INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO. SHAKESPEARE SET FREE Our first performance in the Park was 2004 attended by 15 S H people and a dog. Until 2009, we performed in 2007 Barnsdall Park, which we outgrew when our audiences began to top 500 a night. A K E The flag backdrop from Henry V was used in 2009 our very first indoor production in 1999. S P We’ve still got it! The move to Griffith 2010 Park felt like a huge 2011 risk. Would our E audience follow us? 2012 A R E You may hear coyotes Fortunately, they did! calling during a Since our move to performance, and 2013 the Old Zoo, we’ve on your way out at performed for over night you might spot 200,000 Angelenos. S a family of deer! About 20% of the Festival audience is 2014 2016 seeing Shakespeare for the first time. E T 2017 F R This fall, the City breaks Thank you for making ground on a permanent us part of your life... stage at the Old Zoo, help- ing ISC bring you free Happy 15th Anniversary, Shakespeare for the next Los Angeles! 15 years...and beyond! E E For the past 15 years, it’s been our great joy to create theater in Los Barnsdall Park Angeles City Parks! 2004: The Two Gentlemen of Verona 2005: Hamlet, Richard III, The Two Gentlemen of Verona From our start on the grounds of the Hollyhock House in Barns- 2006: As You Like It, Hamlet dall Park, we have been guided by our belief that classical theater 2007: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, Macbeth provides something both unique and critical to audiences, and that it 2008: Twelfth Night, Henry IV, Dr. Faustus belongs to everyone in our community. 2009: The Tempest, Henry V As we’ve grown, these are the beliefs we never strayed from. These great plays ask important questions, offer deeply satisfying answers, Griffith Park Old Zoo and affirm our shared humanity. We take it as our responsibility to 2010: Othello, Much Ado About Nothing make them available to as many people as possible. 2011: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost None of our work would be possible without the support and enthu- 2012: A Winter’s Tale, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer siasm from YOU, our audience. The past 15 years have been a crazy, Night’s Dream wonderful whirlwind which we hope you’ve enjoyed at least half as 2013: Macbeth, She Stoops To Conquer, As You Like It much as we have. 2014: The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night Thank you for being here tonight. We’re honored to be your company 2015: Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing and look forward to many more years of making sweet theater with you! 2016: Richard III, The Tempest 2017: Measure for Measure, The Two Gentlemen of Verona — Your ISC Family 2018: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titus Andronicus Pictured: Danny Campbell & Lorenzo González in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2004); Thomas Ehas & Bernadette Sullivan in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2007); Henry V (2009), Cameron Knight & Amy Urbina in Othello (2010); Lovelle Liquigan, Claudia de Vasco, Aisha Kabia, & Dana Powers in Love’s Labour’s Lost (2011); Alana Cheuvront & André Martin in The Comedy of Errors (2012); Dana Powers, Luis Galindo, & Ashley Nguyen in Macbeth (2013); The Taming of the Shrew (2014); Mary Goodchild in Richard III (2016); Patrick Batiste & Katie Powers-Faulk in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2017). In Memory of Arthur B. Rubinstein, 1938 - 2018 Independent Shakespeare Co. lost a great friend this year when Maestro Arthur Rubinstein passed away. Along with his wife, Barbara Ferris, Arthur founded and ran Symphony in the Glen, and was devoted to bringing the exquisite joys of classical music to all Angelenos. Arthur and Barbara were responsible for helping ISC move to the Old Zoo in Griffith Park in 2010 — a site that Symphony in the Glen had been performing in for many years. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to make beautiful music in the park with Arthur through numerous evenings devoted to bringing Shakespeare and orchestral music together. Ensemble member Joseph Culliton says, “It was my pleasure to collaborate with Arthur Rubinstein on two Symphony in the Glen con- certs. Arthur was an early supporter of ISC’s presence in Griffith Park, and he hatched the idea of combining Shakespeare’s words with classical music. The resulting concerts were great fun for performers and audiences alike. Arthur passionately desired to make classical music fun and accessible to all. At his concerts, he would always let children come from the audience and lead the orchestra for a few bars. It was a wonderful and inclusive gesture that exemplified this generous, gifted man.” Notes on the Plays by Melissa Chalsma Shakespeare’s great ode to love, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is arguably his most popular play. It is exquisitely plotted, the text in which we find some of his most lyrical writing, and full of vibrant (sometimes magical) characters. Some scholars believe Shakespeare wrote this play to be performed at a wedding celebration, and indeed, in the opening scene, the Duke of Athens (Theseus) is planning his wedding to Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, whom he recently defeated in battle. Theseus is interrupted in this effort by Egeus who demands redress: his daughter loves Lysander, but A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Egeus wants her to marry another man. Rather than THE COMPANY see her refuse, Egeus appeals to the Duke to enforce “the ancient privilege of Athens”: force Hermia to THESEUS, Duke of Athens ........................................................Evan Lewis Smith* marry the man Egeus has chosen, or sentence her to HIPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons ................................................. Aisha Kabia* death. HIPPOLYTA’S ATTENDANTS ............................................Rachel Li, Darian Ramirez HERMIA ..................................................................................Katie Powers-Faulk Elsewhere in Athens, a group of working-class EGEUS, father to Hermia ............................................................Joseph Culliton* dreamers are putting together a play that they hope LYSANDER, beloved of Hermia .......................................................Xavi Moreno* will be selected to perform for the Duke’s wedding HELENA ................................................................................................Julia Aks* celebration. It’s a Quixotic effort on their part, but DEMETRIUS, beloved of Helena ........................................................... Jose Acain their enthusiasm for the project will not be deterred. TITANIA, Queen of the Fairies .......................................................... Aisha Kabia* PEASEBLOSSOM, her attendant ...............................................Bukola Ogunmola And so into the forest the humans go, only to run SPIRITS ....................Darian Ramirez, Rachel Li, Patrick Batiste, Daniel Jimenez*, right into a disturbance in the spirit world. The King William Elsman*, Richard Azurdia* CHANGELING CHILD ........................................ Henry Reynolds, Talulah Shadrick and Queen of the fairies are arguing over the fate OBERON, King of the Fairies ....................................................Evan Lewis Smith* of a human child the Queen (Titania) has adopted. PUCK, his attendant...................................................................... Kelvin Morales The King (Oberon) is jealous of her love for the boy, PETER QUINCE, a carpenter .......................................................William Elsman* and plotting to steal the child away. The way these NICK BOTTOM, a weaver ..............................................................David Melville* various plots intersect and impact one another on FLUTE, a bellows-mender.........................................................Bukola Ogunmola the path to resolution is one of the chief delights of STARVELING, a tailor .................................................................. Daniel Jimenez* the play. It is both enormously accessible yet reward- SNOUT, a tinker ..............................................................................Patrick Batiste ingly complex in structure. SNUG, a joiner ........................................................................... Richard Azurdia* PLAYWRIGHT ...................................................................... William Shakespeare This is the sixth production of the play I’ve been DIRECTOR .................................................................................. Melissa Chalsma involved in (my first Shakespeare acting experience ASSISTANT DIRECTOR .................................................................... Cary Reynolds was as Puck when I was 18). It has never ceased to COSTUME DESIGNER .......................................................................... Ruoxuan Li SCENIC DESIGNER ..........................................................................Caitlin Lainoff intrigue me, and each time I have found new things ASSOCIATE SCENIC DESIGNER .....................................................Natalie Morales to be charmed, puzzled, and moved by. LIGHTING DESIGNER ...................................................................Bosco Flanagan COMPOSER/SOUND DESIGNER ......................................................... Chris Porter Each time I am struck anew by Shakespeare’s deep CHOREOGRAPHER .................................................................Katie Powers-Faulk PROPMASTER ......................................................................................Allie Frank commitment to the idea of love as a transformative