Review: JULIUS CAESAR at Independent Shakespeare Company in Griffith Park
Atmosphere, this CAESAR has aplenty. What David Melville’s production does not have this time is particularly strong acting. Players in several key roles felt miscast, out of synch with their own characters, with fellow players or, in some cases, both. As a result, the production is not great at making us emotionally invest.
Interview: David Melville on Directing Shakespeare's Gritty Political Thriller JULIUS CAESAR
Given recent events and political drama, including propaganda used to sway the public, nothing should surprise modern audiences when it comes to politics. But perhaps the most well-known dramatic representation of political intrigue takes place in Shakespeare’s classic play Julius Caesar, which centers around the events that led to his assassination by Roman senators on the 'Ides of March' (March 15) 44 B.C.E. I decided to speak with David Melville about how the production will differ from more traditional staging and why he decided it would be a good fit for audiences.
A Noise Within's Daring To Love Season Closes With THE BOOK OF WILL
A Noise Within's 'Daring to Love' season fittingly closes with a love letter - to William Shakespeare and a life in the theater. Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott co-direct The Book of Will, a comically outlandish but true story of love, loss and laughter by Lauren Gunderson.
Ghost Road Company Returns With World Premiere THE DRY YEARS
The Ghost Road Company will present the World premiere of The Dry Years, our first full production since 2019. Conceived by Ghost Road ensemble members John Guerra and Christine Breihan, the show is set to open on Saturday, February 4, 2023, 8PM at the Broadwater Main Stage in Hollywood, CA.
GRoW @ The Wallis Presents RECKONING " A Short Play Festival
GRoW @ The Wallis presents The Wallis Studio Ensemble production of RECKONING – A Short Play Festival, featuring the work of ten emerging and established writers, with three World Premieres and seven L.A. Premieres of unique, witty and daring stories on contemporary life.
Theatricum Botanicum Presents THE LAST, BEST SMALL TOWN
Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum presents the world premiere of The Last, Best Small Town, a modern-day “Our Town” by L.A.-based Latinx playwright John Guerra. Performances begin Saturday, July 31 on Theatricum's beautiful outdoor stage in Topanga, where they continue through Nov. 7.
The Wallis Studio Ensemble Production Of LUCID
The Wallis Studio Ensemble presents LUCID, an original physical theatre work inspired by August Strindberg's A Dream Play, Carol Churchill's adaptation and the poems of Anne Sexton, from February 20 to 23 and February 28 to March 1, 2020 at the Hudson Theatre a?" Mainstage in Los Angeles.
PERICLES Announced At The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival
This summer Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) presents the rarely-performed epic Pericles at the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, directed by ISC Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Melissa Chalsma. Pericles will begin previews on Saturday, July 27 at 7pm, will open on Saturday, August 3 at 7pm and perform through Friday, August 30 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park. All ISC summer Shakespeare productions are FREE to the public! Pericles is the second of two productions being presented at this year's Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. Twelfth Night is currently playing and will run in repertory through September 1.
Free Shakespeare For L.A. Is Back With TWELFTH NIGHT At The Griffith Park
This summer Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) presents the romantic comedy Twelfth Night at the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, directed by ISC Co-Founder and Managing Director, David Melville. Twelfth Night will begin previews on Saturday, June 29 at 7pm, will open on Saturday, July 6 at 7pm and perform through Sunday, September 1 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park. All ISC summer Shakespeare productions are FREE to the public! Twelfth Night is the first of two productions being presented at this year's Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. Pericles begins Saturday, July 27 and will run in repertory with Twelfth Night.
NEWS GRoW @ The Wallis Presents The Wallis Studio Ensemble In THE HITCH-HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
The Wallis Studio Ensemble's The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams' much loved, absurdist and subversive satire, is back at the Wallis by popular demand from Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9, 2019, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in the Lovelace Studio Theater. First presented in 2018, this hilarious, vibrant, fast-paced, gender-bending romp, directed by Madeleine Dahm, was a Los Angeles Times "Pick of the Week" and described by ArtsNowLA as 'unmitigated lunacy with Ferrari-like pacing, a deep dive into hallucinogenic territory.' Lighting design is by Ovation Award-winning Bosco Flanagan, and puppets and masks are by Alexander Sheldon.
The Wallis Studio Ensemble Presents S.O.S.
The Wallis Studio Ensemble presents S.O.S., an original multi-media physical theatre work about love and resilience in times of crisis, directed by Madeleine Dahm, from Thursday, January 31 through Sunday, February 10, 2019 at the Circle X Theatre (Please note: S.O.S.is not being performed at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, but at the Circle X Theatre in Atwater Village). The production uses little known love letters by great writers and activists such as Vita Sackville West, Frederick Douglas, Maya Angelou, Tchaikovsky, Frida Kahlo, Virginia Woolf, Rainer Maria Rilke and others, along with original text, movement, film and photography.