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HISTORY
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The beginnings of the Theatricum Botanicum stretch back
to the early 1950s when Will Geer, one of the many actors victimized by
the McCarthy Era Blacklisting, opened a theatre for Blacklisted actors
and folk singers on his Topanga property. He also cultivated a large
garden and, unable to find work in Hollywood, Will and his wife, actress
Herta Ware, earned
a living by selling vegetables, fruit, herbs, and theatre. With the
advent of television's "The Waltons" and subsequent popularity of Will's
portrayal of Grandpa, in 1973 Will Geer re-gathered his family (who were
now working actors at theatres across the country) and together they
formed a non-profit corporation, The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.
Audiences flocked to free workshop performances of Shakespeare, folk
plays, and concerts featuring such well-known artists as Pete Seeger,
Arlo Guthrie, Della Reese & Burl Ives, among others.
At the death of Mr. Geer in 1978, the family and a small
band of players decided to work towards becoming a professional
repertory theatre, incorporating educational programs and musical
events. The local community and surrounding environs encouraged the
theatre's artistic goals and proved their support by donating the labor
and materials to begin a campaign which would expand and improve the
theatre's facilities.
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Will Geer |
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The first of many educational programs to follow was
School Days, created in 1979. Each spring this educational program
serves as many as 8,000 students from the LAUSD and other public and
private schools in the Southern California area. The field trip to the
outdoor theatre consists of a living history with William Shakespeare
and Queen Elizabeth or characters from American history, followed by
workshops of theatre games and stage techniques. A performance of a
Shakespeare or American History play follows, and the day is concluded
by a question and answer session with the actors.
In 1980 the Theatricum's Academy of the Classics was
created to house Youth, Teen and Adult Classes and Workshops. These
popular programs significantly broadened the "local" theatre's community
outreach and today serve as a training ground for actors entering the
professional Repertory Company. The interest of local high school actors
in the Academy's Teen Workshops led to the formation of a Teen Repertory
Company. The Academy operates year-round in Topanga and sites in
Hollywood. |
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Artistic Director, Ellen Geer
Herta Ware |
1983 marked the first year of realizing the Theatricum's
goal of providing its principal performers with an Equity contract;
today the 299-seat outdoor amphitheatre is one of the few mid-size union
houses in the L.A. area, receiving critical praise and numerous awards
including the prestigious Margaret Harford Award for Sustained
Excellence from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, and the LA Weekly
Career Achievement Award for Artistic Director Ellen Geer.
An educational outreach program, Classroom Enrichment,
created in 1990, takes the Theatricum's actor/teachers into the classroom. Designed for
Kindergarten through High School, the program takes the great classics
"off the page," enhancing the students' education by making these texts
more comprehensive, immediate and exciting. Classroom Enrichment also
features innovative History/Social Science Programs which allow students
to interact with historic characters and examine significant events of
their times first-hand.
Renovation of the Theatricum’s scenic mainstage
amphitheatre was completed in 1997, an architectural re-design and
overhaul which maintains the natural aesthetics the theatre has become
known for, while enhancing the venue’s comfort and accessibility. The
renovation was made possible by the generous assistance of the Irvine
Foundation, Weingart Foundation, and the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation.
In 2001, the Theatricum inaugurated a second educational
and performance space, The S. Mark Taper Foundation Youth Pavilion. The
99-seat pavilion provides a much-needed home for the theatre’s
bourgeoning youth programs, and is an intimate stage ideal for new and
experimental theatre works. In 2002, Botanicum Seedlings: A Development
Series for Playwrights was created to foster the growth of unproven
plays and emerging artistic voices. Botanicum Seedlings hosts public
readings and workshops in the summer, as well as during the "off season"
as a means to keep company members challenged and artistically vital.
Theatricum has expanded the Botanicum grounds by purchasing an
additional piece of property southwest of the amphitheatre. This
expansion enlarges the theatre’s park-like setting available to the
community. In addition, new spaces for classes and workshops will allow
the Theatricum to serve an increased number of students through its
educational programs in the years to come.
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