Independent Shakespeare Co. Presents A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival announce performances of Shakespeare's reverie of love, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director David Melville. ?A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM will begin previews on Saturday, October 15, will open on Friday, October 21 at 7:30pm and performs through Sunday, November 20 at Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village.

In A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, the lines between dreaming and waking are deliciously blurred. As the King and Queen of fairies do battle in a fantastical forest, they find their world interrupted by mortals: four young lovers on the run and a group of amateur actors preparing for the biggest performance of their lives. As the humans submit to the magic of the woods, they find themselves in the longest, wildest, most transformative night of their lives.

Comments David Melville, "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM is actually one of Shakespeare's most sophisticated plays. In it, Shakespeare creates a world that is as confounding as it is magical. Its intricately plotted, intersecting storylines evoke a complex world full of unseen forces. Our production, in which nine actors switch almost acrobatically from role to role, is as fun and lively as the audience expects, but also explores the darker and more elemental underpinnings and energy of the play. The action of the play is over the course of one wild, mysterious night, and our production reflects that-it's like being at a really great, weird party full of eccentrics."

David Melville (Director) is the co-founder and Managing Director of Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) and has acted in and directed many ISC productions. He wrote and co-starred in Strange Eventful History, a condensed story that takes the audience through 10 Shakespeare plays and 150 years of British war. For ISC he has played Richard III, Hamlet, Iago, Macbeth, Henry VI, Benedict, Friar Lawrence, Dr. Pinch, Feste, Charles Dickens and W.H. Ireland in the one-man show Solemn Mockeries by Richard Creese. He appeared as Charles Dickens in The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord at the Geffen Playhouse written by Scott Carter. Other theatre credits include Mother Courage at the Mermaid Theatre, London (with Glenda Jackson); Hamlet, Almeida at the Hackney Empire, London and Broadway (with Ralph Fiennes); Ivanov at The Almeida Theatre, London and Maly Theatre, Moscow. TV and film: Lawrence of America, Ironclad, The Understudy andPerfection. David writes the music for many ISC productions including numerous Dr. Pinch and the Pinchtones Vaudeville shows, as well as the original musical Red Barn. He received his acting training at the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

The cast of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM will feature: Jose Acain, Sam Breen, April Fritz, Martha Gehman, Faqir Hassan, Tatiana Louder, Evan Lewis Smith, Erwin Tuazon and Kalean Ung.

Lighting Design is by Bosco Flanagan. Costume Design is by Lauren Opplet. Composer and Sound Design by David Melville.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM will preview Saturday, October 15 and will open on Friday, October 21. It performs through Saturday, November 20 at Independent Studio, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 (between Fletcher Drive and Glendale Blvd.) at the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, Los Angeles, CA 90039. Free, ample lot and street parking.

Previews begin Saturday, October 15. Press opening Friday, October 21 and a special Gala Opening Benefit Performance and Party on Saturday, October 22. Regular performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm & Sundays at 2pm. ClosesSunday, November 20.

Gala Opening Benefit Performance and Party, Saturday, October 22. A benefit performance to support ISC's 'Theater For All' initiative, providing access to performances all year long. This season, 20% of the ISC Studio tickets are offered free to underserved youth, families on a limited income, and other members of our community that typically do not have access to the performing arts; through partnerships with a select group of Los Angeles school and community organizations, like P.S. ARTS. There are also a limited number of free tickets available to anyone who needs them. Tickets for the benefit are $100.

TICKETING PRICES:

Generous Admission - $35. Support ISC's initiative to provide access across income and age!

General Admission - $20. ISC's affordable ticket price.

FREE! A limited number of free tickets are available for each performance so that price is not an obstacle to attending live theater. Email ISC at indyshakes@iscla.org or call the office at 818-710-6306 to make a reservation.

Gala Opening Benefit Performance - $100. Saturday, October 22

Special fundraising event to support ISC's free ticketing initiative, 'Theater for All.'

For tickets, please call (818) 710-6306 or buy online at www.iscla.org