Shakespeare’s plays are still politically relevant, believes Devante Owens, the artistic director of a new theater troupe called the Rooted Voyageurs that performs in community spaces. The troupe was created in 2022 by Owens and their friend and now-managing producer Zoe Wohlfeld after conversations about the inaccessibility of classical theater and creating inclusive art in the Hudson Valley.
Heading into their second season, the Rooted Voyageurs will be staging eight performances of what is arguably Shakespeare’s best-known work, “Romeo and Juliet” at public spaces throughout the Hudson Valley. Why is this play still so relevant?
“It’s a play about children, [where] the thing that changes the community at the end of the play is the death of children,” Owens explains. “But we live in a world where we see children dying. There are kids being shot in schools and public places. It’s happening so often that some have become desensitized to it. So my question for the audience is: what has shifted from when Shakespeare wrote the play? Because something has changed. And I don’t think the answer is as simple as, like, cell phones.”
It’s a question that audiences will have the chance to ponder in beautiful and unconventional spaces across the Hudson Valley as the Rooted Voyageurs subvert the classic venue of ornate, frescoed theater with velvet seats and hundred-dollar tickets, performing instead at local farmers’ markets and public parks. Given the impromptu, stumble-upon nature of the settings, audience members, rather than having to buy a pricey ticket and show up on a certain day, are often surprised to run across a staged production. People can watch for as long as they want and leave when they are ready, with some people leaving and returning multiple times during a performance. This is by design.
The venues were chosen because they are places where people naturally come together—often for free—and where some of the conventions of classical theater can be cast aside. “It’s really nice, because theater should not be ‘sit down in your chair, listen, don’t react,’” says Wohlfeld. “It should be something that’s entertaining and you want to be there.”
“It’s an opportunity to come together as a community and be entertained, and then have a chance for discussion,” Owens adds. The troupe performs because they love to do it, while the audience can enjoy professional theater in whatever way they find most enjoyable. Set up a picnic blanket, snack on your fresh farmers’ market purchases, or let the kids stretch their legs on the grass while being exposed to classic works.
Theater with Purpose
The Rooted Voyageurs balance their love of performing and bringing together communities with their political consciousness. Owens and Wohlfeld’s conversations around accessibility and social justice began in earnest in 2020. That year saw the country hit by what Owens calls “the one-two punch” of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cultural conversation around violence against people of color taking place on a hitherto unprecedented scale. People in industries such as theater were put out of work for weeks that turned into months.
During this time of global and personal reckoning, Owens and Wohlfeld considered how race and gender fit into classical theater. As they examined the ways these plays reckon with the same social issues we do today, they saw opportunities to add to our current cultural conversations through art, and make the shows fun and entertaining at the same time.
One of the troupe’s most important missions is to create opportunities for and encourage industry-wide change in regards to inclusive casting. The Rooted Voyageurs’ casting call, for example, strongly encourages actors of color to audition. However, casting websites are largely used by performers who are of racial and financial privilege. Additionally, Owens points out that many of the actors of color who do see the call may get other jobs that pay better or offer longer contracts.
The Voyageurs understand these incentives. “Part of our work as a company is to raise our resources so that we can be more attractive to actors of color,” Owens says, adding that this applies also to actors of diverse gender identities. The key to the troupe’s casting process is seeking out diverse talent and working to provide them with the resources they need to comfortably take these jobs.
This year, shows can be seen at the Chatham and Copake Hillsdale Farmers’ Markets, Sabba Winery, Spencertown Park, Millbrook Vineyards, and the Ruins at Sassafras, during a season that runs from June 16 to July 7. The full schedule can be found online. The goal is both to entertain audiences and make them think, so if you hear the sounds of Shakespearean actors in the distance next time you go to the farmers’ market, maybe stop, watch, and begin a conversation that can continue all summer long.
