Looking for a magical theater getaway this summer but just a short drive away? Is that even possible in L.A.? Yes, it sure is.

Summer is on the horizon, and Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum has a mix of classical theater, new work and music set to take place at its spectacular, one-of-a-kind outdoor amphitheatre in Topanga. Individual tickets and season subscriptions are now on sale at theatricum.com for the “Ties That Bind” 2022 Summer Repertory Season, sponsored by the S. Mark Taper Foundation.

In addition to the company’s annual offering of Shakespeare, the 2022 season will include a world premiere, a surprising “all new” revival, and a host of satellite events.

All four productions will play in repertory through October 2. 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. You could see all four plays in a single summer weekend!

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Shakespeare’s buoyant comedy, re-set in 1950s small-town America to a score of rockin’ ’50s tunes. When opportunistic schemer and womanizer John Falstaff blows into town on his Harley and tries to woo two wealthy women at once, the townspeople gleefully plot his comeuppance. Things might seem picture perfect in “Small Town U.S.A”… but just underneath the surface, the fight for women’s rights has begun in full force.

A prologue discussion with the cast will take place before the show at 7pm on 8/7. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available (cash only at the door) on 7/15.

www.theatricum.com/merry-wives-2/

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Theatricum returns with its signature production, an annual event infusing Shakespeare’s beautiful language with music and song to heighten the pleasure. The most magical outdoor setting in Los Angeles is once again transformed into an enchanted forest inhabited by lovers both fairy and human. Shakespeare conjures a world of wonder, magic and romance where comical misunderstandings and the pain of unrequited love are resolved, and all is reconciled through midsummer night revelries and the enduring power of nature.

A prologue discussion with the cast will take place before the show at 7pm on 9/10. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available (cash only at the door) on 7/22.

www.theatricum.com/midsummer-nights-dream/

The West Side Waltz

Forty-one years after its premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre, Academy Award-winning writer Ernest Thompson (On Golden Pond) deconstructs his script for The West Side Waltz. In the world premiere of Thompson’s newly revised, heart-filled dramedy set during the tumultuous ’80s, Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer; her sister, Melora Marshall; and daughter Willow Geer take on the roles of an aging concert pianist, her violin-playing spinster neighbor, and a would-be actress on New York’s Upper West Side.

A prologue discussion with the cast will take place before the show at 7pm on 8/27. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available (cash only at the door) on 7/29.

www.theatricum.com/the-west-side-waltz-2/

World premiere of Trouble The Water

Inspired by the real-life story of Robert Smalls, who escaped slavery to become an American hero, Trouble the Water navigates the rich tributaries of courage, betrayal and redemption. Freely adapted by Ellen Geer from the 2019 award-winning historical novel by Rebecca Dwight Bruff.

A prologue discussion with the cast will take place before the show at 7pm on 8/14. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available (cash only at the door) on 7/16, 7/23, 8/5, 8/26, and 9/4.

www.theatricum.com/trouble-the-water/

Did you know?

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.”

The beginnings of Theatricum Botanicum 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 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.

Theatricum Botanicum continues its campaign to “Go Green,” completing the Topanga Creek revitalization project headed by Debbie Sharpton. All nonnative plants have been removed from the grounds with the help of many volunteers, and native plants have been planted. Visitors will be greeted by a mural of a red-tailed hawk and signage that confirms that nature and art live together. Theatricum is committed to being an active defender of the planet and a warrior against climate change.