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Free Shakespeare! 

What does it mean to a community to have access to affordable or even, dare I say it, free Shakespeare? What is the cost of keeping Shakespeare free? Join me in a conversation with Melissa Chalsma, artistic director and producer of the Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) in Los Angeles, as we discuss the financial, social, and directorial struggles of the stage. 

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As You Like It runs October 11th through the 20th. Get your tickets for this amazing show. 

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Thank you for listening!

Host/Shakespearean Shrew: Dr. Karen Feiner

Co-Creator/Brew Shrew: Michelle Coffman

Cover Art Creator/Artistic Shrew: Katie Kimberling ⁠⁠www.halfmaverick.com⁠⁠

Thank you to our guest Melissa Chalsma. 

Under Melissa’s leadership, Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) created the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, which has grown into the largest theater event of its kind in Los Angeles. All of ISC summer events are admission-free, and attract the largest, most diverse classical theater audience in Los Angeles.

Drawing on her experience as an educator, she has guided the company in the development of educational and outreach programming, reaching many corners of Los Angeles through partnerships with other municipal and non-profit organizations.

Melissa directs and acts in many ISC productions. Her directing includes Pericles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titus Andronicus, Measure for Measure, Richard III, Twelfth Night, and Romeo & Juliet.

She has performed in theaters across the country, on Broadway (including the American premiere of Harold Pinter’s Moonlight), and in the UK. In her years as a college faculty member she taught at Moorpark College, Pepperdine University, and California State University, Northridge. Melissa received her MFA from The Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Delaware.