Shakespeare in LA

Free Shakespeare in Griffith Park is the place to be this summer! Join Independent Shakespeare Co. for The Comedy of Errors and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and “Shakespeare Set Free.” Thursday through Sunday at 7pm, now through Sept 2.

Antipholus of Syracuse (Sean Pritchett) and his servant Dromio of Syracuse (Richard Azurdia) Photos by Grettel Cortes

The Comedy of Errors: Do you ever feel that something in your life is missing? The Mediterranean Island of Ephesus at the tail end of WWII is a dangerous place. Locked in a battle with neighboring Syracuse, the town is suspicious of strangers. Into this place, two men come to town seeking to find themselves, but inadvertently cut a path of chaos. During the upheaval, love is lost and found, lives are saved, and a community is restored. A live band and period dancing complete Shakespeare’s most compact and fast-paced comedy. 

Featuring Richard Azurdia, Alana Cheuvront, Chris Hampton, Joseph Culliton, Thomas Ehas, Luis Galindo, Mary Guilliams, Aisha Kabia, Andre Martin, David Melville, Xavi Moreno, Bobby Plasencia, Sean Pritchett, Felicity Chalsma Reynolds, Bernadette Sullivan, and Claudia Vazquez, directed by Melissa Chalsma. The band – Dr. Pinch and the Pinchtones – includes David Melville, Mary Guilliams, Ashley Nguyen, Christopher Hampton, Alana Cheuvront, and Steven Richmond, directed by Melissa Chalsma.

Melissa Chalsma as Titania and Luis Galindo as Oberon

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: In a fantastical Athens surrounded by an enchanted wood, the lines between dreaming and waking are deliciously blurred. As the wedding of Duke Theseus to his captured Amazonian bride approaches, a group of tradesmen rehearse a play celebrate the nuptials. In the shadows alongside them, the King and Queen of the fairies do battle, lovers succumb to magic and to each other, while forest spirits seek to unravel the mysteries of the human heart. This production of Shakespeare’s most intoxicating comedy is staged with athletic abandon and dazzling costumes: perfect for the whole family.

Featuring Julia Aks, Richard Azurdia, Danny Campbell, Melissa Chalsma, Joe Culliton, Thomas Ehas, Luis Galindo, Mary Claire Garcia, Mary Guilliams, Aisha Kabia, Lovelle Liquigan, Andre Martin, Xavi Moreno, Ashley Nguyen, Nikhil Pai, Kelsey Porter, Sean Pritchett, Bernadette Sullivan, and Erwin Tuazon, directed by Melissa Chalsma.

Griffith Park FREE Shakespeare Festival at The Old Zoo in Griffith Park nearby 4730 Crystal Springs Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90027 GPS coordinates of the closest parking lot: 34.134071,-118.285047. For more information visit www.iscla.org.