The term “starving artist” need not apply to UCLA theater students, not when there are plenty of small Los Angeles-based theaters that are allowing students to expand their education while still expressing their craft.
The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, a theater company located in Topanga Canyon, encourages aspiring actors and actresses to grow in an environment that is both professional and intimate.
The Theatricum was founded in the early 1950s when Will Geer (“The Waltons”), decided to create a theater to give more work to actors who were black-listed during the McCarthy era. Today, Ellen Geer ““ the artistic director of the theater and a professor in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television ““ has taken over her father’s legacy.
“Our aim was to pay the actor and give a place for young people to practice their talent. That means that the younger members work with older professionals. We believe that symbiosis is really strong and important,” she said.
The “symbiosis” between experienced and inexperienced actors has proved helpful for many up-and-coming actors, particularly UCLA students. For 2008 theater graduate Melissa Camillo, who is making her debut at the Theatricum this summer playing the role of Hippolyta in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” working at the theater has been an invaluable educational experience.
“The more I work in Ellen’s company, the more I learn from all the other actors because everyone is so good,” she said. “I’m just learning that there’s so many different ways you can get your message across, through the other actors.”
The experiences available at the Theatricum are not limited to actors. Christopher Murillo, the properties master for the summer repertory session and a recent UCLA graduate, considers the Theatricum Botanicum a perfect “stepping stone.”
“Just working with that group of (professional actors), you get used to the theater. … You get used to working with those type of people. It’s not as intimidating as some of the bigger theater company,” he said. “It’s a perfect transitioning space.”
Since its inception, the theater has continued to grow in size and scope. It now offers in its catalogue a variety of internships, educational programs and employment opportunities. Today, it pays 38 union actors who are part of the Actors’ Equity Association. Non-paid, non-union actors have a plethora of opportunities as well.
“Some of our non-union actors are teaching, and they get paid for that in our summer camps, if they happen to like kids and like working with kids. There’s a lot of ways to get involved in the Theatricum; they just have to have the spirit and the desire,” Geer said.
The Theatricum Botanicum differentiates itself from other companies mainly through its architecture. It is built in the style of a Greek amphitheater; located among the natural canyon ravines of Topanga Canyon, it opens itself up to the surrounding nature and air. This uncommon locale has pushed many members at the company physically and creatively.
“It’s the first time I am working outside in a theater. With working outside in a theater, you definitely have to be careful when you’re using your voice. That’s when the training comes in,” said Camillo. “It’s very easy to lose your voice because there are no walls.”
The outdoor arena has allowed Murillo to further explore his creative side, being more of a perk rather than a hindrance.
“For scenic artist or props people, it gives them a new challenge where you have to design for a theater without necessarily a “˜wing space’ where you can hide things. It just gives you different challenges and different perspectives,” he said.
For others, what sets the Theatricum apart is not just the location but also the sense of camaraderie between its members. In the case of Willow Geer ““ the daughter of Ellen Geer, as well as a UCLA alumna and the lead actress in three plays this summer ““ the Theatricum is also a family.
“Everyone who’s worked here says that our theater has a great camaraderie and a great rapport just because we’ve all worked together so often,” she said. “Because at the core, it’s a family theater.”
Every summer, the theater performs a selection of plays that include Shakespearean texts and modern literature. This summer’s selection includes Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” “Macbeth,” and the theater’s signature performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Also included in the repertoire are Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s “The School for Scandal” and Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night.”
Yet, in the end, even if the Theatricum may not be a perfect fit for all theater students, the main objective for any theater graduate after college is to just keep working.
“The whole core reason of being an actor is sharing the experience. … Keep creating, doing and making things that fill your soul, even if you’re not making money doing it,” said Willow Geer. “You want to tell a story and you want to move people when you tell that story.”