The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

Topanga, California

Founded in the early 1970s by Will Geer, The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum has a history that spans more than 30 years, during which it has introduced audiences to some of our greatest playwrights, such as Shakespeare, Miller, Hellman, Wilder, and Orwell. A professional, outdoor, repertory-theater company located in Topanga, California (just north of Los Angeles), Theatricum programs include Academy of the Classics, which houses a variety of educational programs for adults, teenagers, and children; Classroom Enrichment, an in-school program; and its flagship program, School Days. Theatricum is committed to bringing classic and modern texts to life for audiences of all ages, races, and cultural and economic backgrounds. Led by Artistic Director Ellen Geer, the company is also a learning laboratory, introducing the next generation of students, artists, and audience members to heightened language and universal storytelling. Serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area, Theatricum is a center for the arts, for culture, and for social expression.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation,   The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum will offer Hamlet or A Midsummer Night's Dream as part of its Schools Days Field Trip and Classroom Enrichment programs. The School Days Field Trip begins with a classroom visit by an artist-educator, during which students are given background information on the play they will see. Students then travel to Theatricum's 300-seat outdoor amphitheatre to see a Living History presentation featuring Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare, take two technique workshops (juggling, combat, music, ensemble, etc.), see a full production of either   production , and have an opportunity to ask questions of the actors. The Classroom Enrichment program will bring an exciting abridged version (edited for length and a smaller cast) of A Midsummer Night's Dream directly to the schools. Using 10 actors and a cutting of the script, this presentation is a perfect introduction to Shakespeare for schools that are not able to travel to the Theatricum Botanicum to attend a production. The combination of these programs will serve the greater Los Angeles and surrounding areas over the course of six months.

Visit them at: www.theatricum.com