Feature: Inaugural Season Debuts with a Queer CHRISTMAS CAROL at All Queer Shakespeare

I had the pleasure of speaking with Monica Sampson, founder and artistic director of All Queer Shakespeare. She gave me a bird's eye view of the company's mission and the incredible future it has ahead. The Press Release for All Queer Shakespeare states that the mission of the company is to "provide an inclusive, diverse, LGBTQIA+ space for theatrical works." All Queer Shakespeare is composed of a remarkable core company featuring: Sam Arrow, Jade Barger, Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda, Chris Chávez, R. Dart, Andrew Dell, Naya Dell, Rachel Finley, Bray Lawrence, Crystal Lutton, Lauren McCay, Delores Mendoza, Ezra Neighbors, Monica Sampson, William Shakespeare, Marshall Shore, Maybe Stewart, Shelly Trujillo, Seth Tucker, and Wade Zolko.

Sampson, who is a Shakespeare's Globe Theater-Trained Actor, explained that while All Queer Shakespeare launched in June of this year, the company and concept have been a working idea for over ten years. Sampson states that "performing spaces needed a theatre that represented diversity and inclusion." All Queer Shakespeare provides that space for people of all walks of life. The mission of All Queer Shakespeare may easily be applied to every theater, because there is a need for diversity and inclusion everywhere.

Sampson enjoys sharing the story of Shakespeare. It is true that Shakespeare himself was very gay. During the 1600's, men exclusively worked as onstage actors. Thus, it would be common to see a production of ROMEO AND JULIET with men playing the title characters. Even Shakespeare's sonnets featured men speaking to men. In a similar vein, the concept of Drag is Shakespearian in nature. Drag stands for "Dressed Resembling A Girl" and was a huge part of Shakespeare's world. Sampson continues: "All Queer Shakespeare is aiming to align with those traditional concepts of Shakespeare while also being nontraditional in how we do things."

Shakespeare is meant for everyone. In Shakespeare's time, he had to compete with the bear fights down the street and present engaging material in his plays. Shakespeare was and is meant to be accessible to diverse groups of people. The Groundlings, standing in "the yard" close to the stage, needed to be fed content that was going to appeal to them. In many cases the content was crass. Shakespeare simultaneously wrote with a witty style for the more sophisticated and educated attendees of his plays. The well-rounded nature of Shakespeare is one of the most impressive and timeless aspects of his work.

Sampson continues: "Every work at All Queer Shakespeare is inclusive and diverse." As such, this is the first LGBTQIA+ Shakespeare company. In each season there is always a Shakespeare play. But seasons will also include classical works and a musical! All Queer Shakespeare embraces a variety of theatrical flavors, while always representing LGBTQIA+ artists. During the upcoming season, the company will feature a classical work and a play with music. The debut Winter show is called THE CHRISTMAS CAROL: A QUEER FANTASIA by James Cougar Canfield. The play will examine a new perspective on Ebenezer Scrooge and his story.

As for the future, Sampson is thinking big. "We want different theatre companies saying that this mission is something they like and appreciate and want to include," Sampson said. It is her goal for All Queer Shakespeare to partner with theatre companies Off-Broadway and in London, for example. The more exposure the company and its mission find, the more opportunities there will be to see people who feel represented by theatre. Sampson had the recent opportunity to march and run a table representing All Queer Shakespeare at London Pride. To learn more about this exciting new theatre company, visit allqueershakespeare.com.

Photos by Rachael Anne Lewis Photography.

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