Hollywood's Independent Shakespeare Company Presents THE CHANGELING 10/16-11/8

Independent Shakespearre Company of Hollywood will present THE CHANGELING by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley on October 16 through November 8. Performances will be Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m. All performances will take place at The Lillian Theatre, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood, CA 90038. Absinthe will be served.

Come in your best Gothic Victorian dress and pay just $10: call (818) 710-6306 to book.

Beatrice, betrothed to a man of her father's choice, falls in love with a dashing stranger. In turmoil, she turns to De Flores, a man long obsessed with her. Together, they plot to free her from her engagement, through the most bloody means. Ghosts, mysterious potions, dancing lunatics, and various human remains all make an appearance in this most decadent of tragedies.

A box-offIce Triumph in its day (1622), it's rarely produced in the US. Join Independent Shakespeare Co. as they re-discover a classic written by one of Shakespeare's most illustrious contemporaries. This stylish production takes the Jacobean play and re-imagines it as a Gothic Victorian nightmare, one where high poetry neatly coexists with coarse humor, and where your darkest fantasies can come true.

Directed by Pat Towne (last year nominated for an LA Weekly Award for Best Direction for Joe's Garage), it features ISC company members Melissa Chalsma, Luis Galindo, and Sean Pritchett.

Tickets are $16 if purchased before October 1, so book now! After October 1, tickets are $20.
Visit our box office page or call (818) 710-6306.

Independent Shakespeare Company was founded in 1998 by a group of actors who shared a passion for classical works. Intent on rendering vivid productions of Shakespeare's plays, their focus was stripping back the conventions of contemporary theater and placing attention onto the spoken word. Shakespeare, they reasoned, produced his plays without lighting, without recorded sound, and without elaborate scenery and costumes. Surely we could as well.

This style also had the virtue of being cheap. The first play they produced, Henry V, had a budget of about $800. They managed this by wearing costumes the actors found in our own closets or in thrift stores, having no scenery but a giant St. George's flag and a rolling trunk, and keeping props to a minimum. They also found a cheap theater space: a curious Lower East Side theater with ideosyncratic policies. Numerous theater companies shared the space, neccesitating odd performance times. So it came to pass that their first performance was at 10:00 pm on a Tuesday night following a performance of Pigoletto- the opera Rigoletto starring a man in a pig suit. Pigoletto would let out at 9:55, and they would rush to set up as our audience was seating. That didn't take long. Their premiere had only five in attendance.

In 2003 Independent Shakespeare Company partnered with the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles to produce Free Shakespeare in Barnsdall Park. Their first performance in Barnsdall Park in 2003 was attended by 14 people and a dog. Since that time they have grown steadily. Last summer's Free Shakespeare in Barnsdall Park was attended by more than 7,250 patrons over just eight weeks.

Despite the changes, we maintain an undying belief in the power of language to transform actors and audiences alike. Our costumes are less wrinkled, but they remain simple. Lighting is still basic. The stage is still mainly bare of scenery. Limiting technical elements does cut costs. Much more importantly, it focuses the actors' and audience's attention in the most powerful place: on the spoken word. Our efforts are all aimed at engaging your, the audience's, imagination. And, we are grateful that, by your indulgence and attention, you invite us to be your conduit to the great works which are our shared legacy.

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