World Premieres & More Set for Theatricum Botanicum 2024 Summer Season

We all need a laugh these days, and audiences will find more than one at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in 2024 — along with a welcome respite from city life at the company’s spectacular, one-of-a-kind outdoor venue in Topanga. Get ready for a summer-long season of romance, comedy, music and a sprinkle of fairy dust, all presented with a sideways wink at current events. 

Magic will abound as the wooded Theatricum stage transforms alternately into the captivating countryside of Bohemia (The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare), the enchanted woods of Athens (Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream), the imaginary isle of Neverland (world premiere of Wendy’s Peter Pan, a retelling by Ellen Geer of the 1904 play by J.M. Barrie), a television station in Baton Rouge, LA (Tartuffe: Born Again, translated and adapted from Molière by Freyda Thomas) and the United States of America in this contentious election year (world premiere of The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote by Bernardo Cubría).

Unlike most companies in L.A. that stage continuous runs of a single play, Theatricum opens each play in rapid succession over the course of the season. By summer’s end, all five plays will be running concurrently — making it possible to see them all in a single September weekend. 

Opening June 1 and running through September 30 The Winter’s Tale combines high drama, low comedy and romantic love in a rich theatrical feast that moves from a bitter winter of estrangement to a radiant summer of reconciliation and renewal, reminding us in our own era of deep social and political divide about the power of time and nature to heal all wounds.

Returning June 2 through September 23 by-popular-demand, the company’s signature production of A Midsummer Night’s Dreamsees the surrounding Topanga woods morph into the magical forest of Shakespeare’s most entertaining and beguiling comedy, where comical misunderstandings and the pain of unrequited love are resolved through midsummer night revelries and the enduring power of nature.

Playing June 22 through October 4, Wendy’s Peter Pan reframes the original tale through the eyes of grown-up Wendy and her children, encouraging us to always retain our sense of childlike wonder and belief in alternate worlds.

Uproarious satire reigns supreme July 13 through October 13 when Tartuffe: Born Again joins the repertory season. Translator/adaptor Thomas puts a contemporary spin on Molière’s 17th Century French farce in a hilarious send-up of greed, corruption and hypocrisy. Written wholly in modern verse, Tartuffe is recast as a deposed televangelist who takes advantage of his naïve and gullible host to rook him and his family of their money and property. 

Rounding out the season August 24 through October 19, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote is a touching, powerful, laugh-out-loud funny election year comedy by acclaimed playwright — and Topanga resident — Bernardo Cubría (Crabs in a Bucket, The Giant Void In My Soul). When THE political party offers university professor Paola Aguilar a substantial paycheck to help them understand the “Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote,” she reluctantly takes the job. Can she help these political strategists understand all of the nuances of her community to save the election? 

Three special events precede the repertory season of plays. Under the Oaks, Theatricum’s ongoing salon series of musical evenings outdoors under the California oaks, kicks off Spring with three performances (Friday, May 10; Thursday, May 16; Friday, May 17) of an interdisciplinary adaptation of Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants featuring string quartet, female voice and spoken word, with gripping music by renowned composers Caroline Shaw, Philip Glass, Louis Andriessen and more. On Sunday, May 12 (Mother’s Day) cirque performer Lexi Pearl returns with the 25th annual MOMentum Place, creating a fantastical world of aerial and circus performers, dancers and musicians. And on May 19, Theatricum unveils The Shelter, the newly renovated house on the grounds of Theatricum that was once home to Woody Guthrie. 

Later in the season, look for comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe Off the Grid at the end of each month (June 28, July 25, Aug. 30, Sept. 26). In September, Under the Oaks returns with three additional classical music performances (Friday, Sept. 6; Thursday, Sept 12; Friday, Sept. 13); an evening dedicated to classical composers (Friday, Sept. 20); and a musical cabaret Tribute to Bob Dylan (Friday, Sept. 27). On Saturday, Dec. 14, celebrate the holidays with Theatricum’s fourth annual Holiday Family Faire.

Named “One of the 50 Coolest Places in Los Angeles” by Buzz magazine and “Best Theater in the Woods” by LA Weekly, Theatricum was founded in the ’50s by actor Will Geer as a haven for out-of-work performers during the Hollywood Blacklist. Incorporated as a non-profit in 1973, Will’s family continues his legacy, presenting theater and music as a means to shine a light on current social issues. Arts education programs include Academy of the Classics, providing lifelong learning opportunities that inspire and engage kids, teens and adults; the School Days field trip program, serving as many as 8,000 students from public and private schools who travel to Theatricum each spring and fall; and Classroom Enrichment, bringing Theatricum artist/teachers directly into the classroom. By the end of each summer’s unique Youth Drama Camp program, the kids are on their feet performing a complete Shakespeare production on the beautiful outdoor stage.

Theatricum is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture. The School Days program is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Pacific Coast Highway and the Ventura (101) Freeway. The amphitheaters are 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. Single tickets range from $15 to $60 and go on sale March 15. Low-priced subscriptions are available now. For more information, call (310) 455-3723, or go to theatricum.com. 

Scroll down to view a full schedule of theater, music and family entertainment. Click here to download high-resolution photos of Theatricum's outdoor venue in the Topanga woods.

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