Distinguished Actors Perform Opposite Country’s Youngest Shakespeare Troupe
Los Angeles Drama Club Launches its 10th Anniversary Season & 400-Year Anniversary of Shakespeare’s Death; Kids across Los Angeles, ages 7 – 17, will Perform Four of the Famed Bard’s Plays
Opening Performance & VIP Reception, April 15th
LADC Embraces Diversity, Features LGBTQ Theme in Play
LOS ANGELES —
Following in the footsteps of Mayor Eric Garcetti who recited Shakespeare for LA Drama Club’s last fundraiser, celebrated Hollywood actors will soon take the stage opposite the Country’s Youngest Shakespeare troupe on April 15 to launch the 10th season of the Los Angeles Drama Clubbi-annual Shakespeare Youth Festival L.A.
For the kick-off VIP Party, children, ages 7-17, from both South L.A and Hollywood will perform a light show, opposite distinguished actors, Royal Shakespeare Co member, Alex Kingston (Dr. Who) and Diedrich Bader (Veep) in comedic excerpts from the Shakespeare’s plays. Guests will enjoy music, food, drinks and table-side Shakespeare.
The Shakespeare Youth Fest, LA runs from April 16-May 5 and coincides this year with the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The four plays headlined feature families disrupted by internal and external storms and re-united by time and forgiveness…
The historic and picturesque Club Fais Do Do in West Adams will open the Festival with Shakespeare’s
Comedy of Errors and close with the epic Pericles at Club Fais Do Do. “Pericles showcases some of our
newest Mid-City actors who are having a great adventure exploring the world and portraying kings and
queens, sorcerers, evil guardians, a long-lost child, pirates and a mermaid,” comments Co-Artistic
Director Julia Walker Wyson. She goes on to state, “Young actors have been gathering from across the
city for 10 years to experience the magnificent language and timeless themes of Shakespeare. It is so
gratifying to see new students develop a passion for Shakespeare and theater. You will be amazed at what
a child can accomplish when you remove the limits!”
The Club Fais Do Do performances showcase LADC’s Shakespeare in the City program. Started in the Mid-City West Adams area in 2011, Shakespeare in the City offers free/low-cost classes, summer camps, and performances to the community. “We are so grateful to the neighborhood councils for welcoming and supporting Shakespeare in the City,” says Larsen, a Mid-City resident. “MINC was the first neighborhood council to offer its support, and they have been invaluable to the growth of our programs.”
WHO: Hollywood Celebs take the stage with the Country’s Youngest Shakespeare Troupe
WHAT: VIP Party, Shakespeare Youth Festival L.A.
WHEN: Friday, April 15
7 p.m. – Doors open/wine reception ● 8 p.m. – Show
WHERE: Lyric Theatre & Voila , 518-520 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles
Some performances at Club Fais Do-Do, 5253 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles.
For more information and tickets ($150 each), visit: www.losangelesdramaclub.com
Event sponsors are: Showtime Networks, Lyric Theatre, Voila Studio and Danielle & Ernie Del.
The festival is an officially recognized event in 2016 of BritWeek (www.britweek.org). Funded through grants and donations, Los Angeles Drama Club is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and by the MidCity Neighborhood Council (MINC).
About Los Angeles Drama Club:
Launched in 2004, the Los Angeles Drama Club (LADC), an award-winning, Los Angeles-based youth arts and literacy organization, creates the opportunity for young people to experience exceptional artistic experiences – immersed in the works of Shakespeare – in their own communities and neighborhoods. More than 100 children, many of them from underserved communities and some with handicaps, travel from across Los Angeles to participate in and stage five to six full productions each year. The troupe also brings the Bard to senior centers, libraries and public spaces. LADC’s arts programs have earned recognition as a PBS Community Champion and a top rating from Great Non-Profits.