Bukola Ogunmola News

MONSTER PARTY will run April 16-25 at Rita House. MONSTER PARTY is an interactive play that puts guests in the center of a supernatural, sociopolitical melodrama.

Director David Melville's Forest of Arden has plenty of space for the melancholy, the displaced and the lovelorn alike, even for a frisky French goatherd who warbles merrily as she bags goat poop. ISC free Shakespeare patrons only get one production this summer, but it’s a winner.

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. 

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and director Kate Whoriskey will bring their latest Broadway triumph, “Clyde’s,” a co-production with Goodman Theatre in Chicago to the Mark Taper Forum November 15 to December 18. It recently concluded the Goodman engagement.

ISC’s unique brand of Shakespeare in the park has long been a summertime favorite for Angelenos of all ages. PESTLE is a work of Francis Beaumont, not the Bard, but as adapted and staged by director Melissa Chalsma, this loopy bit of play-within-a-play meta is every bit a comic winner.

 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.

Independent Shakespeare Co. has launched a new play development program, upholding our commitment to our Black artists. ISC has always approached theater in a deeply collaborative manner, and this project emphasizes collaboration and the voices of our Black Ensemble members. Giving our artists the freedom to create is the goal of this project.

Independent Shakespeare Co. is continuing to occupy the digital space in 2021 with a groundbreaking virtual experience, the last syllable, written & directed by Melissa Chalsma, based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, with poetry by Luis Galindo.

What will you remember about the year 2020? The Pandemic Papers is a series of monologues inspired by a collection of letters, blog posts, and texts, documenting the lighter side of quarantine.

The Echo Theater Company's innovative National Young Playwrights in Residence program culminates in a two-week 'virtual festival' of free online readings Nov. 13 through Nov. 21. The program offers a transformative way for new writers to fearlessly create bold new work with the support of a professional artistic community.

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) presents a new adaptation of Shakespeare's play, an innovative hybrid stage production blending recorded and live scenes, with surprising moments of audience interaction. Romeo & Juliet will livestream eight performances September 17 - 27. All events will be available free and online.

Love is lost and found again in PERICLES, one of Shakespeare's most spellbinding plays. The young Pericles sets out for adventure, but gets more than he bargains for. Twenty-five years later, it's his daughter's turn to sail the high seas as she seeks to unravel the mystery of her birth. 

Summer is the best time of year to get out and see a Shakespeare play, especially in Southern California. Whether it's under the stars, staged in a unique performance space, or revived in a traditional theater, you can't go wrong when it comes to the world's greatest writer. Here's what we've currently got on our radar. Go see a show!

This summer Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) presents the rarely-performed epic Pericles at the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, directed by ISC Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Melissa Chalsma. Pericles will begin previews on Saturday, July 27 at 7pm, will open on Saturday, August 3 at 7pm and perform through Friday, August 30 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.  All ISC summer Shakespeare productions are FREE to the public! Pericles is the second of two productions being presented at this year's Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. Twelfth Night is currently playing and will run in repertory through September 1.

This summer Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) presents the romantic comedy Twelfth Night at the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, directed by ISC Co-Founder and Managing Director, David Melville. Twelfth Night will begin previews on Saturday, June 29 at 7pm, will open on Saturday, July 6 at 7pm and perform through Sunday, September 1 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.  All ISC summer Shakespeare productions are FREE to the public!  Twelfth Night is the first of two productions being presented at this year's Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. Pericles begins Saturday, July 27 and will run in repertory with Twelfth Night.

Shake out your picnic blankets and start planning your picnics! We are back for our 16th season of Free Shakespeare in the Park, a summer-long event for all of Los Angeles to play with theater, family workshops, opening acts and special events.

TITUS ANDRONICUS is one of Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedies. Characters are stabbed, beheaded, mutilated, raped, baked in a pie, and one is even buried up to his neck and left to die. At first glance it may not sound like an obvious choice for families who attend the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, and it definitely isn't one for 'the youngest audience members' as the website says. But the play's extreme violence does present a unique opportunity for parents to talk to their teens about revenge and the futility of starting down its destructive path.

This summer INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. presents the dark spectacle, TITUS ANDRONICUS as the second show of its GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, featuring David Melville as Titus and directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director, Melissa Chalsma. Celebrating the 15th anniversary season of free Shakespeare in Los Angeles City Parks, TITUS ANDRONICUS will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Saturday, July 28 at 7pm and will open on Saturday, August 4 at 7:00pm and perform through Sunday, September 1 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.  All ISC Summer Shakespeare productions are FREE to the public!  TITUS ANDRONICUS is the second of two productions being presented at this year's GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM is currently playing and will run in repertory through September 2. 

This summer INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. presents the dark spectacle, TITUS ANDRONICUS at the GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL featuring David Melville as Titus and directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director, Melissa Chalsma. Celebrating the 15th anniversary season of free Shakespeare in Los Angeles City Parks, TITUS ANDRONICUS opened at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Saturday, August 4 at 7:00pm and will perform through Sunday, September 1 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.  

This summer INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. presents the dark spectacle, TITUS ANDRONICUS at the GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL featuring David Melville as Titus and directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director, Melissa Chalsma.