iambic lab at Independent Shakespeare Co

INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. PRESENTS IAMBIC LAB A THEATER LABORATORY OF NEW WORKS, PLAY READINGS, LECTURES AND CLASSES BEGINS FEBRUARY 2AT THE ISC STUDIO IN THEATWATER CROSSING ARTS + INNOVATION COMPLEXLos Angeles - Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival and recipients of the 2018 Paul Robeson Award by Actors' Equity Foundation and Actors Equity Association, announce the annual festival celebrating theater, iambic lab, beginning Saturday, February 2 and running through Sunday, February 17 at the ISC Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #130 in Atwater Village.In its third year, iambic lab is an exploration of new works and classical curiosities through an array of offerings including readings, performances and participatory events.Director Anne Bogart says, If theater were a verb it would be, to remember. Even as theater tells new stories it is casting one eye backwards, seeking connection and context. This iambic lab, we are remembering forgotten artists and forgotten history: SEVEN DEVILS AND A FRENCH NUN tells the story of the unlikely stardom of a remarkable medieval nun, by an equally remarkable artist, Carine Montbertrand. C.3.3. : OSCAR WILDE IN PRISON by Scott Carter explores Oscar Wildes time in incarceration and his final days, a part of his life which (despite the plethora of writing about him) has never been dramatized. And THE KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLE is a meta-theatrical romp by a couple of Renaissance playwrights whove been overshadowed by their much more famous peer, Shakespeare. Its time to give Fletcher and Beaumont their due! ISC co-founder, David Melville, is debuting his brand-new solo show examining Renaissance comedy, comics and cocktails (KISS THE BOOK: SHAKESPEARES DRUNKS & FOOLS). Add to this the workshops and Shakespeare performance classes and weve got two weeks in which the ISC Studio will be blazing with theatrical excitement.iambic labKISS THE BOOK! SHAKESPEARES FOOLS & DRUNKS WITH DAVID MELVILLEAn evening of wit and Elizabethan cocktailsSaturday, February 2 at 7:30 PMFriday, February 8 at 7:30 PMTickets: $25 dry, $40 wetThis unique evening is part performance, part symposium, and thoroughly entertaining. ISCs co-founder takes the audience through the history of the comic actors of Shakespeares company and performs selections of their most famous roles. Purchase a teetotaling ticket, or imbibe Renaissance cocktails during the show.SEVEN DEVILS AND A FRENCH NUNCo-created by performer Carine Montbertrand & director Ron BashfordSaturday, February 9th at 7:30 PM Friday, February 15th at 7:30 PMTickets: $25-$35 This one-woman bouffon show is based on the true story of Jeanne des Anges, a rebel sex-starved nun who claimed a suave local priest caused her to be possessed by seven devils, each of whom makes an appearance in the show. Many exorcisms, a burning, and a major miracle later, Jeanne became a Saint, touring France as the earliest version of a rock superstar! Carine Montbertrand explores this larger-than-life character with great theatricality and a rude sense of humor. (Note: not recommended for children due to mature language and sexual themes.) C.3.3. : OSCAR WILDE IN PRISONWritten by Scott CarterA reading of a new play by the Executive Producer of Real Time with Bill MaherSunday, February 10th at 2:00 PM & Sunday, February 17 at 2:00 PMTickets: Free The time Oscar Wilde spent in prison for gross indecency had a profound impact on his sense of self and lasting repercussions for those that cared for him. This new play is a riotous and headlong exploration of one of the most prolific and entertaining writers of our age: a man who lived, loved, and wrote with abandon. KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLEWritten by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, rather freely adapted by ISCSaturday, February 16th at 7:30PMTickets: FreeA terribly ribald play about a couple of grocers who interrupt a theater company and insist their clerk be cast in a leading role is a delightful, anarchic romp. This is one of ISCs favorite, rarely produced classical plays.VERSE SPEAKING STUDIOTuesday February 5th 2019 at 7:00 PM - 9:00 PMTaught by David MelvilleFREEThis introduction to speaking Shakespeare lays out the history of the verse form and why the ISC approach is so effective. SHAKESPEARE PERFORMANCE WORKSHOPTuesday, February 12th 7:00 PM - 10:00 PMTaught by Melissa ChalsmaThis class highlights the importance of bold, clear choices when performing classical plays. Students are on their feet and working throughout. Its a perfect introduction to the ISC Studio classes.Fee: $35EXPRESSIVE MOVEMENT MASK MASTERCLASSTaught by Carine MontbertrandWednesday, February 13th 7:00 PM - 10:00 PMFee: $35Through neutral mask work, this master class will enhance your physical creativity and awareness, and give you a new way of thinking about stage presence. Carine Montbertrand has taught acting and mask work throughout the US for over two decades.ABOUT THE ARTISTSRON BASHFORD (Co-creator & Director, SEVEN DEVILS AND A FRENCH NUN) Recent work: Shakespeare's Pericles for North Carolina StageCompany, pride@prejudice for Capital Rep, and Much Ado About Nothing forIndependent Shakespeare Co., nominated by the LA Times as a Critic'sChoice. Regional: Syracuse Stage, Vermont Stage Company, Two River TheaterCompany, Immediate Theater Project, NC Shakespeare Festival, and HangarTheater, including plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Caryl Churchill, YasminaResa, and Joe Orton. In NYC, multimedia projects at Joyce Soho, Merkin Hall,Joes Pub and Carnegie Hall. Ron is a member of the Lincoln Center TheaterDirectors Lab, and teaches at Amherst College.SCOTT CARTER (Playwright, C.3.3. : OSCAR WILDE IN PRISON) has served as Executive Producer for "Real Time with Bill Maher" since it debuted on HBO in 2003. He produced the first 1,100 episodes of "Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher" from its 1993 Comedy Central debut to its 1997 move to ABC. While at P.I., Carter received eight Emmy nominations and three consecutive CableAce Awards for Best Talk Series. He has served as creator, producer and/or writer for, among others, Curb The Discussion with Susie Essman (TV Guide, 2010), "Root Of All Evil With Lewis Black" (Comedy Central, 2008), "Earth To America" (TBS, 2005), "The Conspiracy Zone with Kevin Nealon" (Spike, 2002-3) and "Exhale with Candice Bergen" (Oxygen, 2000-1). In 1997, Variety named him one of the 50 Creatives to Watch. In 2007, he was a co-recipient of the Producers Guild of Americas Johnny Carson Award for Real Time. As a playwright, his The Gospel According To Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord has been produced in almost 20 theaters around America, including The Geffen Playhouse (Los Angeles) and The Cherry Lane Theatre (New York City). A former stand up comedian, Carter has written and performed two full-length monologues, "Heavy Breathing" and "Suspension Bridge," at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Aspen Comedy Arts Festival, The Kilkenny (Ireland) Murphy's Cats Laugh Festival, the Cleveland Performance Festival, Dixon Place, Primary Stages, Manhattan Punchline, etc. He is former Producing Director and a founding member of The Invisible Theatre, now in its 42nd season in Tucson, Arizona. Carter lives in Los Angeles with his wife, interior designer Bebe Johnson, and their two daughters, Calla and Colette.MELISSA CHALSMA (Director, THE KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLE) is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC). Under Melissas leadership, the company created the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, which has grown into the largest theater event of its kind in Los Angeles. Every summer, 45,000 Angelenos come together for productions, theater workshops, lectures, and performances by local artists. All of ISC summer events are admission-free. As a director, she strives to create a larger role for women in classical theater, often casting women in roles traditionally played by men. In 2009, ISC received the Hollywood Arts Councils Theatre Arts Charlie Award and in 2015, ISC received the Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. In 2018, ISC became only the second organization to receive the Paul Robeson Award by Actors' Equity Foundation and Actors Equity Association. She directs and acts in many ISC productions. She has performed in theaters across the country and on Broadway (including the American premiere of Harold Pinters MOONLIGHT with Jason Robards, Blythe Danner, and Liev Schreiber).CARINE MONTBERTRAND (Co-creator & performer, SEVEN DEVILS AND A FRENCH NUN) is a classically trained actress with a special interest in physical theatre. She studied mask at the Conservatoire National in Paris and in the 90s premiered her first Commedia based solo show at Dixon Place. She later returned to Paris to study Bouffon with Philippe Gaulier. Her many regional credits include Hartford Stage, The Alley Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. In NYC - The Acting Company, The Flying Machine at Soho Rep, and Classical Theatre of Harlem among others. She recently directed and created an original Commedia piece with students at the Stella Adler Studio.DAVID MELVILLE (Creator & Performer, KISS THE BOOK! SHAKESPEARES FOOLS & DRUNKS) As one of the co-founders of ISC, David has performed in many ISC shows including the title roles in Hamlet, Macbeth, Titus Andronicus and Richard II and Richard III; Prince Hal in Henry IV; Bottom in A Midsummer Nights Dream, 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. Also a director, he created the Rockabilly production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona among other ISC productions. David has appeared in several films including Ironclad (starring Paul Giamatti as King John), The Understudy and Perfection. On television, he has appeared as the hopeless British travel correspondent Lawrence Beldon-Smythe in the Travel Channel series Lawrence of America. David has composed songs for numerous film projects and theater productions (including the ISC original musical, Red Barn, now being developed as a film.)SCHEDULE iambic lab will be presented Saturday, February 2 through Sunday, February 17 Times vary.LOCATIONISC Studio3191 Casitas Ave., #130 (between Fletcher Drive and Glendale Blvd.) At the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, Los Angeles, CA 90039. Free, ample lot and street parking. TICKET PRICINGPrices vary.For reservations, please call (818) 710-6306 or reserve online at www.iscla.org# # #Calendar Listing:iambic labKiss the Book! Shakespeare's Fools & Drunks with David MelvilleAn evening of wit and Elizabethan cocktailsSaturday, February 2 at 7:30 PMFriday, February 8 at 7:30 PMTickets: $25 dry, $40 wetSeven Devils and a French NunCo-created by performer Carine Montbertrand & director Ron BashfordSaturday, February 9th at 7:30 PM Friday, February 15th at 7:30 PM Tickets: $25-$35 C.3.3. : Oscar Wilde in PrisonWritten by Scott CarterA reading of a new play by the Executive Producer of Real Time with Bill MaherSunday, February 10th at 2:00 PM & Sunday, February 17 at 2:00 PMTickets: Free Verse Speaking StudioTuesday February 5th 2019 at 7:00 PM - 9:00 PMTaught by David MelvilleFREEShakespeare Performance WorkshopTuesday, February 12th 7:00 PM - 10:00 PMTaught by Melissa ChalsmaFee: $35Expressive Movement Mask MasterclassTaught by Carine MontbertrandWednesday, February 13th 7:00 PM - 10:00 PMFee: $35ISC STUDIO 3191 Casitas Ave. #130(between Fletcher Drive and Glendale Blvd.) at the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation ComplexLos Angeles, CA 90039Free, ample lot and street parking. Ticket prices vary. Fees may apply.For reservations, please call (818) 710-6306 or reserve online at www.iscla.org# # #ABOUT INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO.With the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival 2018, Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) celebrated the 15th anniversary of presenting free Shakespeare in Los Angeles city parks. Also in 2018, ISC opened the ISC Studio, an upgrade from our previous indoor space into a larger performance venue and lounge at the Atwater Arts + Innovation Complex. The ISC Studio is active and unpredictable, serving as a multi-purpose and multi-disciplinary laboratory. ISC is the 2018 recipient of the Paul Robeson Award by Actors' Equity Foundation and Actors Equity Association (only the second organization to receive this honor). The Festival has grown to become a tradition for tens of thousands of Angelenos, bringing together our diverse, vibrant community through accessible, imaginative performances of classical plays. In partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Park, we moved free Shakespeare in Barnsdall Park in 2010 to Griffith Park, the second largest city park in California. The growth in attendance is extraordinary: at our first season (at Barnsdall Park in 2004), we played to fewer than 1,000 people; since 2013 we have welcomed over 40,000 people each summer to the Old Zoo, and have now performed to over 382,000 people. Through classical theater we have attracted a community that is young (71% age 35 and under), diverse (48% identify as non-Caucasian and 77% are middle and lower income), and from all corners of Los Angeles. www.iscla.org# # #