NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press contact: Lucy Pollak
[email protected] 818.887.1499 (for media only)

 

 

Theatricum is back on stage with ‘Julius Caesar’ and
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ beginning July 10

 

TOPANGA, Calif (June 17, 2021) –– Two beloved plays by William Shakespeare are set to welcome audiences back to the spectacular outdoor venue at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum this summer. The 2021 summer repertory season, sponsored by the S. Mark Taper Foundation, opens with Julius Caesar on July 10 at 7:30 p.m. and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on July 11 at 4 p.m.

Theatricum’s audience will see Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s thriller about power, politics and the elusive nature of truth, through a slightly different lens, with the iconic tale told from the vantage point of the Soothsayer (played by longtime company member Gerald C. Rivers).

“We want to draw attention to the timeliness of the play — to how history repeats itself — without updating it or making any other significant changes,” explain co-directors Ellen Geer and Willow Geer. “Shakespeare’s story about the fall of Rome is a microcosm of our own society. A group of wealthy senators takes over a democratic government they think is going in the wrong direction. But the citizens are not consulted. The citizens have no say. By subtly shifting the point of view, we hope the audience will view this familiar story through new eyes.”

The production, performed in 80 minutes without intermission, is headed up by Theatricum favorites Mark Lewis as Julius Caesar, Michael McFall as Marc Antony, Christopher W. Jones as Brutus, Melora Marshall as Cassius, Willow Geer as Portia, Cindy Kania-Guastaferro as Calpurnia, Max Lawrence as Marcellus and Franc Ross as Casca. Also in the cast are Gabrielle Beauvais, Joseph Bricker, Matthew Domenico, Steven C. Fisher, Eric Flores, Tim Frangos, Steven Gordon, Frank Gress, Colin Guthrie, Grace Hawthorn, Leesa Kim, Joey Major, Jacob Salazar, Lawrence Sonderling and Sky Wahl. The creative team includes lighting designer Zach Moore, sound designer Grant Escandón, costume designer Tracy Wahl and prop master Alex Sheldon. Kim Cameron is the production stage manager.

The opening of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will follow one day later. This summer, Theatricum offers a new take on its signature production, infusing the Bard’s beautiful language with song to heighten the pleasure. Select sections of Shakespeare’s text will be sung to original music by Ellen Geer, with instrumentation and additional music by Marshall McDaniel. Like Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed in 80 minutes without intermission.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a perennial favorite at Theatricum, where the set design remains unrivaled by any other theater — because it’s the real thing. Prepare to be transfixed as the most magical outdoor setting in Los Angeles is transformed into an enchanted forest inhabited by lovers both fairy and human, a world of wonder, magic, romance and comedy where misunderstandings and the pain of unrequited love are resolved through midsummer night revelries and the enduring power of nature.

Melora Marshall directs and also stars as Titania, queen of the fairies, alongside Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company’s Lisa Wolpe as Oberon, with Jackie Nicole and Terrence Wayne Jr. alternating as Puck. The four lovers are played by Ethan Haslam (Demetrius), Julia Lisa (Hermia), Joey Major (Lysander) and Sara Mountjoy-Pepka (Helena). The hilarious Mechanicals are led by Thad Geer as Bottom and Earnestine Phillips as Quince, with Ted Elrick as Starveling, Jacob Salazar as Snug, Sky Wahl as Snout and Elias Wygodny as Flute. Tim Halligan takes on the role of Egeus, with Jose Donado portraying Theseus, Oyemen Ehikhamhen as Hippolyta, Patrick Olsen as Philostrate and Ava Collins as an Amazon. Grace Hawthorn, Nastasia Kulish and Alexandra Kunin round out the cast as fairies, with Aarush Mehta as the changeling child. The creative team includes lighting designer Zach Moore, sound designer Grant Escandón, costume designer Beth Eslick and prop master Sydney Russell. Karen Osborne is the production stage manager.

In addition to Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a third production — the world premiere of The Last, Best Small Town by John Guerra — will join the repertory on July 31.  Unlike most theaters in the L.A. area that stage continuous runs of a single play, Theatricum, using a company of actors, will perform each of the plays in repertory, making it possible to see all three plays in a single summer weekend.

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, John Randolph 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 Ralph M. Parson’s 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.

The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating.

Seating will remain socially distanced and masks required as dictated by L.A. County guidelines on the day of each event.

Julius Caesar opens on Saturday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. and continues through Oct. 30. A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens on Sunday, July 11 at 4 p.m. and continues through Nov. 7. For a schedule of performances, scroll down, or go to www.theatricum.com. Tickets to each performance range from $10 – $38.50, with premium seating available for $60; children 4 and under are free; Friday night performances are Pay-What-You-Will. Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. For a complete schedule of performances and to purchase tickets, call 310–455-3723 or visit www.theatricum.com. Visit Theatricum on facebook: www.facebook.com/theatricum. Follow us on twitter: @theatricum and instagram: @theatricum_botanicum.

 

Details for Calendar Listings
‘Julius Caesar’
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

 

WHAT:
Two beloved plays by William Shakespeare welcome audiences back to Theatricum Botanicum’s spectacular outdoor venue in rustic Topanga Canyon this summer. Theatricum presents Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s thriller about power, politics and the elusive nature of truth, viewed through a different lens: that of the Soothsayer. The company’s perennial favorite, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, will be infused with song to heighten the pleasure, with select sections of the Bard’s text sung to original music. Each play will be performed in 80 minutes without intermission.

WHEN:
Performances: July 10–Nov. 7
• Saturday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar (Opening)
• Sunday, July 11 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Opening)
• Saturday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, July 18 at 4 p.m.  – Julius Caesar
• Saturday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, July 25 at 4 p.m.  – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Friday, Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Friday, Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Saturday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar*
• Friday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Saturday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream**
• Sunday, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Sept. 5 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Sept. 12 at 4 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Sept. 26 at 4 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Saturday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Oct. 10 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Saturday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Sunday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Saturday, Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. – Julius Caesar
• Sunday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
*Prologue (pre-show discussion) for Julius Caesar: Saturday, Aug. 14 from 6:30 p.m.–7 p.m.
**Prologue (pre-show discussion) for A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Saturday, Aug. 21 from 6:30 p.m.–7 p.m.

TICKET PRICES:
• Adults: $42 (lower tier/assigned seating); $26 (upper tier/general seating); premium lower tier seating available for $60
• Seniors (65+), Students, Military Veterans, Teachers, AEA Members: $25/$15
• Children (5-15): $10
• Children 4 and under: Free
• Friday night performances: Pay-What-You-Will

WHERE:
Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum
1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga CA 90290
(midway between Pacific Coast Highway and the Ventura Freeway)

HOW:
• (310) 455-3723 or www.theatricum.com
• Visit us on facebook: www.facebook.com/theatricum
• Follow us on twitter: @theatricum and instagram: @theatricum_botanicum

OTHER:
• The outdoor amphitheaters at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum are terraced into the hillside of the rustic canyon. Audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating.
• Seating will remain socially distanced and masks required as dictated by L.A. County guidelines on the day of each event.

###