ROVING SHAKESPEARE
The artists listed below are twelve of the thirteen members of the Inagural company of the Mary Baldwin College MFA in Shakespeare and Performance. Following that year long company model, we chose to remain an active company together even as our paths take us in very different directions. Thus, we collaborate across the country.
Jarom Brown
Bobby Byers
Artistic Board Of Founders
Jarom Christopher Brown (here pictured as the Master of the Ship in The Sea Voyage), a California native, has been active in the theatre for almost twenty years. Most recently, he has been teaching in the Dixie State University theatre department where he has worked as a dramaturge for Hedda Gabler and other season shows. Previous to DSU, he received a MLitt and MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. Along with his graduate studies, he fulfilled a teaching fellowship for MBC’s theatre department as well as helped create Roving Shakespeare. Jarom has worked with various academic and professional theatre groups such as Dixie State University, Utah Valley University, Grassroots Shakespeare Company, Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, Sundance Summer Theatre, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Some of his more notable performances include Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Dromio of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors, Andrew Wyke in Sleuth, Major General Stanley inThe Pirates of Penzance, and John Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet.
James Byers hails from Austin, Texas, where he grew up a few miles away in Wimberley. After completing his undergraduate degrees at St. Edward's University, he moved on to Mary Baldwin College's Shakespeare & Performance program, alongside his Rover family. Since graduation, he has attempted to re-establish himself in the Austin theatre scene, working with companies like Hidden Room Theatre and Austin Shakespeare, while developing the first Roving Ren Show in Austin, a performance of Measure for Measure in June 2014.
He currently works as a Theatre Arts teacher for Comal Independent School District in New Braunfels, Texas, and as a freelance director for companies such as Wimberley's Emily Ann Theatre. He currently serves as Roving Shakespeare's Executive Director
Monica Cross
Monica Cross completed her MFA in Shakespeare and Performance at Mary Baldwin College in May 2013. She also holds an M.Litt. from the same program. She earned her B.A. from New College of Florida in 2010. Monica's primary area of research is on theatrical adaptations of Shakespearean plays. She is currently the Playhouse Manager at the American Shakespeare Center. She also freelances as a costume designer. Her coauthored piece on costuming early modern plays employing five actors, "'Make thyself like a nymph o' the sea': Extreme Costume in The Tempest and The Sea Voyage,” is published in Prepare to Rove.
Liz Lodato
Liz Lodato as Sailor 1 in The Sea Voyage.
Rachel Ratkowski
Rachel, a native of Washington D.C. is one of Roving Shakespeare's founding members and serves as Head of Education and Touring Manager. She holds a Masters of Fine Arts and a Master of Letters in Shakespeare in Performance, both from Mary Baldwin College, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Adelphi University. Rachel currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota and works as a primary caregiver at a daycare in St. Paul as well a teaching artist at Lakeshore Players Theater.
A.J. Sclafani
A.J. Sclafani holds a Masters of Fine Arts, and a Masters of Letters in Shakespeare & Performance from Mary Baldwin College, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Performance from San Diego State University. A.J. has been studying acting for over 10 years. Some of his past roles include Touchstone, Ariel/Caliban/Ferdinand, Edgar, Dromio of Syracuse (Roving Shakespeare), Juliet, and Lavatch (Mary Baldwin College). Within Roving Shakespeare, A.J. is also the head Graphic Designer.
Angelina LaBarre
Brian Maxwell
Angelina LaBarre is one of the original thirteen Rovers, and the current Artistic Director of Roving Shakespeare. She is the Northern California region director in addition to her AD duties. She holds a Master of Letters and a Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Sacramento State University. In addition to Roving Shakespeare, Angelina also teaches at Contra Costa Community College and collaborates with other theatre companies in the Bay Area and Sacramento valley.
Brian Maxwell has appeared onstage and worked behind the scenes with Roving Shakespeare in their inaugural season. Since graduating he has been freelancing with Rubber City Shakespeare as a Director (Twelfth Night), and Costume Designer (Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Tis Pity She's a Whore, and Taming of the Shrew).
Originally from Texas and a graduate of the University of Texas, Elizabeth Rentfro is currently living in Chicago using her MLitt and MFA Shakespeare and Performance training to pursue a career in acting. Her most recent roles include Mistress Quickly in Roving Shakespeare’s California Roving Ren production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, a two person Comedy of Errors, Windy City Playhouse’s Guys and Dolls, Promethean Theatre Ensemble’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Accidental Shakespeare’s Tartuffe, and performing in as well as music directing Midsommer Flight’s production of Much Ado about Nothing. Elizabeth is very proud to be a founding member of Roving Shakespeare and is looking forward to our exciting projects ahead.
Deb Streusand
Deb Streusand is currently based in Austin, Texas. She is the stage manager for Roving Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. In her past work with the company, she directed The Tempest, played Goneril in King Lear, co-dramaturged The Comedy of Errors, and worked on music for As You Like It. She looks forward to more Roving collaborations in the future.
Stephanie Tschetter
Stephanie Tschetter received her MA in English Literature from The University of South Dakota in 2010. She then received her M.Litt and MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin College. Currently she is an Instructor in English, Speech, and Theater at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas. She also works as a dramaturge.
Michael Wagoner
Michael Wagoner as Dr. Pinch in The Comedy of Errors.