David Melville, ISC created the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, which has grown into what The Huffington Post calls "one of Los Angeles' best cultural events." In 2015, ISC received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's highest honor, the Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater. Melissa directs and acts in many ISC productions: roles include Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Rosalind in As You Like It, Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream (as well as directing), Hermione in The Winter's Tale and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. As director: Richard III, Measure for Measure, Romeo & Juliet, Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, Hamlet, The Comedy of Errors, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Two Gentleman of Verona. She has performed in theaters across the country, on Broadway (including the American premiere of Harold Pinter's Moonlight with Jason Robards, Blythe Danner, and Live Schreiber), and in the UK. In her ten years as a college faculty member she taught at Moorpark College,Pepperdine University, and California State University, Northridge. Drawing on her experience as an educator, she has guided the company in the development of educational programming for schools, as well as workshops directed toward families that take place before performances in Griffith Park.
Broadway World Los Angeles