Theatricum Botanicum 2025 Season June 7-October 12 2025

Theatricum Botanicum 2025 Season June 7-October 12 2025
The 2025 Summer Repertory Season
A Season of Resilience

Celebrating 50+ Years of Shakespeare Concerts, Theatre Classes, Performances, and Magic at The Theatricum

Long before he founded Theatricum Botanicum, Indiana native Will Geer was well-known for his work on the New York stage, in film, and on radio. By the mid-1950’s, he had relocated permanently to California and had established a successful Hollywood career. His future looked bright. But after being called to testify before the U.S. Congress’ Committee on Un-American Activities, he suddenly found himself blacklisted by the major studios with no viable means of income.

For Geer and his young family, the McCarthy Era had arrived. Relocating to an acreage in Topanga, California, Mr. Geer established a theatre for similarly blacklisted actors and folk singers on the property. Because he held a degree in botany (one of his life long interests) the theater was named for a landmark botany text book, Theatricum Botanicum, which means, quite literally, “a garden theatre.”

Today, under the creative supervision of Artistic Director Ellen Geer (Will’s daughter), Theatricum has blossomed into a vital creative force that has been recognized internationally for its interpretation of Shakespeare’s work. In addition to an annual summer season of five repertory plays, Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum offers year-round classes to actors of all ages, hosts live music concerts, nurtures budding playwrights, and successfully reaches schools and students across the Greater Los Angeles Metro area with the aim of making live theater bloom for generations to come.