Independent Shakespeare Co. Reveals New Board President and Board Member

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.  A self-described natural project manager, her 25+ years of experience includes partnering with business leadership on business case development, technical application ecosystem strategy, global project management and systems implementations.

Comments Lara, “I am looking forward to leading the board in deepening our support for the mission of ISC, fulfilling the board commitment to engage in deeper ways to help ISC implement components of the 2024 Strategic Plan and remembering to collectively think creatively and have fun along the way.”

Joining the Board of Directors is Bukola Ogunmola.

Bukola Ogunmola is a Nigerian-American actor, producer and educator born, raised, and educated in South Jamaica, Queens, New York. There, she taught in the New York City Public School system as a teaching artist, as well as at BAM: Brooklyn Academy of Music’ Summer Youth Intensive. Bukola is currently teaching with Creative Acts, a Los Angeles arts program empowering incarcerated youth through the arts and is involved with the non-profit program the Male Initiative whose purpose is to increase matriculation, retention, and graduation rates of underrepresented students, particularly men of color. In addition to her MFA from USC for Acting, she received her undergraduate degree in Marketing and Public Relations. Additionally, she is a proud ISC ensemble member. 

Bukola comments, “I look forward to contributing to ISC’s growth and expansion. I would love to be able to reach more people. The board and staff has already been working so diligently to do that and I am ready to support the effort in this new position as a board director. What drives me is that there was someone out there who did not know who I was or where I came from, but they worked hard to create programming and entertainment for my community and it forever changed my life. I don't know who they are or where they are now, but the best way to honor and thank them is to do the same for the people around me and the children coming after me.”

ISC Artistic Director and co-founder Melissa Chalsma says, “The L.A. theater landscape as a whole is seeking to redefine its relationship to the community, so we are thrilled to have such remarkable individuals on our board, led by Lara Pranger. Their valuable experience, their commitment to our community, as well as their expertise across the fields of business development, marketing and strategic planning, will help guide ISC on our path towards growth and expansion. Building off of phenomenal audience loyalty with the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, this board of directors is committed to expanding ISC’s reach and impact.”