ANGELENOS! Have you still not discovered the most wonderful thing about your city? Fear not! You have one remaining weekend in which to do so! And I shall endeavour to make it as easy as possible for you, with the limited time at my disposal.
1. HOW TO GET THERE
The stage is set up at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park, so your first step is to get to Griffith Park, specifically Crystal Springs Drive, on the east side of the park, between the pony rides and the golf course. If you follow the signs for the Merry-Go-Round, you will find yourself in the right area. This is where it gets a little confusing, so I made a map:
There is a little bit of walking! Don't let this scare you! It is only a very little, and there are trees and stuff, so get that blood flowing.
If you are using GPS, or are taking a taxi, or just like to know these things, the 'address' at the intersection of Crystal Springs and Griffith Park is officially 4690 Crystal Springs Dr. GPS probably won't get you all the way to the Old Zoo, but if you get as far as 4690 Crystal Springs, the
signs will take you the rest of the way.
If you are taking the bus, the 96 goes through the park and will drop you off pretty close, but it stops running before the shows are over, so you'll have to taxi back.
If you are biking, it's flatter and shorter to turn up Griffith Park Dr instead of the fire road that takes you to parking. There are trees and signs and at least one railing which you can lock your bike to, when you get up to the picnic area. BRING A HEADLIGHT, and a tail light if you've got one. The ride back in either direction is long and mostly unlit until you exit the park.
2. WHEN TO GET THERE
As it's the last weekend, everyone and their dog will be cramming it in at the last minute. Last Saturday there were over 1800 people in the audience! You'll probably want to get there early – the shows start at 7, so aim for 6 at the latest – so make a picnic of it. If you go to
Comedy of Errors, you can enjoy a performance by the 'house band' while you wait, or you can arrive, put down your blanket, and have a nice walk around the Old Zoo. The sun will have gone behind the hill at that point so you don't have to worry about roasting.
HOWEVER ...
If you are a small party and don't mind sitting on the ground, there are always open patches in the front section, because people come early with their picnics and space themselves fairly widely. If you take a moment and look for an open patch, you can get PRIME SEATS right before showtime.
HOWEVER ...
The later you arrive, the farther away you will probably have to park (unless you bus or bike). Swings and roundabouts!
3. WHAT TO BRING
a) Something to sit on – either a folding chair or a blanketish thing to protect your bum from prickly or damp grass. If you bring a chair you will have to sit behind the lights, but those are not bad seats at all.
b) Something warm to wear – Even though it's been pretty hot, it cools off a lot at night. Bring something warmer than you think you'll need – better not to end up using it than spend the second half of the show shivering.
c) Something to eat – whatever you like. They sell gourmet cupcakes, Cliff bars, and kettle corn at the concessions stand if you get the nibbles while you're there. I can personally vouch for the excellence of the chocolate cupcakes.
d) A friend (or not, it's up to you)
4. TICKETS?
NO! It's FREE! You just walk in and sit down and consume some fantastic live theatre. If you like what you see and want to support the company, they sell t-shirts and CDs as well as concessions, and you can always drop something nice in the buckets at the end of the show and make the actors smile. But you do not need to buy tickets either before or at the door, because the show is FREE!
As it is a holiday weekend and the last of the run, I would advise going on Thursday or Friday, not only to beat the crowds but because it is
omedy of Errors, which is my fave this year. That play is also on Saturday, and the season closes out with one last performance of
Midsummer Night's Dream on Sunday night.
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Their main event in the year is the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, in which they give away phenomenally fantastic theatre for free! Of course, it takes money to mount the festival, and while they do take donations during the run, there are expenses that have to be paid up front, such as directors' fees, equipment rental downpayments, licenses, etc., so they've been running 
