Fires have come before. More will come again. And still, people stay, for love of place, for their children, for the idea of community. Bernardo Cubría’s dark and incisive new comedy, set in the aftermath of the 2025 fires in Los Angeles, does not romanticize that choice, but interrogates it, exposing the privilege embedded in even being able to choose. A dinner party meant to celebrate survival quickly turns into a sharp, funny, and uncomfortable reckoning with how we perform community when everything beneath it feels unstable. Fast, biting, and wickedly observant, Cubría’s quick dialogue reveals a deeper urgency: a hunger for connection, home, and belonging that is not fragile or performative. In a time when many of us feel unmoored, The People of Pompeii asks what “home” really means—and whether we are willing to do the work it takes to build it together, before the next fire comes.

Get tickets at https://theatricum.com/the-people-of-pompeii/

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Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available for the 7:30 performance on August 31 (online beginning a week prior to the performance date and in person at the box office on the day of the show). A prologue discussion with the cast will take place before this performance at 6:30pm. 

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Theatricum is located outdoors and it can get quite chilly in the canyon at night, so be sure to bring warm layers for evening performances and sun protection during the day.

You are encouraged to come early to enjoy the gardens before the show. You are welcome to bring a picnic, but food and drink are not permitted inside the theatre itself (except water).

Parking is available for free along Topanga Cyn Blvd or in the Theatricum lot for $10 per car. This fee is waived for guests with handicap placards.

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THE PEOPLE OF POMPEII was originally commissioned by The Old Globe, Barry Edelstein, Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Timothy J. Shields, Audrey S. Geisel Managing Director.