Shakespeare in LA

Erika Soto and Nikhil Pai as Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Grettel Cortes

For the first time in 12 years, Independent Shakespeare Co. will extend one of its Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival productions – its critically-acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, directed by ISC Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma. The punk rock fairy tale will play September 4 – 6, following Much Ado About Nothing, which runs through August 30.

Adolescent bliss spins out of control in this imaginative staging of Shakespeare’s famous love story. This new adaptation incorporates an original rock score and design that is equal parts fairy tale and punk. Erika Soto and Nikhil Pai (in the title roles) lead a cast of Independent Shakespeare Co.’s most popular performers. They combine the textual clarity ISC is known for with a passionate and athletic physicality to create a Romeo and Juliet that explodes off the Griffith Park stage.

“We have been blown away by the tremendous audience reception to our production of Romeo and Juliet,” says Melissa Chalsma. For the first time we are extending the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival to satisfy all the people who wanted to see more performances of our production.”

In addition to Soto and Pai, the cast includes Joseph Culliton, Thomas Ehas, William Elsman, Mary Goodchild, Faqir Hassan, Aisha Kabia, Jack Lancaster, André Martin, David Melville, Xavi Moreno, Vladimir Noel, Ashley Nguyen,Sean Pritchett, Evan Lewis Smith, and Bernadette Sullivan.

For more information, call (818) 710-6306 or go to www.iscla.org.