Independent Shakespeare Co.

Independent Shakespeare Co. (Indie Shakes) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) theater company, co-founded in 1998 by actors Melissa Chalsma and David Melville, dedicated to making classical theater accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic background. Best known for producing the annual Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival at the Old Zoo Amphitheater — the largest free Shakespeare festival in Los Angeles, drawing audiences of up to 50,000 each summer — the company also operates the Indie Shakes Studio in Atwater Village for year-round productions, classes, and new work development. ISC has been recognized with the Paul Robeson Citation Award from Actors' Equity Association (2018), the LA Drama Critics Circle Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence (2014), and has been cited in the Arden Shakespeare scholarly editions. The company holds a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both on stage and in the audience.