Independent Shakespeare Co. Stages PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE, Now thru 5/24

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival and recipients of the 2015 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater, announce a new adaptation of Shakespeare's PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE, directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma. PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE will begin previews tonight, April 24, will open on Saturday, May 2 at 7:30pm and will perform through Sunday, May 24 at Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village.

The fantastic story includes shipwrecks, pirates, a king who uses the skulls of his victims as interior design, an abandoned baby, and a knight in rusted armor fighting for love. At every turn, Pericles confronts events both grotesque and miraculous as his long and brilliant history unfolds. This is one of Shakespeare's strangest plays and includes adult themes and situations.

Comments Melissa Chalsma, "This curious collaboration between Shakespeare and George Wilkins (an aspiring writer and brothel keeper) was born of mutual opportunism: Shakespeare was grappling with the new popular demands for 'city comedies' full of topical issues and scenes depicting frank portrayals of sexual situations, and Wilkins wanted literary respect. The result is a play of extremes that is among the most fantastical Shakespeare ever created. It's both tragic and silly and spans both decades and the globe (not to mention that it includes not one, but three shipwrecks. And pirates.) The challenge of creating this piece in our 49-seat Studio is thrilling! We're rethinking how we use the space, extending the performance area into the audience, and re-evaluating what it means to come to the theater."

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST:

MELISSA CHALSMA (Director) is the Co-founder and Artistic Director of Independent Shakespeare Co. Under Melissa's leadership, the company created the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, which has grown into the largest theater event of its kind in Los Angeles.

She directs many ISC productions, including last season's Los Angeles Times Critic's Choice Twelfth Night. Other directing projects include the Western Premiere of Akio Miyazawa's Hinemi (California State University, Northridge) and the original musical Red Barn at Independent Studio. As an actor, she has been seen in leading roles in ISC productions and has performed in theaters across the US, the UK, and on Broadway (including the American premiere of Harold Pinter's Moonlight with Jason Robards and Blythe Danner.)

The cast of PERICLES will feature: ISC favorite André Martin as Pericles, with Melissa Chalsma, Cristina Frias, Daniel Jimenez, Nikhil Pai, Evan Lewis Smith and Kalean Ung.

Lighting Design is by Bosco Flanagan. Costume Design is by Houri Mahserejian. The Stage Manager is Kendra Arado.

PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE will preview on Friday, April 24 and will open on Saturday, May 2 and perform through Sunday, May 24 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 Friday, April 24. Opens Saturday, May 2. Regular performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm & Sundays at 2pm. Closes Sunday, May 24. Tickets are $20; $15 for Students - Thursdays & Fridays. Tickets are $25; $20 for Students - Saturdays & Sundays. For tickets, please call (818) 710-6306 or buy online at www.iscla.org.

INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. (ISC) was founded in 1998. We have been producing accessible, imaginative performances of classical plays since that time. We are the 2015 recipients of the LA Drama Critics Circle's highest honor, the Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater. Our first performances were located on the Lower East Side of New York City. The stripped down production style of our early productions enabled us to travel easily and we quickly found ourselves touring Europe, ending with an invitation to perform our production of Macbeth for four weeks at The King's Head Theatre in London. In 2001 we relocated to Los Angeles and -- with the support of the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of Cultural Affairs -- founded Free Shakespeare in Barnsdall Park, in 2004. Because of audience demand, in 2010 we moved to the significantly larger venue at the Old Zoo and re-christened the summer season the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. The growth in attendance is extraordinary: our first season played to fewer than 1,000 people; by 2014 over 45,500 people came to Griffith Park for 40 nights of free classical theater productions. In 2012, we expanded our offerings with our indoor performance space, Independent Co. Studio where we present original work, re-imagined stagings of classics, readings and classes.

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