[3] David Melville and Melissa Chalsma met as ensemble members in the 1995 Tony Award winning Broadway production of Hamlet starring Ralph Fiennes.
[5] Chalsma and Melville relocated to Los Angeles in June 2001 and the following year they began performing in various venues throughout the city, finally finding a home at Barnsdall Art Park in 2004.
[7] In 2015, the Department of Recreation and Parks moved forward with building plans for the permanent stage at the Old Zoo site championed by Councilmember Tom LaBonge[8][9] which has yet to be completed.
[5] Following their first summer in Barnsdall Art Park, ISC toured their production of Richard III in France as part of the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale in October 2004.
The ISC Studio offers programming year round that tends to be devised, musical, and solo works born of their ensemble in early development or more experimental explorations of classics.
ISC's 2017 production of Measure for Measure was referenced in the Arden Shakespeare's Third Edition of the scholarly play text: Melissa Chalsma's 2017 Independent Shakespeare Company Production had Isabella (Kalean Ung) and the Duke (David Melville) touching each other in affectionate alliance several times before drawing back, startled at themselves, each time; after only a momentary stone-faced pause for Isabella after the Duke's second proposal, she leaped delightedly into his embrace, and a happy dance began.
[15] Christopher Munch's 2011 film Letters from the Big Man features a scene from the company's 2009 production of The Tempest with actors David Melville, Phil Briggs, and Bobby Plascencia.