CalArtians Perform in The Tempest at Griffith Park Shakespeare Festival

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Darian Ramirez as Adrian/Spirit/Juno in the ISC's production of The Tempest | Photo credit: Mike Ditz

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L-R: Brent Charles (Alonso/Stephano), Paul Turbiak (Ariel), Jose Acain (Caliban/Boatswain) | Photo credit: Grettel Cortes

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L-R foreground: Carine Montbertrand (Antonia/Iris), Brent Charles (Alonso/Stephano), Carene Mekertichyan (Miranda/Sebastiane). Background: Paul Turbiak (Ariel) | Photo credit: Grettel Cortes

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L-R: Patrick Batiste (Ferdinand/Spirit), Paul Turbiak (Ariel), Carine Montbertrand (Antonia/Iris) | Photo credit: Grettel Cortes

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L-R: Jose Acain (Caliban/Boatswain), Brent Charles (Alonso/Stephano), Xavi Moreno (Gonzalo/Trinculo) | Photo credit: Grettel Cortes

The Independent Shakespeare Company of Los Angeles (ISCLA) presents free performances of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, running now until Sunday, Sept. 5 as part of the 2021 Free Griffith Park Shakespeare Festival at the Old Los Angeles Zoo. 

The cast features CalArts alum and School of Theater staff Paul Turbiak (Theater MFA 08) as Ariel, and Brent Charles (Theater BFA 22) as Alonso/Stephano. Offstage, fellow CalArtian Chris Porter (Music MFA 09) serves as the production’s composer. 

More about the play from the ISCLA website: 

For 13 years, Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, have been trapped on an island in the middle of dangerous seas. Fate brings a long-awaited ship to their shores. What follows is a story of magic, treachery, and miraculous reconciliation.

“In many ways The Tempest is a love letter to the power of theatrical imagination, something I wanted to celebrate after being away from our audience for so long,” director Melissa Chalsma shared in the official press release. “Our production of The Tempest requires our artists to play many roles and to delight in the conventions of theatrical storytelling, where a hat can symbolize an entire character! The Tempest is also a play that touches on profound truths about reuniting, and the importance of learning to hold contradictory beliefs at the same time. At its heart, the play speaks to Shakespeare’s affirmation that no matter how broken a relationship is, how devastated a community is, there is only one act a human being can make that will bring reconciliation, and that is forgiveness. Enacting revenge does not give you peace, forgiveness does.”

ISCLA’s performances of The Tempest take place Wednesdays through Sundays (Aug. 7–Sept. 5) at 7 pm PST. Performances are free, except for the ticketed benefit performance on Saturday, Sept. 4, which aims to fund the other seasons’ shows. Reservations for all shows are required.

Please note that festival reservations open at 10 am PST seven days prior to a performance, and remain open until filled. Follow @indyshakes on Twitter for notices about reservation cancellations.