23 Dec 12th-Dec 18th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | SAT 12/14 SUN 12/15 MON 12/16 TUES 12/17 FRI 12/13 ROCKABILLY CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA WITH THE MISS SANTA BABY PAGEANT LIVE MUSIC, VENDORS AND FOOD TRUCKS! DOORS: 5:00PM | SHOW: 6:00PM FELICITY WITH KRXS & SOMETHING OUTRAGEOUS DOORS: 6:30PM | SHOW: 7:00PM NICK MOSS BAND FEATURING DENNIS GRUENLING DOORS: 7:00PM / SHOW: 8:00PM COLD SHOTT AND THE HURRICANE HORNS DOORS: 7:00PM / SHOW: 8:00PM JIMI PRIMETIME SMITH / BOB CORRITORE BLUES BAND DOORS: 7:00PM | SHOW: 8:00PM Make the Yuletide Gay Phoenix theater troupe All Queer Shakespeare reimagines “A Christmas Carol.” BY NOAH DELGADO W e all know the story of A Christmas Carol. Through nearly 200 years of stage and screen adaptations, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge is one that has been burned into our collective consciousness. With so many iterations of the story, one may think that there’s no more room for the story to be retold. Some artists may find the work too traditional to say anything about the current moment. But for one Arizona performance troupe, the stage is set for a radical reinterpretation of Dickens’ text. Opening on Dec. 13, “The Christmas Carol: A Queer Fantasia” by James Cougar Canfield is the debut production of the Scottsdale-based theater company All Queer Shakespeare. Described as an “inclusive, timely adaptation,” this production tells the familiar story but with the twist of featuring drag performers, musical numbers and a narrative that centers LGBTQ+ characters and stories. It’s a bold take on the source material that may strike some audiences as being somewhat mismatched. But for the cast, which is predominantly LGBTQ+, the merging of contemporary issues blends well with what audiences will be more familiar with. “There are a lot of highlights that you will know directly from the novella and classic productions,” says Ryan Glover, who plays Scrooge. “And then there are moments that make you pause because it is definitely different.” For Glover, a gay man whose back- ground is in professional opera, what excited him about this production is the company’s emphasis on “queer joy,” or the positive feelings derived from encoun- tering LGBTQ+ people thriving and coming together as a community. Founded in June, All Queer Shakespeare formed when founder and Artistic Director Monica Sampson noticed a gap in the Arizona market for All Queer Shakespeare’s first production is a holiday show. (Courtesy of All Queer Shakespeare) representation-focused theater. Drawing on her training at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater as well as her experience as a professional intimacy coordinator, Sampson, who describes herself as a “plus- size, Jewish, queer woman,” sought to create a theatrical environment that priori- tized the wellbeing of performers as well as allowing LGBTQ+ artists the space to tell stories that are meaningful to them. “If you look at different theaters around Phoenix and around the world, those stories exist and those people exist, they’re just not being told,” Sampson says. While theater companies for underrep- resented and marginalized communities are nothing new, what sets All Queer Shakespeare apart is its mission of “telling traditional stories in a nontraditional way.” While the expected story beats may still be present, the core of the company rests in how it holds space for artists of all genders and sexualities to remix and remaster clas- sical works. For creatives such as actor Jace Ryden, this provides an opportunity for diverse artists to feel welcome to the collective. “You know you don’t have to hide who you are. You know you don’t have to worry about, you know, saying something that could potentially out you,” Ryden says. “Everybody is in the same boat.” This production is a special moment for Ryden, who performs as a drag king under the name “Freddy Prinze Charming,” as it marks a return to theater after a years-long break from the art form. Ryden, a trans- gender man, stopped doing theater after not feeling comfortable playing the gendered roles demanded of him. On a recommendation from another member of the company, Ryden auditioned for “The Christmas Carol” and was cast in the role of Christmas Present. “They don’t look at roles as necessarily being gendered,” Ryden says. “Places like these are fantastic for folks to be able to come and audition and not have to worry about being, you know, thrown into tradi- tionally gendered roles that you’re not comfortable doing.” On choosing this specific show for All Queer Shakespeare’s debut production, Sampson argues that the journey of Scrooge to embrace kindness and compas- sion speaks to the current moment. “The story of Ebenezer Scrooge, and also the story of queer people, it’s not a very happy one, throughout history,” Sampson says. “But we’re consciously choosing joy, right now, in this very dark time.” The aftermath of the 2024 election has left many LGBTQ+ artists in various states of dread and pessimistic resignation. Amid fears about what a second Trump presi- dency could mean for LGBTQ+ rights, Sampson says the cast came together the day after the election to support each other. “It was a very heavy day for our actors and we asked them if they wanted to have rehearsal or not,” Sampson says. “Unanimously, everyone replied and said ‘If I’m going to experience this grief, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than a queer space with other queer folks.’” Still, the uncertainty surrounding the future has some in the company, such as core member Bray Lawrence, recalling past presidents and their impact on the LGBTQ+ arts community. “These things have been happening for years.” Lawrence says, specifically recalling the AIDS epidemic and the heavily criticized response of the Reagan administration. “Plenty of artists who were up-and-coming, who were providing some of the most exciting art that I ever got to understand ... they died because of a presi- dent who didn’t want to work with that, who didn’t want to help them.” While the core artists of All Queer Shakespeare haven’t formally discussed any specific measures on how to combat potential hostility under the next adminis- tration, one common refrain among them was one that emphasizes resistance through visibility, community and creation. “As queer artists, I think we almost have a responsibility to keep creating,” says Ryden. “I think it’s important that we keep doing what we’re doing because art, throughout history, has always been both a commentary and a protest.” Even though the future may be scary, the cast and creative team of All Queer Shakespeare’s production of “The Christmas Carol: A Queer Fantasia” sees this as an opportunity to speak to the community and show it the true power in reinventing a classic work for a new age. “I think it is a story for this particular time,” Glover says. “How we can love more deeply, how we can acknowledge what we have done wrong and try to do better.” “The Christmas Carol: A Queer Fantasia” plays Dec. 13 to 21 at Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place, 4425 N. Granite Reef Road, Scottsdale. Tickets are $30. Visit allqueershakespeare.com for tickets and information. ▼ Arts & Culture
