Shakespeare has made a return trip to Culver City this summer thanks to a local theater group known as The Actor’s Gang.
This year’s production of the Gang’s annual Free Shakespeare in the Park is a Toy Story take on The Tempest, Shakespeare’s play about a magician who torments the survivors of a shipwreck.
The 45-minute family show, which opened on Aug. 3, will run every Saturday and Sunday until Aug. 25 at Media Park at 11 a.m. and is free of charge.
Toy Story Tempest, directed by Will Thomas McFadden, is set amid the toys’ search for their beloved owner, Andy. For the past 12 years, Woody and Jessie have been stranded on a magical deserted island. After a violent, windy storm, Buzz, Hamm, Rex, Slinky, Bo Peep, and the rest of the gang are summoned to the island by Woody, with the hope of being reunited with Andy. On their journey home, they make new friends and learn valuable lessons about love, loyalty, and forgiveness.
The cast of Toy Story Tempest includes Adam J. Jefferis (Woody), Lee Margaret Hanson (Jessie), Will Thomas McFadden (Buzz), Kenny Palmer (Duke Caboom), Ethan Corn (Forky), Tom Szymanski (Hamm), Pedro Shanahan (Slinky), Luis Quintana (Slinky), Julia Finch (Rex), Paulette Zubata (Bo Peep), Steve Porter (Mr. Potato Head), Lynde Houck (Mrs. Potato Head), and James Bane (Understudy).
Every weekend in August, families are invited to bring a blanket and enjoy this Shakespeare adaptation, followed by a popsicle celebration where the audience can meet and take photos with the characters.
The Actors’ Gang summer performances are free of charge thanks in part to support by the city of Culver City, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Performing Arts Grant Program with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment. This project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The mission of The Actor’s Gang includes four principles: to present new, unconventional and uncompromising plays and dynamic reinterpretations of the classics; to restore the ancient sense of the stage as a shared sacred space; to introduce theatre to children and help them find their own creative voices; and to bring the freedom of self-expression to the incarcerated.
More than 26,000 community members all across Los Angeles have enjoyed the various adaptations produced by The Actor’s Gang that introduce children to the works of Shakespeare by reimagining his stories through the voices of their favorite characters.
Founded in 1981 by a group of young actors looking to build a theater that would present relevant and vibrantly entertaining plays, The Actor’s Gang, over the past 38 years, has performed for audiences in Los Angeles, 40 U.S. States, and throughout the world on five continents.
The Actors’ Gang’s Prison Project is currently in twelve California prisons, serving incarcerated women, men and children with rehabilitation programs that significantly reduce the recidivism rate.
In addition, each year, thousands of Los Angeles public school children discover confidence and creativity with The Actor’s Gang Education Department through in-school immersion and after-school programs.
The Actors’ Gang ensemble has included accomplished actors such as Jack Black, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Helen Hunt, Fisher Stevens, Jeremy Piven, and Tim Robbins.
Guest artists that have appeared on The Actors’ Gang stage include Jackson Browne, Sarah Silverman, Paul Provenza, Zooey Deschanel, Pink, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Phillip Baker Hall, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and the late, Gore Vidal.
Tickets to The Actors’ Gang Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park are available via advance reservation, at www.TheActorsGang.com or by calling the Box Office at (310) 838-4264.
On the day of each public performance, free tickets may also be acquired in-person in Media Park. Tickets are subject to availability. A performance calendar and complete ticket distribution details can be found at www.TheActorsGang.com.
Community members wishing to support this free series are encouraged to make a financial or in-kind contribution to the theater at www.TheActorsGang.com or by phone at (310) 838-4264.
Media Park is adjacent to The Ivy Substation, located at 9070 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA, 90232
To learn more or to make a contribution, call (310) 838-4264 or visit www.TheActorsGang.com.