Before taking her first theatre class at Sarah Lawrence, Sarah Doh had a fairly traditional notion of theatre—think Broadway and show tunes. At SLC she immersed herself in abstract theatre, exploring new modes of storytelling and pushing past the confines of mainstream productions on both stage and page.
“A lot of abstract theatre doesn’t follow a linear story line—it’s really conceptual,” Sarah said. “I’ve been thinking lately how our theatre really is mentally accessible to everyone you know, even people who aren’t constantly thinking about artistic concepts.”
Sarah gravitates toward plays that investigate universal themes like family and memory, and felt particularly inspired after taking the sociology class “Both Public and Private: The Social Construction of Family Life” with professor Shahnaz Rouse.
“Taking Shahnaz’s class made me think a lot about how our society is still largely shaped by and for people in traditional nuclear straight families,” Sarah said. “So one of the plays I wrote examined how even one policy can dramatically affect families in different situations.”
Shahnaz’s course bolstered Sarah’s passion for immigration rights. Sarah interned for New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s immigration casework team and then the International Rescue Committee in Manhattan, using her theatre background to create arts education programs for refugee children.
“I realized the power art can have in terms of activism,” Sarah said. “I realized I don’t have to give up art in order to do good work in the world.”
One semester, Sarah studied abroad with SLC’s Southern Africa program, and continued weaving threads of art and activism embedded within her academic work. The program examined the history of three countries the group traveled to through an economic policy perspective, concluding with an independent study. Sarah chose to return to Botswana to study with painter Wilson Ngoni, who provided the inspiration for the play she’s working on now.
“Wilson and I talked a lot about how it’s really important to him that his children continue to remember their lineage and family history,” Sarah said. “So my play is about memory, what and who we choose to remember, and the factors that play into that.”
Sarah is a proud hyphenate of the SLC theatre department. “Director-playwright-sound designer-actor,” she said. “I’m really thankful I’ve been able to do everything I wanted to do here, instead of being pigeonholed into one type of role.”
Hometown Chicago, IL
Studies Theatre, screenwriting, political science
Pronouns She/her
I realized the power art can have in terms of activism. I realized I don’t have to give up art in order to do good work in the world.