy while leading an unsuspecting audience to a gut punch of truth.

While the plot of this show is fictional, actual cases that were affected by a miscarriage of justice are referenced throughout. The dialogue is comedic while the subject matter is heavy.

Written by Pamela Eberhardt, a female playwright who’s been self producing since she was 17 in both LA and NYC.

Siren Song a Solo Show Starring Dylan Jones – Directed by Amanda McCraven

Fasten your seatbelt, it’ll be a bumpy night!

Siren Song a solo show written and performed by Dylan Jones, co-created with Allan Wasserman to premiere at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2024 June 9th at the Stephanie Feury Studio Mainstage(5636 Melrose Ave, 90038.) 

Siren Song is an invocation of the greats to unwind the riddle of how to be a woman, when the women you wanted to be like aren’t real and the woman who raised you is disappearing before your eyes. If you’ve ever had an identity crisis, Siren Song answers the call. 

In Siren Song Dylan Jones, invokes acting icons Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck and Greta Garbo to knock what being a woman should look like off its pedestal, with a little help from the myth of the Sirens and a ukulele. Fasten your seatbelt, it’ll be a bumpy night! 

Written and Performed by Dylan Jones, Co-created with Allan Wasserman, Directed by Amanda McCraven, Sound Design by Jeff Gardner. With Projections by Gabrieal Griego 

Sunday August 4 2024, 3:00

THE JAILBAIT CHRONICLES written and performed by Clara York

Whether you wore Ditto jeans back in the day or your girlfriend did or your grandma did or you bought some off Etsy because you think they’re way cool or you don’t care about jeans…this show is for you. Its a mashup of truth is stranger than fiction early years, some straight up avant garde theater with a Greek chorus of 3 amazing  performers, of hope, of generational departures, of a Hollywood cult and more. 

Call (310)622-2046 to reserve your seats and pay at the door!

A play about growing up smack in the middle of the Jailbait zeitgeist in L.A. A twisted, hilariously powerful tale about being a teenage woman in the not so female empowered, pre #metoo 1970’s. A time when jailbait rock ‘n roll was mainstream and we just danced to it. Oh and there’s a greek chorus!

FANATIC SALON 3815 SAWTELLE BLVD. CULVER CITY

SUNDAY AUGUST 4th @7:30PM

Directed by Jane Morris Cast: Clara York, Connie Chen, Teruko Mitsuhara, Laura Ralston. Choral Director: Kathryn Gallagher

Fanaticsalon.com

@Claracarlayork @JaneMorris #comedy #generationaltrauma #cults #women #empowerment #overcoming #keepgoing

https://fanaticsalon.com/get-a-ticket/

“The Last Yiddish Speaker” by Deborah Zoe Laufer.

Play reading.

Sarah is struggling to survive her senior year of high school – new town, new school, new boyfriend. She’s also struggling to survive the new America, where the insurrection was successful and everything has changed. When an ancient Yiddish-speaking woman is deposited on their doorstep, Sarah and her father must decide whether to help the woman hide or to save themselves.

Directed by Howard Teichman. Produced by Teichman and Bill Froggatt. Presented by West Coast Jewish Theatre.

Sunday at 2 p.m.

http://wcjt.org

Sunita: Back to Me by Sunita Param

Sunita: Back to Me takes you on an unforgettable journey through her life’s ups and downs and everything in between. She walks us through her life with an artful and beguiling self portrait, made of beautiful soulful acting, as well as some of the most iconic songs from the American musical theater songbook. Harnessing her talent to tell her story, you see a woman so courageous, so resilient, so funny and sparkly. Unafraid to tell all – embracing every part of it with an almost lightness. Sunita is authentic, vulnerable, radiant perfection. A storyteller, her glorious soprano fills the room. Singing cleverly chosen songs from musicals, including “Wicked,” “Waitress,” “Into the Woods,” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” to name a few, you will be left wondering, “where has she been all my life?” Accompanied on the piano by the brilliant Derek Purdy, you will laugh, you will cry, you will be inspired and filled with joy with the resilience of the human spirit.

Writer/Performer – Sunita Param, Director – Jason Manuel Olazábal,  Pianist – Derek Purdy

Sunday August 25 2024, 5:00 PM

https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10819

‘Wendy’s Peter Pan’ brings
Neverland to life at Theatricum 

Calling all young-at-heart: Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum has transformed its uniquely beautiful outdoor amphitheater into the imaginary isle of Neverland for a magical production of Wendy’s Peter Pan. Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer directs her “retelling” of the 1904 play by J.M. Barrie, with performances running June 22 through October 4.

“This beloved, classic fairytale of a boy who refuses to grow up was written 120 years ago,” notes Geer. “Like Shakespeare, the adventures in Neverland will remain in our vocabulary and hearts forever. May our next generation never lose the innocence of belief in other worlds and other ways.”

All the familiar characters are present as now grown-up Wendy (Willow Geer) recounts her marvelous childhood adventure to her own children. The tale comes to life on Theatricum’s wooded stage as Wendy recalls how she and her brothers (Quinnlyn Scheppner as young Wendy, Jaz Bennassar as John, Julius Geer-Polin as Michael) flew off to Neverland with Peter Pan (Gabrielle Beauvais), cared for the Lost Boys (Cole Dechant, Emelie Dechant, Asher Edwards, Logan Filippi, Luther Geer-Polin, Schroeder Shelby-Szyszk, Aster Laine Smith, Georgiana Swanson, Aralyn Clare Wilson, Elliott Grey Wilson), and crossed paths with Tiger Lily (Ianthe Marini), a mermaid (Robyn Cohen), Captain Hook (Lynn Robert Berg), the pirates (Hunter James, Craig “Linc” Lincoln, John Ellsworth Phillips, Kevin Rauch, Adam Roberts, Sky Wahl) and, of course… Tinkerbell.

The creative team includes composer and musical arranger Marshall McDaniel, choreographer Lexi Pearl, and fight choreographer Cavin (CR) Mohrhardt. Costume design is by Tracy Wahl, lighting design is by Zach Moore, and sound design is by Grant Escandón. Ian Geatz is the prop master and Beth Eslick is the wardrobe supervisor. The assistant director is Hannah Froman. The production stage manager is Kim Cameron, assisted by Alex Penner.

Wendy’s Peter Pan will run in rotation every weekend with Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, each of which open earlier in the season. Upcoming, productions of Tartuffe: Born Again, translated and adapted from Molière by Freyda Thomas, and The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote, a new play by Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubría, will join the repertory season on July 13 and August 24 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 to see them all in a single weekend once they are all up and running.

Other events taking place at Theatricum this season include comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe Off the Grid at the end of each month (June 28, July 25, Aug. 30, Sept. 26); the Under the Oaks salon series on Fridays in September, and Theatricum’s fourth annual Holiday Family Faire on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Theatricum Botanicum has been named “One of the 50 Coolest Places in Los Angeles” by Buzz magazine, “One of Southern California’s most beguiling theater experiences” by Sunset magazine, and “Best Theater in the Woods” by the LA Weekly. “The enchantment of a midsummer night at Theatricum Botanicum [makes it] crystal clear why audiences have been driving up into the hills since Theatricum’s maiden season way back in 1973. Summer Shakespeare doesn’t get any better than this,” writes StageSceneLA. Says Los Angeles magazine, “The amphitheater feels like a Lilliputian Hollywood Bowl, with pre-show picnics and puffy seat cushions, yet we were close enough to see the stitching on the performers costumes. Grab a blanket and a bottle and head for the hills.” In 2017, Theatricum was named “one of the best outdoor theaters around the world” by the Daily Beast.

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 Ahmamson 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.

Wendy’s Peter Pan opens on Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. and continues to run in repertory through October 4. For a complete schedule of performances, scroll all the way down or visit the website. Tickets range from $15 to $48; premium seating is available for $60. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available for the performance on Friday, July 26, which will also feature a prologue (pre-show discussion) from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. Please note: Topanga Canyon Blvd is currently closed between the theater and PCH; to access Theatricum from the Valley, exit the 101 at Topanga Canyon Blvd. South.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 455-3723 or visit theatricum.com

‘Tartuffe: Born Again’ is hilarious, modern–day
adaptation of Molière at Theatricum 

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum presents a hilarious satire about greed, corruption and hypocrisy. In Tartuffe: Born Again, translator and adaptor Freyda Thomas puts a contemporary spin on the original French play, recasting Molière’s Tartuffe as a deposed televangelist who takes advantage of his naïve and gullible host to rook him and his family of their money. Performances run July 13 through October 13 at Theatricum’s beautiful outdoor venue in Topanga.

Moliere’s legendary comedic characters are wonderfully at home in this present day version, which is set in a religious television studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and written wholly in delightful modern verse. David DeSantos (last seen at Theatricum as Coriolanus) headlines in the title role, while Lynn Robert Berg (concurrently appearing as Captain Hook on the same stage in Wendy’s Peter Pan) stars as Orgon. Michelle Jasso (now on Theatricum’s stage as Emelia in The Winter’s Tale) plays Elmire; Jon Sprik (Richard III in last season’s War of the Roses) portrays Damis; Jonathan Blandino (multiple appearances at Theatricum, including Oberon in last summer’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) plays Cleante; Cynthia Kania (most recently seen at Theatricum in War of the Roses) is Mrs. Pernell; and Isabel Stallings (also starring as Helena in this season’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) is Maryann opposite Ethan Haslam (Theatricum’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and Trouble the Water) as Valere. Also in the cast are company members Blaire Battle, Ted Dane, Shoshanna Green, Rebecca Oca-Nussbaum, Sky Wahl and Timothy Willard. The production is directed by Melora Marshall.

“How do you stop an invasive, cultish worm who uses lies of Biblical proportions to wind his way into your family life, your town, your city… your country?” asks Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer. “Through the brilliant storytelling of Molière and Freyda Thomas’s clever adaptation in rhyming couplets, we watch a Southern family in the 1980s begin to recognize a taker in their midst. Hilarious mayhem ensues as they recognize the danger, rise up and remove the culprit.”

Set and props are by Ian Geatz, lighting is by Hayden Kirschbaum and costumes are by Vicki Conrad. Music is compiled and arranged by Kellen McDaniel and Marshall McDaniel, with sound design by Grant Escandón. Berber Heerema is the assistant director. Beth Eslick is the wardrobe supervisor and Amayah Watson is the assistant stage manager. The production stage manager is Karen Osborne.

Tartuffe: Born Again will run in rotation every weekend with The Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Wendy’s Peter Pan, each of which open earlier in the season. Upcoming, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote, a new political comedy by Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubría, will join the repertory season on August 24. 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 to see them all in a single weekend once they are all up and running.

Other events taking place at Theatricum this season include comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe Off the Grid at the end of each month (June 28, July 25, Aug. 30, Sept. 26); the Under the Oaks salon series on Fridays in September, and Theatricum’s fourth annual Holiday Family Faire on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Theatricum Botanicum has been named “One of the 50 Coolest Places in Los Angeles” by Buzz magazine, “One of Southern California’s most beguiling theater experiences” by Sunset magazine, and “Best Theater in the Woods” by the LA Weekly. “The enchantment of a midsummer night at Theatricum Botanicum [makes it] crystal clear why audiences have been driving up into the hills since Theatricum’s maiden season way back in 1973. Summer Shakespeare doesn’t get any better than this,” writes StageSceneLA. Says Los Angeles magazine, “The amphitheater feels like a Lilliputian Hollywood Bowl, with pre-show picnics and puffy seat cushions, yet we were close enough to see the stitching on the performers costumes. Grab a blanket and a bottle and head for the hills.” In 2017, Theatricum was named “one of the best outdoor theaters around the world” by the Daily Beast.

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 Ahmamson 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.

Tartuffe: Born Again opens on Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. and continues to run in repertory through October 13. A prologue (pre-show discussion) will take place on Sunday, Aug. 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. For a complete schedule of performances, scroll all the way down or visit the website. Tickets range from $15 to $48; premium seating is available for $60. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available for the performance on Monday, Sept. 9 (may be purchased online one week prior to the performance, or cash at the door).

The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 455-3723 or visit theatricum.com