As she performed “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” with UF’s Driveway Theatre Project in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rikki Baynard couldn’t help but remember Shakespeare’s own experiences performing in the midst of bubonic plague outbreaks.
As the audience’s laughter cut through the fast-paced dialogue, Baynard understood the timelessness of Shakespeare’s work.
“I felt very close to Shakespeare and his troupe of actors when we started doing this,” she said. “There were all of these really weird interconnectivities.”
DTP serves as a modern take on the traveling acting troupe, such as Lord Chamberlain’s Men, the troupe to which Shakespeare belonged. The project carries on this theatrical tradition dating back to ancient Greece by bringing its performances to diverse venues and putting on productions wherever possible.
However, the 21st century iteration of a traveling acting troupe runs differently, by not charging its venues’ hosts for their performances and instead operating as a nonprofit looking to make live theater more accessible.
“Theater in general, I think, is about connecting with people,” Baynard said. “That's what makes live theater so special, as opposed to watching a film or watching TV. The community that is built, and the energy that is transferred from artist to audience – that's what makes it so important and special.”
The initiative began in 2021, offering the community a safe way to view live theater post-COVID. Through the nonprofit, Baynard saw an opportunity to use theater to protect mental and physical health during a period of isolation. She joined DTP in the hopes of bringing a sense of community to herself and others during the pandemic.
The traveling troupe offers a wide repertoire of plays, often ranging from 30 minutes to an hour long, including “Dracula” and “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America.” The nonprofit only retires plays if they no longer have enough performers. Many of the group’s performances are radio plays, which are done with a foley artist who uses a variety of tools to create sound effects throughout the production.
“We hope audiences experience joy, connection and a deeper appreciation for storytelling and live performance,” said Derek Wohlust, the arts engagement coordinator for UF Performing Arts. He remembers feeling impacted by a DTP performance hosted in a neighborhood that “had never done anything collectively.”
The nonprofit relies on donations and grants to fund their shows, which often cost around $700 to put on.
Plays are selected based on their “adaptability to small spaces, community relevance and the creative goals of the project,” Wohlust said. He hopes to include more interactivity in the group’s performances to increase the relevance of theater to younger audiences.
Although officially first operating in 2021, DTP was conceptualized over a decade ago by Brian Jose, director of UF Performing Arts, who imagined the project as a way of broadening a community’s exposure to theater. He said he thinks of the performances as a revival of neighborhood block parties and emphasized the importance of providing community members with an outlet to interact.
While the setbacks created by the pandemic have largely disappeared, Jose finds isolation is still prevalent with the accessibility of movies and television shows. The real challenge facing the DTP is making human connections, Jose said. It took COVID-19 to bring Jose’s vision of a community-building travelling theater troupe to fruition, and now he’s hoping it will continue to serve its purpose of bringing neighborhoods together.
“They may only live a couple of houses apart,” he said. “But sometimes in our society, you don't necessarily know your neighbors that well, and this is a conduit, a catalyst for people to make that connection.”
Individuals and organizations can register to host a performance on the DTP website.
Contact Juliana DeFilippo at jdefillipo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @JulianaDeF58101.
Juliana DeFilippo is a freshman journalism major and General Assignment reporter for The Avenue. In her free time, she loves to read and work on crossword puzzles.
