Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, announce a workshop production of RED BARN, a new musical play. The book is written by David Melville and Melissa Chalsma, original music and lyrics by David Melville and directed by Melissa Chalsma. Performances of RED BARN will begin on Friday, March 13 and run through Sunday, March 29 at the Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village. This production is not open for review.
In 1827, in the country village of Polstead, a murder occurs which rocks 19th century England. Maria Marten, daughter of the local mole-catcher, is brutally slain at the hands of her wealthy lover, William Corder, and buried in the Red Barn. Passing off Maria's disappearance with increasingly outrageous lies, Corder runs away to London and starts a new life, finding an innocent, young, and rich wife through a newspaper advertisement. Corder and his new bride settle down to run a school for young ladies.
In the meantime, Maria's stepmother is visited in her dreams by Maria's ghost who pleads with her to "come and see me...in the Red Barn." William's trial includes Maria's accusations from beyond the grave as well as the presentation of her decapitated and decomposed head. It results in the largest public hanging in England's history, with over 20,000 people attending William Corder's execution, including his young wife, who remains faithful to the end.
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David Melville, "I grew up in the village neighboring Polstead and was familiar with the tale as my mother was quite fascinated by the crime. The supernatural intervention of Maria's stepmother's dreams, that revealed the location of her buried corpse, created an earthquake of excitement in 19th Century England. There were books, ballads, puppet shows, commemorative pottery, dioramas and Camera Obscura displays. There were also multiple stage adaptations, rivaling only Sweeney Todd in popularity. The residual aftershock lasted into the 20th Century with several screen adaptations and even a song by
Tom Waits. In researching the story we found that once we stripped away the many layers of myth and mis-information, the remaining true facts are more bizarre, grisly and compelling than any fiction. (I invite you to Google the phrase 'anthropodermic bibliopegy.') We uncovered a Regency world far removed from any
Jane Austen novel, where women like Maria, who wanted more from life than the grim vicissitudes of rural poverty, risked losing everything to try and climb the social ladder. Red Barn is a world of prostitutes, pig-poachers, traveling fairs, matrimonial advertisements and secrets that refuse to remain buried. "
Melissa Chalsma adds, "ISC is known for telling classical stories in a way that is inventive, and exciting to audiences. With our Independent Studio, we have the freedom to take the creative fire that fuels our Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, and focus it on new works. Red Barn is an extraordinarily dynamic piece. It is definitely NOT a museum piece! It draws from different musical genres, and David's compositions are surprising and original. The storytelling style has to be equally creative, and we've achieved that by allowing ourselves to rearrange our expectations of musicals to develop something that will really speak to a contemporary, Los Angeles audience."
DAVID MELVILLE (Playwright, Music & Lyrics) is the co-founder and Managing Director of ISC. David has performed in many ISC shows including the title roles in Hamlet, Macbeth, and Richard II; Prince Hal in Henry IV; Touchstone in As You Like It and Sir Toby in Twelfth Night. Other theatre credits include Mother Courage at the
Mermaid Theatre, London (with
Glenda Jackson); Hamlet, Almeida at the Hackney Empire, London and Broadway transfer (with
Ralph Fiennes); Ivanov at
The Almeida Theatre, London and Maly Theatre, Moscow. David has appeared in several films including The Understudy (which will be arriving in cinemas later this year)and Perfection. David recently filmed the medieval siege drama Ironclad (starring
Paul Giamatti as King John).
On television, David appeared as the hopeless British travel correspondent Lawrence Beldon-Smythe in the Travel Channel series Lawrence of America.
David has also composed songs for numerous theater productions as well as film projects. He received his acting training at the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
MELISSA CHALSMA (Playwright, 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 the Independent Shakespeare Co. 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 RED BARN will feature: Julia Aks, Joseph Culliton, Claudia de Vasco, Cristina Gerla, Mary Goodchild, Lexie Helgerson, Daniel Jimenez, David Melville, Alastair James Murden, Ashley Nguyen.
The Musical Director is Dave Beukers. The stage manager is Kendra Arado. Production Associate is Madison Cortez.
Workshop performances of RED BARN will begin on Friday, March 13 and run through Sunday, March 29 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.
Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturdays at 7:30pm & Sundays at 2pm.
Tickets for Thursdays & Fridays are $25 General Admission, $20 Students.
Tickets for Saturdays & Sundays are $30 General Admission, $25 Students.
For tickets, please call (818) 710-6306 or buy online at www.iscla.org
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