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
Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, announce a workshop production of RED BARN, a new musical play. The book is written by David Melville and Melissa Chalsma, original music and lyrics by David Melville and directed by Melissa Chalsma. Performances of RED BARN will begin on Friday, March 13 and run through Sunday, March 29 at the Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village. This production is not open for review.
Directed by Caitlin Hart, WHAT OF THE NIGHT? is meant to be a poignant saga chronicling the life of Nadine's children, Birdie (Lisa Jai), Charlie (Marc Pelina), Rainbow (Alex Marshall-Brown) and Ray (Thaddeus Shafer), the son she gave away. As they traverse the moral and financial bankruptcy that is poverty, we witness the choices they make to survive and how their paths cross during the 60-year journey where estranged family and friends entwine and collide in poetic stories of love, impoverishment, and dreams.
What of the Night? is a poignant saga chronicling the life of Birdie and her family as they traverse the moral and financial bankruptcy that is poverty.
What of the Night? is a poignant saga chronicling the life of Birdie and her family as they traverse the moral and financial bankruptcy that is poverty.
What of the Night? is a poignant saga chronicling the life of Birdie and her family as they traverse the moral and financial bankruptcy that is poverty. Destitute and isolated, a 14-year old Birdie makes the brave decision to leave her family. 'I want something from life!' she cries as she abandons her loved ones in hopes of finding something more than sickness and crime. This decision propels Birdie, her family, and the viewer into a 60-year journey where estranged family and friends entwine and collide in poetic stories of love, impoverishment, and dreams. Maria Irene Fornes delivers a masterful piece of theatre that entertains us, humors us, breaks our hearts, and ultimately challenges us to examine our own complicity in the unbridled divide between the haves and the have nots across America today.
It begins with a wager and ends with a food fight and in between the laughs fly fast and furious in Independent Shakespeare Co.'s THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. Yes, throughout much of the play those laughs come at the expense of one woman, Katherine (Melissa Chalsma as the shrew of the title), but director David Melville turns the shenanigans into an indisputably jolly event.
This summer, visit a small Italian provincial, 1950's town, as INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. brings a bit of 'La Dolce Vita' as it presents its take one of Shakespeare's most loved comedies, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director David Melville. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL tonight, July 24 at 7pm and will open on Saturday, August 2 at 7:00pm and perform through Friday, August 29 at Old Zoo in Griffith Park. All ISC Summer Shakespeare productions are FREE to the public! THE TAMING OF THE SHREW will play in repertory with TWELFTH NIGHT or What You Will.
This summer, Shakespeare's delightful and romantic comedy is given a Downton Abbey-twist with elegant and sumptuous costumes and the ringing sounds of the early twentieth-century music hall as Independent Shakespeare Co. presents Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT or What You Will, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma.
This summer, Shakespeare's delightful and romantic comedy is given a Downton Abbey-twist with elegant and sumptuous costumes and the ringing sounds of the early twentieth-century music hall as Independent Shakespeare Co. presents Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT or What You Will, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma.
This summer, visit a small Italian provincial, 1950's town, as INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. brings a bit of 'La Dolce Vita' as it presents its take one of Shakespeare's most loved comedies, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director David Melville. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Thursday, July 24 at 7pm and will open on Saturday, August 2 at 7:00pm and perform through Friday, August 29 at Old Zoo in Griffith Park. All ISC Summer Shakespeare productions are FREE to the public! THE TAMING OF THE SHREW will play in repertory with TWELFTH NIGHT or What You Will.
This summer, Shakespeare's delightful and romantic comedy is given a Downton Abbey-twist with elegant and sumptuous costumes and the ringing sounds of the early twentieth-century music hall as Independent Shakespeare Co. presents Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or What You Will, directed by ISC's artistic director Melissa Chalsma.
This summer, Shakespeare's delightful and romantic comedy is given a Downton Abbey-twist with elegant and sumptuous costumes and the ringing sounds of the early twentieth-century music hall as Independent Shakespeare Co. presents Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT or What You Will, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma.
In anticipation of opening Macbeth as the centerpiece of its summer season, Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival is exploring Shakespeare's complex tale of inappropriate desire and dire consequences in the Independent Studio.
In anticipation of opening Macbeth as the centerpiece of its summer season, Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival is exploring Shakespeare's complex tale of inappropriate desire and dire consequences in the Independent Studio.
This is the third production of The World Goes 'Round in and around Los Angeles in the last six months...and another best bet! Sure, it's hard to beat the joyous music of Kander & Ebb, in whatever way it's presented. But this production at DCLO has a style all its own. Though in some ways more traditional than the other two I've seen recently - it plays much like an old-fashioned TV variety show - it has a greatness and a flair... with not only singing and dancing but blending bright anecdotes about the composers - that include delicious personal stories from cast members... and a splendid, splendid cast of 37 actors/singers/dancers, one of the largest casts to do a revue - and it works beautifully thanks to the splendid use of the broad stage by director Marsha Moode and choreographer Nathan Wise!
Independent Shakespeare Co.'s annual benefit in Griffith Park, co-sponsored by Councilman Tom LaBonge and Los Angeles Council District Four, presents As You Like It by William Shakespeare today, May 12. Pre-show entertainment begins at 2:00 pm. Performance begins at 4:00 pm.
Melissa Chalsma is one busy woman. Wife, mom, actor, director and full-time artistic director of Independent Shakespeare Co., she knows firsthand what it's like to try and balance more than you think you can. There's always time for a little girl talk though so between juggling kids and rehearsals we grabbed a few minutes to talk about ISC's upcoming performance of As You Like It, how storytelling shapes our world, and those L.A. streets paved with gold. Read on!
Independent Shakespeare Co.'s annual benefit in Griffith Park, co-sponsored by Councilman Tom LaBonge and Los Angeles Council District Four, presents As You Like It by William Shakespeare on Saturday, May 12. Pre-show entertainment begins at 2:00 pm. Performance begins at 4:00 pm.
