“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Topanga

One of Shakespeare’s most delightful and romantic comedies could have been written especially for the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, an intimate and unique outdoor amphitheater nestled in the heart of Topanga Canyon.

Fittingly for the onset of summer this week, on Sunday, June 20 at a 3:30 p.m. matinee, the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum once again presents a season’s premiere of its signature production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Audiences delight in the authentic forest setting for Shakespeare’s enchanting tale of fairies, mortals, romance, magic and mystery. Celebrate Father’s Day with a timeless classic presented on nature’s very own stage. The Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga. Here is the ticket information, and here’s how to get there.

Actor Will Geer’s cherished family project has a rich and storied history reaching back to the darkest days of the 1950s Hollywood blacklist, when Geer, like many actors barred by their personal politics from working under the old studio system, embarked on his own independent acting and performing endeavors. The result was his Theatricum Botanicum, originally a haven on his Topanga estate for other actors, singers and writers similarly disenfranchised from mainstream artistic employment. After Geer’s death in 1978, his family expanded the Theatricum’s artistic offerings and educational opportunities into a thriving performing troupe and an integral part of both the Topanga and the larger Southern California cultural community.