Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival at Independent Shakespeare Company

Independent Shakespeare Co. Will Host Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival This Summer

May 13, 2026 Independent Shakespeare Co. will bring its annual Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival to Los Angeles this summer, offering free outdoor performances for audiences.

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Independent Shakespeare Co. Reveals 2025 Season of Free Shakespeare in Griffith Park

June 04, 2025 Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) will return to Griffith Park this summer for its 22nd season of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, offering ten weeks of free, outdoor classical theatre beginning Wednesday, June 25 and running through Sunday, August 31 at the Dell near the Old Zoo.

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Interview: David Melville His New Solo Show HAMLET (SOLUS)

March 13, 2025 The title role in Shakespeare’s enduring tragedy Hamlet is on the bucket list for many actors wishing to challenge their range of emotions while offering their own interpretation of the iconic role. And in his new solo play, Hamlet (Solus), creator and performer David Melville (pictured), co-founder of Independent Shakespeare Co., plays all the roles while intertwining the text with original songs. I decided to speak with David about his interpretation of the role he has played many times, including why he decided to stress the grief in the story as well as making (the skull of) Yorick an important character, and how the production evolved.

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Independent Shakespeare Co. Reveals New Board President and Board Member

May 10, 2024 Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), Lara Pranger has been unanimously elected as the new chair of the Board of Directors. Lara serves as Director, IT Applications at Fifth Season, a media and entertainment company focused on delivering quality content that reflects a diverse and inclusive audience. 

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Independent Shakespeare Co. Reveals Two New Board Directors

January 16, 2024 Independent Shakespeare Co. announces two new board directors.

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Robert Américo Esnard and Lara Pranger Join Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Board of Directors

August 16, 2023 Independent Shakespeare Co. has revealed the addition of Robert Américo Esnard and Lara Pranger to their board of directors. Learn about their backgrounds and how they will contribute to the organization's commitment to equitable and accessible arts experiences.

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Review: JULIUS CAESAR at Independent Shakespeare Company in Griffith Park

July 23, 2023 Atmosphere, this CAESAR has aplenty. What David Melville’s production does not have this time is particularly strong acting. Players in several key roles felt miscast, out of synch with their own characters, with fellow players or, in some cases, both. As a result, the production is not great at making us emotionally invest.

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Interview: David Melville on Directing Shakespeare's Gritty Political Thriller JULIUS CAESAR

July 09, 2023 Given recent events and political drama, including propaganda used to sway the public, nothing should surprise modern audiences when it comes to politics. But perhaps the most well-known dramatic representation of political intrigue takes place in Shakespeare’s classic play Julius Caesar, which centers around the events that led to his assassination by Roman senators on the 'Ides of March' (March 15) 44 B.C.E.  I decided to speak with David Melville about how the production will differ from more traditional staging and why he decided it would be a good fit for audiences.

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iambic lab, Independent Shakespeare Co's Celebration of Theater Set For This Month

February 02, 2023 Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, have announced the annual festival celebrating theater, iambic lab, beginning Thursday, February 23 through Sunday, February 26.

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The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival Returns This Summer

June 10, 2022 Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) announces the anticipated return of an entire summer (10 weeks) of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival following 2020's virtual season and 2021's shortened season. The location is the Dell at the top of the Old Zoo near the intersection of Crystal Springs Drive and Griffith Park Drive.

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Independent Shakespeare Co. Will Present Feature Length Film: LIVE AT THE PORPENTINE: A COMEDY OF ERRORS

February 24, 2022 Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) presents its first feature film, Live at the Porpentine – A Comedy of Errors. Adapted and directed by David Melville, this film has the distinction of being the only English language film adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.

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Independent Shakespeare Co. Presents Iambic Lab: Creativity In Action

February 04, 2022 Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, announce the annual festival celebrating theater, iambic lab, beginning Sunday, February 20 and running through Sunday, February 27. All offerings are presented free and online. iambic lab is an exploration and celebration of the ways we communicate through the art of theater.

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BWW Interview: ISC's David Melville & Melissa Chalsma On Being Free, Social Awareness & The Future

August 03, 2020 As live theatre remains in lockdown, Independent Shakespeare Company (ISC) is morphing their Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival into a free, livestreaming program of four FESTIVAL EVENTS on Saturdays in August, and a hybrid stage production of ROMEO & JULIET Labor Day weekend. ISC's co-founders David Melville & Melissa Chalsma were most gracious in answering my emailed queries on their twenty-plus-years-old theatre organization.

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Independent Shakespeare Co. Presents The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival 2020 Living Room Edition

July 16, 2020 Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) is venturing into the digital space with the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival a?" Living Room Edition, launching a series of four Festival Events live streaming in August, culminating in a brand new, hybrid stage production of Romeo & Juliet live streaming Labor Day weekend. All events will be available free and online.

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ISC Adds New Staffer, Carene Mekertichyan, Artistic Associate For Social Justice

July 01, 2020 Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), producers of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, announces the establishment of the new position of Artistic Associate for Social Justice. Filling this position is Carene Mekertichyan. She will identify and facilitate strategies of interaction between ISC and the Los Angeles community in an effort to proactively dismantle systemic injustices.

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