Independent Shakespeare Co. to Stage New Adaptation of OTHELLO, 3/26-5/7

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival announce a translation of Shakespeare's great treatise on alienation, OTHELLO, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma. OTHELLO will begin previews on Saturday, March 19, will open on Saturday, March 26 at 7:30pm and will perform through Saturday, May 7 at Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village.

In this tightly-wound adaptation of OTHELLO, eight actors bring to life Shakespeare's great treatise on the dangers of faith and love. Othello (Evan Lewis Smith), decorated and revered, marries Desdemona (Kalean Ung), the daughter of a local aristocrat. This unexpected pairing dredges up some unpleasant truths about his adopted community and sets in motion a sequence of events that allows Othello to fall prey to the progressively more brutal machinations of Iago (David Melville). This production is a breathless, suspenseful ride.

Comments Melissa Chalsma, "In OTHELLO, Shakespeare creates a deeply disorienting world, reflecting the experience of its central figure, the great general, Othello. He is a foreigner whose acceptance into his adopted community is fragile and for whom his marriage is both a surprise and a kind of rebellion. As he grapples with shifting circumstances (manufactured by his trusted ensign, Iago) he begins to sense that the people around him are not as they seem. And indeed, they are not-even his innocent wife, Desdemona, engages in ill-advised (albeit well meaning) subterfuge. Combined with the strange, dual timeline of the play (which seems to take place both in a matter of days, but also a matter of weeks), this creates a tense and crackling environment that quickly spirals into tragedy. With our production we are focused on creating meticulously detailed examination of the subtle interactions that allow the events of the play to occur, as well as the often troubling intersections of race, gender, and class."

OTHELLO will preview Saturday, March 19 and will open on Saturday, March 26 and perform through Saturday, May 7 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, March 19. Opens Saturday, March 26. Regular performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm & Sundays at 2pm. Closes Saturday, May 7.

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

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

FREE! 10 free tickets are available for each performance so that price is not an obstacle to attending live theater. Call the office to make a reservation.

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

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