Cast Set For ROOTED at the WAM Theatre

WAM Theatre will present ROOTED, a comedy by acclaimed playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer, directed by Maggie Mancinelli-Cahil. Kicking off the WAM Theatre 2026 season and running May 1 – May 16, 2026, the production will take place at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre and runs approximately 90 minutes as a mainstage performance. 

WAM will present this production featuring a cast including critically acclaimed Jennie M. Jadow (WAM's The Droll, Shakespeare & Company's King Lear), WAM debut artist Marcy McGuigan (Looped, Lombardi, 42nd Street National Tour), rising Boston-based talent Mei MacQuarrie (Lyric Stage Company's Yellow Face, Kim's Convenience at The Huntington), and veteran performer Cate Damon (Johnny Got His Gun at Cherry Lane Theatre, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Maltz Jupiter Theatre).

Quirky, warm-hearted, and unexpectedly profound, ROOTED is a comedy about connection, belief, and the messy human longing for purpose. Back by popular demand after a sold-out WAM Theatre reading, ROOTED invites audiences into a whimsical world where plants heal, community curdles, and each woman must decide how — and what — she chooses to believe.

“ROOTED explores the constraints of small-town life—and yet, how one gentle gesture, like tending a garden, can expand a person's entire world,” notes WAM Theatre's Artistic Director Genee Coreno. “Deborah Zoe Laufer tackles the responsibility that comes with influence and power, especially in moments when communities are searching for meaning. She asks us to consider how quickly that search can turn into groupthink or blind devotion—and how theatre can serve as an antidote. Her work is imaginative, daring, and expansive. She reminds us that in times of cultural contraction, theatre is a place of dilation and possibility. As women artists, we need that kind of invitation to dream bigger. And there is no one better to bring this vision to life than Tatyana-Marie Carlo—her direction knows no bounds.”

In the play, Emery is perfectly content living in her treehouse, tending to her plants and sharing her research online. Her sister Hazel is less enchanted— stuck working long hours at the only diner in town to support them both. Meanwhile, Luanne is searching for something -anything, to give her life meaning.

When Emery's YouTube videos unexpectedly spark a devoted following — and then, somehow, a full-blown cult — all three women are thrown into a new kind of chaos. As strangers gather beneath the treehouse, chanting and singing, Emery must confront what it means to be seen, believed in, and responsible for others.

“ROOTED seems particularly timely now,” said playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer. “At its heart it's a play about our desperate need for connection and something to believe in, and how those desires can lead us to make deep friendships, or to blindly follow power-hungry leaders. And funny. It's funny. And that's important too.”

Laufer also shared her excitement about the play's continued life alongside its companion work: “Personally, I'm grateful that WAM has given readings to both ROOTED and its partner play, BE HERE NOW. When I wrote those plays it was my dream that theaters would produce them in subsequent seasons, and an audience would know those characters over time.”

The production will be directed by Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, a longtime supporter of WAM's initiatives. “I am honored to be working with Genee and Erin and the wonderful team at WAM,” says Mancinelli-Cahill. “I have always had a deep respect for WAM's mission that supports all kinds of opportunities for women and girls. Now, having this chance to be a part of their world, I am astonished at the care to ensure that all are heard and appreciated in the process of making art.”

Mancinelli-Cahill added, “For me, ROOTED is an irresistible story of three women—complicated, fun, and irascible—who want to make life better and actually succeed. I was hooked from the moment I discovered the play is very funny and blends a timely message about life on our planet and humans' deep desire for connection: all carried out in a treehouse that has magical charm. With a deeply talented design team and cast, I believe Deborah Zoe Laufer's story needs to be told now to help gently remind us that change is possible when we listen and truly see one another.”

ROOTED premiered at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in February 2022 and has since been produced at theaters across the country, including Lyric Stage (Boston), Horizon Theatre (Atlanta), Theatre Lab (Boca Raton), Oil Lamp Theatre (Glenview), Amphibian Stage (Fort Worth), Opera House Arts (Stonington), and WAM Theatre's Fresh Takes Reading Series.

The performance will run from May 1 through May 16, featuring a schedule of evening and matinee presentations alongside a series of special events. Opening on Friday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. with Artist Network Night, the program continues on Saturday, May 2 with a 2:00 p.m. pre-show plant exchange and a 7:00 p.m. evening performance, followed by a press opening on Sunday, May 3 at 2:00 p.m. Additional evening performances will take place on May 6, 7, and 9 at 7:00 p.m., with a post-show panel discussion scheduled for Friday, May 8 at 2:00 p.m. The following week includes a special Mother's Day pre-show brunch on Sunday, May 10 at 2:00 p.m., as well as performances on Thursday, May 14 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Programming concludes with a post-show artist talkback on Friday, May 15 at 2:00 p.m., two performances on Saturday, May 16 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and the closing performance on the evening of May 16.