'The Tempest' blows into Botanicum

William Shakespeare's drama "The Tempest" will open at The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum at 4 p.m. Sun., June 3, and continue every Sunday through Sept. 30 with matinees at 4 p.m. in June and July, and at 3 p.m. in August and September.

For 12 years Prospero, sorcerer and former Duke of Milan, has remained stranded on a remote island with his young daughter, Miranda, exiled by his brother, Antonio. Prospero sees his chance for revenge and conjures a storm that shipwrecks his brother, along with the King of Naples, yet the wizard finds peace and the ability to forgive.

Tickets are $20 and $25. Seniors, students and Equity members pay $15 and $18. Children ages 6 to 12 are $8 and under 6 are free.

On Sun., Aug. 19 a pre-show discussion will begin at 2 p.m.

The outdoor amphitheater is terraced into the hillside of the rustic canyon. Audience members are advised to dress casually, warmly for evenings, and bring cushions for bench seating. Snacks are available and picnickers are welcome before and after the performance.

+The theater also offers Botanicum Seedlings: A Development Series for Playwrights, which presents public readings of new plays at 11 p.m. Sundays. All readings are free, and reservations are not necessary.

+"The Eyes of Bones" by Velina Hasu Houston will be read on June 3. This new work focuses on a gifted surgeon whose romantic relationship takes a critical turn, forcing her to confront the intimate nature of betrayal and her identity as a healer.

+"Memorizing Rome" by Richard Martin Hirsch will be presented on June 10. A comic drama follows four different women, along with their emotional baggage, on vacation in Rome.

+Tira Palmquist's "Lost Nation" is scheduled for June 17. When a hometown hero returns from the battlefields of Iraq, his perspective makes him a unique witness to what's happening in Enterprise, Minn., as a big-box store threatens his neighbors' farmland.

The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is at 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. For tickets and information, call (310) 455-3723 or visit www.theatricum.com.