If you’ve already frequented the famous “Hollywood Forever” cemetery as an outdoor answer to a great Saturday night, then it’s time to bundle the blanket and head on over to Silverlake for a sweet summer night of Shakespeare under the stars. And it’s free!
One of LA’s secret charms is letting the local parks and domains play host to the best in live events for the community. A bare stage, minimal lighting and dab of the starry night are all it takes to move picnic and performance from the ho-hum and into the realm of really magical.
And so it was in Barnsdall Park last weekend as the Independent Shakespeare Company (ISC), brought the Bard into the hearts and minds of the five hundred gathered on its hilltop and strewn across the grassy lawn before the open platform stage. This was just one program of three offered in association with the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles over a three-week period.
ISC was founded in 1998 as an actor-managed touring ensemble with the mission of illuminating the Bard’s greatest works for modern audiences. Great acting and a true understanding of the text in play bring a reverence to a production that is otherwise a blissfully casual and unaffected affair.
Evoking a sense of the Elizabethan, the company’s use of props, masks and costuming is delightful, adding the whimsy and entertainment factor that made Shakespeare a hit with its first intended public long before it became a staple fare for the aristocracy.
Co-directors Sanford Robbins and Melissa Chalsma allow the actors to rule, while we get to sit back and take sip of language from a time when it stirred our passions about life and love whilst savoring its every sound.
ISC is supported by donations and in part by The National Endowment for the Arts.
2008 Free Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night or What You Will, Dr. Faustus, King Henry The Fourth
Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood CA 90027 between Edgemont and Vermont
Shows run June 26-August 24, Thursday-Sunday at 7:30pm.
Reservations are free and strongly recommended as the space is limited. Reservation holders will be seated first. Free parking in park grounds, some seating available or bring your own blanket for the lawn. It gets cold after dark, so dress accordingly.
Special curtain-raiser shows begin at 6:30pm on Saturday August 16 & Wednesday August 20. As prelude to the play performance, Invertigo Dance Theater, known for their innovative and witty style, present ”Revelries and Reveries” choreographed around the themes of Twelfth Night. For more information and reservations contact the Independent Shakespeare Company at 323.836.0288
[email protected]
