As Theatricum Botanicum’s Artistic Director, Ellen Geer has guided the professional Equity repertory season and educational Academy of the Classics since 1978, directing more than 50 productions and acting in over 30.  A founding member of the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, she has performed in such regional theatres as ACT, APA, San Diego’s Old Globe and the Mark Taper Forum and in many films and television shows, including the 1971 classic film Harold and Maude; her own award-winning film Memory of Us; Patriot Games and its sequel Clear and Present Danger; Phenomenon with John Travolta; and The Odd Couple II with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Television roles range from Desperate Housewives to a recurring role on Beauty and the Beast.  As a writer, her Americana Series,her personal story of the McCarthy Era Blacklist …and the Dark Cloud Came, and her adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula have all premiered at Theatricum to critical acclaim.  Ms. Geer has received numerous awards for her dedication to theatre and education, including the L.A. Weekly Career Achievement Award and the L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle’s Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence.   She was voted "Favorite Director to Work With" by Back Stage West readers last year.  Ms. Geer is currently a graduate professor of classical acting in UCLA’s Department of Film, Theatre and Television.