Nikhil Pai

When you get right down to it, Amanda and Elyot are two people with the enormous blind side of being drawn to one another yet destined to hurt one another; walking a fine line between love and hate, desire and aversion. 

 In 2014, The Speakeasy Society presented the smash hit Ebenezer, an immersive adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. To close out the tumultuous 2021 year, The Speakeasy Society has adapted that adaptation into a holiday internet spectacular that translates the free roaming exploration of the original Ebenezer to a virtual format.

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.

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.

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenter of the annual Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, presents Art Break, a series of new podcasts, original short videos and music from the ISC archives. New content will be released each week in an effort to brighten everyone's days as we all navigate through this unprecedented time of staying safer at home due to COVID-19.

Independent Shakespeare Co.(ISC), announced today the addition of three new members of its Board of Directors: Sarah L. Cronin, Nikhil Pai and Julie Yannatta, under the leadership of Board Chair, Eduardo A. Braniff.   ISC Artistic Director and Co-Founder Melissa Chalsma comments, "2018 is a phenomenal year for ISC and a turning point in our history. With the commitment of our board of directors led by Eduardo Braniff, we are in the midst of a singular time of growth and celebration, one with two new performance spaces. Earlier this year we opened a new, expanded indoor Studio, this summer we celebrate our 15th anniversary of free Shakespeare in the park, and this fall the city of L.A. will be break ground on the new performance stage at our Griffith Park site.   

ISC sets TWO GENTS in the 1950s, accompanied by a live band on stage playing an infectious rock 'n' roll score. Musical director Dave Beukers' arrangements are bright and sexy with a beat that's perfect for dancing (think Elvis Presley during his Sun Records days or Jerry Lee Lewis). It's a choice that admirably complements Shakespeare's early play - thought by many to be his first - and the erratic appetites of youth.

The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival continues with INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO.'s riotous rock & roll production of THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. Directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director, David Melville, THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Saturday, July 29 at 7pm and will open on Saturday, August 5 at 7:00pm and perform through Sunday, September 3 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.

The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival continues with INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO.'s riotous rock & roll production of THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. Directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director, David Melville, THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Saturday, July 29 at 7pm and will open on Saturday, August 5 at 7:00pm and perform through Sunday, September 3 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park. 

This summer take a trip to a decadent Vienna as INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. opens the season with the wild and wonderful MEASURE FOR MEASURE. The plot twists come fast and furious in this production that is equal parts screwball romantic comedy and deliciously dark social satire.

This summer take a trip to a decadent Vienna as INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. opens the season with the wild and wonderful MEASURE FOR MEASURE. The plot twists come fast and furious in this production that is equal parts screwball romantic comedy and deliciously dark social satire.  MEASURE FOR MEASURE, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director, Melissa Chalsma, will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Saturday, June 24 at 7pm and will open on Saturday, July 1 at 7:00pm and perform through Sunday, July 22 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.  All ISC Summer Shakespeare productions are FREE to the public!  MEASURE FOR MEASURE is the first of two productions being presented at this year's GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL. THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA will play July 29 - September 3.

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival announce the west coast premiere of  THE SNOW GEESE by Sharr White (The Other Place), directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director David Melville.  THE SNOW GEESE will begin previews on Saturday, March 11, will open on Friday, March 17 at 7:30pm and performs through Sunday, April 9 at Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village.

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival announce the west coast premiere of  THE SNOW GEESE by Sharr White (The Other Place), directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director David Melville.  THE SNOW GEESE will begin previews on Saturday, March 11, will open on Friday, March 17 at 7:30pm and performs through Sunday, April 9 at Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village.

INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. is thrilled to announce that its critically-acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma is RETURNING to the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival for three performances in September following MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

This summer INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. presents its imaginative and soul-stirring take on the most famous love story of all time, Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma. ROMEO & JULIET at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL opens tonight, July 3, performing through Sunday, July 26 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

This summer INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. presents its imaginative and soul-stirring take on the most famous love story of all time, Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma. ROMEO & JULIET began previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Thursday, June 25, and will open on Friday, July 3, performing through Sunday, July 26 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

This summer INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. presents its imaginative and soul-stirring take on the most famous love story of all time, Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma. ROMEO & JULIET will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Thursday, June 25 at 7pm and will open on Friday, July 3 at 7:00pm and perform through Sunday, July 26 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park

Each summer in Griffith Park, Independent Shakespeare Co. presents fully-produced large scale performances for hundreds of people on a nightly basis. Instead of the expensive dinner and a movie scenario, families flock to the park for a more neighborly picnic and a play. It's friendly, affordable (the play is free), and fun...and that's about as good as it gets on a summer night in LA.

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival and recipients of the 2015 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater, announce a new adaptation of Shakespeare's PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma. PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE will begin previews tonight, April 24, will open on Saturday, May 2 at 7:30pm and will perform through Sunday, May 24 at Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village.