SARAH E. SCAFIDI

ABOUT ME

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I am a director and producer who believes that theatre's most basic functions is to foster human connection and ignite change.

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I want to get people off of their cellphones and take them out of themselves to see each other and recognize our shared humanity. I want to create theatre that makes people think - deeper than their next social media post. I want to show them they are complicit in the problems we face and challenge them to grapple with finding a solution.

 

I am most inspired by theatre that not only encourages people to think deeply, but also pushes against our usual  definitions of a theatre experience. I want to turn the audience and performa

I have developed an aesthetic that centers on finding the most “simple, graceful solution.” This does not imply that minimalism is always ideal or that high-concept design and special effects are inferior. But rather, I strip a moment to its most vital elements, investigating each additional decision to make certain it serves the play and fits within the theatrical language set up by the artistic team and myself. This results in a rigorous attention to detail and clarity of storytelling. It leads to wise use of resources and productions that feel fully realized and intentional. It allows the text to breathe and speak for itself and encourages audience members to use their imaginations, making them fellow collaborators in the artistic process.

 

 

Sarah is currently pursuing her MFA in Theater Management at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and her MBA at the Yale School of Management. She was most recently the Artistic Assistant at Arden Theatre Company. In Philadelphia, she co-produced and directed an immersive production of four Tennessee Williams one-acts entitled A Way Home. She also directed It's a Match at University of the Arts, Trigger Warning by Iris Dauterman for Philly Fringe, and two  apprentice showcases at the Arden. Her DC/Baltimore credits include Leveling Up with Interrobang Theatre (Best of Charm City Fringe), The Metal Children at Silver Spring Stage (numerous DCMTA honors & WATCH nominations), Red/Lines with Light Switch Dance Theatre, The Real World: Kabul at Capital Fringe, [title of show] with purple light theatre company, and a staged reading of Dancing Lessons at Olney Theatre Center. Her work has also been seen at the Yale Cabaret, ReVamp Collective, Source Festival, the DC One Minute Play Festival, and Rorschach Theatre's Klecksography. Her other directing credits include: The Lord of the Underworld’s Home for Unwed Mothers at Kitchen Theatre, Mr. Bundy, and The Best Laid Plans. 

 

She has assistant directed at numerous theatres throughout the Northeast and completed an SDCF Observership with Michael Wilson on The Trip to Bountiful at Center Theatre Group. She has worked in a variety of capacities for Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Capital Fringe, Clubbed Thumb, Wellfleet Harbor Actor's Theater, Kitchen Theatre (Ithaca), Hangar Theatre, The Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival (Provincetown), none too fragile (Akron, OH), and more.

 

Sarah is an Associate Member of SDC and an alumna of The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's National Theatre Institute, The Gaiety School of Acting, and Messiah College.