This is Crafton: Sam Maybrier—Theatre Alum Broadens View of Shakespeare
Publish Date: April 12, 2019
A former Roadrunner is on their way to travel abroad to study Shakespeare.
Sam Maybrier was recently accepted into the master’s scholar and performance study program of the famous playwright’s works at The Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham in Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare.
The institute, which has a partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company, was established in 1951 to “push the boundaries of knowledge about Shakespeare studies and Renaissance drama,” according to its website.
“Through this program I get to gain access and resources at The Shakespeare (Birthplace) Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company,” the 25-year-old Mentone resident said. “The plan is to continue my studies in theater practice and continue my research and analysis of his works, while bringing my fresh ideas to the theater there.”
Maybrier’s path abroad was created at Crafton.
Although the plan was to obtain a bachelor’s in creative writing at first, Maybrier soon discovered a passion for the theater and began taking courses in the study, later staging productions under the guidance of Tom Bryant, the faculty chair of the fine arts at Crafton.
Maybrier knew there was more to be done and started exploring ways to present Shakespeare’s works with modern times by swapping gender-specific roles to staging scenes in different settings, such as a gay club in an adaptation of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.”
After spending three years at Crafton, Maybrier started attending the University of Redlands, and it was at U of R where Maybrier was able to create their own major through the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies, which allows students to design a course study that best suits their educational needs and professional objectives.
Maybrier’s focus – “Shakesqueer: Marginalized Identity in Text, Composition and Adaptation.”
“Lots of Johnston Center majors have long titles,” Maybrier said with a chuckle. “I had always liked Shakespeare but once I got into the acting more at Crafton and started taking more classes taught by Tom Bryant, I discovered acting was a fantastic form of expression, and Shakespeare itself is so universal that it tells everyone’s stories but takes it a bit further and to places where marginalized identity can be explored through classical works.”
Through the Johnston Center, Maybrier was able to continue stage work at Crafton, and when looking back at their Shakespeare studies as a Roadrunner and beyond, Maybrier knows what to look for.
“I look for the parallels. While I was a student at Crafton I auditioned and got the role of ‘Hamlet’. I identify as non-binary and played the role as a transman,” said the 2018 U of R grad. “The Crafton theater department allows us the time to explore our creative potential.”
Moving forward, Maybrier knows there’s a lot more out there and is eager to see where the future leads. This may include staying abroad to working with the Royal Shakespeare Company or returning home to work on productions in the state. Either way, Maybrier is ready for what’s ahead.
“It is a bit frustrating that we know so little about (Shakespeare’s) biography,” they continued. “But it is widely accepted that Shakespeare himself was bisexual and a lot of that comes through his works and how we are able to understand his multiple points of view. He would have probably worked on more in his time if it had been an option.”
Learn more about The Shakespeare Institute.
