Independent Shakespeare Co. Presents VAUDEVILLE IN THE PARK on 5/4

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), announces a concert to benefit the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, the annual summer presentation of 10 weeks of 40 classical theater performances, education workshops, pre-show arts performances and salon-style discussions, all presented admission-free.

VAUDEVILLE IN THE PARK will feature an eclectic lineup of musical performances, side show performers and special guests. The concert is headlined by ISC's house band, Dr. Pinch & the Pinchtones. (Dr. Pinch is a minor character from The Comedy of Errorswho found a new lease in life after performing at Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival in 2012.)

"Vaudeville in the Park is a great event to kick off the summer!" comments Melissa Chalsma, ISC's Artistic Director. "It's a freewheeling event (which is also entirely family-friendly). It's got swing music, comedy, variety performances and, of course, some great Shakespeare! The afternoon performance is a fantastic way for us to celebrate our relationship with our audience, which has always been exceptionally close. They expect our work to be fun and more than a little surprising, and Vaudeville in the Park fits that bill perfectly. We're excited to share this event as we raise funds for the 2014 Festival. Over the past 10 years, we've experienced extraordinary artistic growth. We're grateful for the community support that has allowed us to get even better at providing Los Angeles with great, free theater!"

ISC Managing Director David Melville says, "How do you finance a professional Shakespeare Festival when you don't sell tickets? We do take donations at the park but that is a fraction of what it cost to put the whole thing on. Before the first performance we pay actors, designers, directors and crew for months of preparation and rehearsal. We need to raise $150,000 before we start Festival rehearsals and Vaudeville is a huge component of that. "Vaudeville in the Park" is our most important fundraising day of the year, it is also one of the most enjoyable days for cast and audience alike - we have a blast writing and performing sketches and songs. Last year's show had more in common with the Marx Brothers than William Shakespeare, with great music and variety acts plus special turns by people like John C. Reilly. This year's event will once again be a celebration of spring, swing and Shakespeare."

VAUDEVILLE IN THE PARK will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2014 from 3pm - 6pm at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.

Ticket Prices are: Guest $35; Guest - Family $70; Premium $100;
Premium - Family $180; VIP - $250 ; VIP - Family $400 Tickets are available by visiting www.iscla.org and are tax deductible. Directions to the Old Zoo at Griffith Park are also available on the website.

INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. (ISC) was founded in 1998. We have been producing accessible, imaginative performances of classical plays since that time. Our first performances were located on the Lower East Side of New York City. The stripped down production style of our early productions enabled us to travel easily and we quickly found ourselves touring Europe, ending with an invitation to perform our production of Macbeth for four weeks at The King's Head Theatre in London. In 2001 we relocated to Los Angeles and -- with the support of the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of Cultural Affairs -- founded Free Shakespeare in Barnsdall Park, in 2004. Because of audience demand, in 2010 we moved to the significantly larger venue at the Old Zoo and re-christened the summer season the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. 2014 is our 10th anniversary of performing free Shakespeare in Los Angeles City parks. The growth in attendance is extraordinary: our first season played to fewer than 1,000 people; by 2013 over 43,000 people came to Griffith Park for 40 nights of free classical theater productions. In 2012, we expanded our offerings with our indoor performance space, Independent Co. Studio where we present original work, re-imagined stagings of classics, readings and classes. For more information call 818-710-6306 or visit www.iscla.org.

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