I got to welcome so many friends to Andy’s over the past month — we produced two plays with our teen acting company, EVERYTHING YOU WANTED by Jess Honovich (directed by Hope Johansen) and it’s literally the end of the world, like, for real this time by Paige Esterly (directed by Mackenna Goodrich). And we’re currently in tech week for The Forest Knows, a beautiful new folk musical by Marina Pires (directed by Andie Lerner)!

and, of course, there’s maxine the dog. she is perfect.

here’s a picture of me doing my job so you know it’s real:

in other news! I got to continue working with the oklahoma shakespearean festival on their new works festival, this time with my 1319 press hat on, to create the (hopefully!) inaugural anthology of short plays they’ve produced.

you can buy your copy here!

I’m also so pleased to share that my play radio man has been acquired by the kaufer group for licensing.

the script is still available for purchase at 1319 press as well!

there have been so many exciting launches lately at 1319 press, so def give the bookstore a browse if you haven’t looked in a while ;)

as always, thanks for being here! I’m so glad to have some real news to share with you this month, and I’m excited to be back in nyc soon!

-sarah g.

earlier this spring, I read a book called walking through clear water in a pool painted black, a collection of short stories, essays, and collected publications/advice columns written by cookie mueller. mueller was one of those category-defying artists of the 1970s whose entire existence seemed to be an artistic experience, but she’s perhaps most famous for appearing in several john waters films.

while a lot of her advice in walking through clear water… involves psychedelic drugs and other herbal remedies, something I could get behind was her adamant insistence that in order to live in new york, sometimes you gotta get out of new york. in addition to the quote at the top of this newsletter, she also put it this way: “the next time you find yourself climbing out on a ledge, give me a call. I can recommend a travel agent.”

I’m currently living in a (probably haunted) colonial house with two dogs and an indeterminate number of chickens and pigs. I spend most of my days at an (also probably haunted) children’s theater housed in an old schoolhouse. kids are writing plays with titles such as aliens! and something has been stolen! why? they’re currently rehearsing an agatha christie adaptation and a mime play inspired by nancy drew. it’s awesome.

and this is, after all, the longest time I’ve been away from new york city since I moved there in 2022. when I got the job offer to work at andy’s summer playhouse, I immediately thought of mueller’s essay.

thank the heavens for new england in the summer!

besides an emergency dental procedure yesterday (text me if you want to see a picture of my wisdom tooth; they let me keep it) I’m thrilled to share that I don’t have much else to share. to everyone with exciting events in new york in june/july/august, I love getting your invites and I’m sad I can’t be there.

in the meantime, since I’m having a Reflective Girl Summer, here are three poems that have been speaking to me lately.

smell ya later!

xoxo, sarah g.

I’m not only writing a new play for the awesome kiddos at andy’s summer playhouse, I’m actually going to be spending the entire summer in new hampshire serving as the theater’s artistic director! wahoo!! I’ll be leaving the city soon, but will be back in september. in the meantime, I’ve been trying to cram in as many shows, hangouts, and catchups as possible, while also packing my belongings and moving them to various sublets. so all that’s to say, see you in the fall!

relatedly, work is ramping up on my roger ackroyd adaptation, including a conversation with friend and now COLLEAGUE smj about how to make a character with a cocaine addiction appropriate for children (the decision: he LOVES candy).

I also got to write a short and sweet little commissioned piece for the oklahoma shakespearean festival!

my new 10-minute play, AMATEURS: a regency love story, will be performed alongside new works from tracy wells, sandy rustin, elizabeth addison, and kaela mei-shing garvin by festival company members tomorrow. most of my short plays end up being completely unhinged, and this was no exception (“amateurs” refers to a suitor’s proclivity towards amateur taxidermy. there are two stuffed squirrels onstage). thanks to new works festival curator justin borak for connecting me with this opportunity!

got some more love for the ballad of joan & jane as well: it was shortlisted for the epiphanies new works festival in waco, tx!

also, I’m pleased to include in this newsletter something you may never see again… a picture of me ACTING!!

been working with my college buddies on a production of the grown-ups by skyler fox and simon henriquez, a beautiful little play about camp counselors and the end of the world. for those of you that go way back, being a sleepaway camp girlie was one of my only personality traits for a few years, so stepping into this role felt verrrryyyy natural. and also! what a gift to make art with your friends just for the love of the game! what a joy to stretch a creative muscle I haven’t touched in years! we open tonight, so send good vibes.

thanks, as always, for being here! if you need me, I’ll be in the fricking woods, thank goodness. I can’t wait to see what nyc fall has in store!

xoxo sarah g.

here’s the short version:

we opened a show. I turned 26. we closed a show.

here’s the long version:

Radio Man, produced by underbelly theatre co. & reaching glory productions, directed by tatiana baccari, starring mia angelique, sophie falvey, and rachel arianna, closed yesterday after a ten-show run at the paradise factory.

I was absolutely blown away by this team, and you can read the full digital program here. hire these legends!!

and in the midst of all of this, I celebrated my birthday!

I felt very lucky & loved! and if you want to get me a belated bday present, you can pre-order the Radio Man script from 1319 Press :)

closing the show was bittersweet, as it always is, but I couldn’t be prouder of what went onstage.

I wrote the first draft of Radio Man when I was nineteen years old (a wee undergrad!) and it’s so special to see these words come to life again — especially when I can listen to it, seven years later, and hear how much I’ve changed as both a writer and a person. this show is very much about youth and the fear of aging too quickly, of growing up in a world that doesn’t want you to survive its challenges, and I’m glad I captured that feeling when I was the same age as the characters. I believe every play becomes a time capsule at some point, and this has become such a beautiful and fragile one.

thanks so much to everyone who came to our (nearly sold out!) run!! time for me to take a big ol’ nap. and if you liked the play and feel compelled to say kind things about it, you can leave a new play exchange recommendation here. these notes really do go a long way!!

wait also! one more thing before I sign off. my play The Ballad of Joan & Jane was a 2026 O’Neill semifinalist! so not far enough to get on the public fancy list, but it’s the farthest I’ve ever gotten with an NPC submission, so I’m proud of myself for that. we take what we can get, baby!! if you want to read the script, it’s available on npx.

ok. that’s all for now! thanks for being here.

xx sarah g.

wrote most of this from somewhere in connecticut on my horse, old faithful (the amtrak). every day I wear a different coat and succumb to fool’s spring. but the sporadic days of sunshine are still incredibly important for people like me who a) have s.a.d. and b) got rejected from several grad schools this month.

but overall, choosing and trying to focus on the fact that I have lots of exciting things to share with you this month!! including…

tickets are on sale for RADIO MAN!

see ya may 1-10 baby!! and I finally can share our GORGEOUS cast with you! mia angelique (as helena), rachel arianna (as mary grace), and sophie falvey (as vera). we start rehearsals this week and I’m already kicking my feet and giggling about it.

if you’re not in new york and still want to read the script, or if you are in new york but want to read the script anyways, it’s also now available for pre-order through 1319 press!

summer plans just dropped!

I’m going back to andy’s summer playhouse to write an adaptation of agatha christie’s the murder of roger ackroyd for over twenty children. literally I cannot wait. (plus, some more andy’s-related news that I’m excited to share with you soon!)

i’m a resident artist with breaking & entering!

very excited and honored to join this lineup of super cool indie theater people whose work I admire. I had a great experience developing the ballad of joan & jane through b&e’s rooftop reading series last summer and looking forward to working with this group more!

other things on the noggin

getting to see my lifelong friend zoe lee’s name on the macdowell announcements this year was very special :) zoe does incredibly cool work bridging design and climate justice that I do not have the skill set to explain properly so instead I encourage you to check out her studio’s website!

also, my brilliant friend nina kissinger is working on her play this is government at wagner college this week, where the play won a big ol’ award last year and i’m so proud of her.

I recently treated myself to a copy of sharon old’s newest collection, balladz. olds is one of my favorite poets, and her work always seems to find me at the right time. this piece in particular has felt very grounding lately:

in other bookish news, I downloaded a silly but enjoyable app called serial reader which takes books in the public domain, separates them into bite sized daily “issues,” and sends one to your phone every morning. as someone who recently shed my personal instagram and has been super annoying about how awesome that’s been, I’m still not perfect (sigh) and find myself phantom scrolling on pinterest or even my email or obsessively reading my to-do list on the train platform. so now I’m reading dracula instead and it’s weird as hell.

if you’ve made it all the way here, I’m obligated to tell you that 1319 press is having a spring sale right now… 30% off orders of $30+ (that’s about 2 plays)… you didn’t hear this from me but use code “SPRING26” okay… !

I think that about covers it for now! peace n love,

-sarah g.

anyways, for those of you that subscribe for professional reasons, I’m thrilled to share that the world continues to turn and theater continues to happen!

radio man updates!

got to sit in on callbacks for radio man with underbelly theatre co. (happening at the paradise factory in may!). this was my first time actually GOING to a sit-down-behind-the-table-and-introduce-yourself audition (all other audition processes I’ve participated in have been completely virtual!) so that made me feel very cool and professional and like a Real Playwright™️. everyone was so brilliant that it once again confirmed my decision to stop acting after college. to all the girlies who produced fake tears during a side read at pearl studios at 10:30 am, I see you, I SALUTE you.

1319!

it continues to rock and roll! we’ve just signed our first two (!!!!) licensing contracts with regional theater companies, so that department is officially up and running.

I also had the honor of announcing the acquisition of oh to be pure again by kira rockwell. this was a special moment not only because it’s an amazing play, but because I’ve admired kira’s work since I was in undergrad. then, I got to take her virtual playwriting class at grub street in 2021, and I was working on a piece that would eventually become the laundry play. the first draft of the play was only the therapy scenes, and during a feedback session, kira said, “I wonder what would happen if they talked to each other?” needless to say, this comment totally transformed the play. kira is a wonderful teacher and writer, and I’m so thrilled to have her work in the collection!

novel (?)

I had my follow-up session with gina femia after taking their novel writing class this fall. stretching the muscles of a new writing style is very intimidating, but also so exciting, and this is really just a plug for gina’s writing classes because they are such a brilliant and patient teacher!

seeing friend’s work!

got to see my dear friend from college improv, mj farrell, make his nyc playwriting debut alongside fellow kenyon actors ellie kahle & aj gluck!

I also saw the moving & thought-provoking show twelve minor prophets at jack arts, produced by the eno river players, and stage managed by the brilliant and punctual katherine mostek.

I’m looking forward to a sunnier spring, which simply can’t come soon enough. ending with my annual redirection to this evergreen screenshot:

xoxo sarah g.

if you’re here because I deleted my instagram, thanks for being here! this is where I send out monthly updates about my so-called “career in the arts.” but you came at a great time! some fun stuff is coming up and I can’t wait to share it with you!

RADIO MAN is returning to nyc!

very grateful to dre shapiro & the team at underbelly theatre co. for their interest in this play and their amazing work so far. auditions are currently open until 2/12 (I’m not involved in casting, but still would love to know if you submit!) and performances will be at the paradise factory the first week of may.

INSERTION monologue published!

one of olivia’s monologues from insertion was included in the smith & kraus best women’s monologues of 2025! shoutout to the wonderful olivias I got to see perform this live: oriana mejer and meher mistry.

I can’t find the book for sale anywhere besides amazon, so. just know that you can also read the whole play for free on new play exchange. this review by the incredible playwright and person zach barr really warmed my heart today! thank you zach <3

2026 lineup announced for 1319 press!

layout is already underway for some of these! this project continues to bring me unbelievable pride & joy!!! 1319 press is now 96 — NINETY-SIX!!!!! — writers strong. and can you believe, we’re still adding more. there’s even more exciting stuff in the works!!!

licensing is also up and running. the goal is to make it more accessible for you (yes, YOU!) to bring these plays to your community. feel free to reach out if you want recs, I’d love to match you with your perfect role or play. I truly believe we have something for everyone!!

shoutout to my friends…

I saw the illustrious bt hayes perform one-person anna christie.

it was my first time seeing o’neill and honestly, thank God.

also, absolute legend smj is having a world premiere of their play yo ho. in chicago this spring!!

things on the noggin…

putting together prep materials (which is basically just a spotify playlist and a list of random scraps of dialogue) for a new play. not sure when it’ll hit the page, but it’s nice to know it’s on the horizon.

wrote the first chapter of a novel thanks to gina femia’s novel writing class (cannot recommend enough!!)

still waiting for grad schools to lmk if they like me or not.

this image that I keep coming back to:

and also this one:

real ones know my first tattoo was sylvia plath inspired. I am a museum of everything I’ve ever loved etc!!

may we all find out what day in march next month! maybe even february if we’re lucky.

xoxo, sarah g

haha hey! here we are. the end of the month, and the end of the year. getting this newsletter out before I head out of the city tomorrow. my sweet perfect baby foster dog has already left for his christmas vacation on a farm and vermont, and 1. no, that’s not a euphemism, he really gets to go hang out on a beautiful farm in vermont, 2. how do I get invited on my dog’s vacation?

some highlights from this month include…

- presenting my work at subway series!

we read the first draft of my new play Sidelines, about a team of NBA courtside dancers. this play is currently sitting in the “what now?” drawer for a little bit while I take in what I learned. it was truly a privilege to work with the gorgeous actors pictured above, and to have worked alongside four of the best playwrights I know for the past three months: penelope gould, annie stein, lydia riess, and amar ahmad. and of course, many thanks to ben and elena, the producers at uptown 1 train, for bringing us together and making this happen!

- sending acceptance letter to the 45+ (!) playwrights whose work will be published with 1319 press next year! there’s been a lot of pinch-me moments with the press this month. I can’t believe how quickly it’s grown, and how much we have in store for the future.

- getting to sit in on some meetings for something very exciting that I will get to share more about soon!!

and now, some end-of-year stats:

for the first time, I decided to write down every play I saw this year in my notes app, for two reasons: the first being that I’m like, I feel like I’m always at a play - how many plays am I actually going to? and the second being that my mind always goes completely blank when someone asks “what have you seen lately?” and I wanted to fix that.

feels absolutely crazy to say this, but I saw 83 plays/readings this year, 20 of which I worked on myself. only four of them were on broadway. the vast, vast majority of them were my friends’ projects. how beautiful!!!

and of course, my annual submission roundup. I submitted to 47 opportunities this year, which feels a little scary when I look at the fact that I submitted to 110 in 2024. but this year, I took a step back from working on submissions to work on generating new material, which I feel like I did successfully, and I was much more picky about what opportunities I did submit to. I really tried to think about whether the time spent on the application would be worth the time spent within the opportunity if I were accepted. I continued my policy of only paying for submissions if it was for something really, really legit. this also doesn’t include my grad school applications, some of which I’m still working on. this balance of being an artist and being of my own administrator is something I am constantly still learning how to do, and thinking about often. I certainly don’t have the answers, and if you think you do, please call me!

wishing you all a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year. thanks for being here.

xx sarah g

yeahhh I’m doing something really cool and original and applying to grad school. it does indeed come for us all.

when I’m not engaged in the masochistic activity of writing an artist’s statement, I’ve been hanging out with my foster puppy, seeing the amazing shows of friends (if you missed apocaLIPSTICK at the players theater this month, you missed out!!), celebrating 1319 being stocked at the Drama Book Shop (wtf???), and listening to the shining on audiobook.

and… finishing the first draft of a new play!

I’ve had the divine pleasure of being a part of the Uptown 1 writer’s cohort since october, and we’re presenting works-in-progress in early december. my new play, sidelines, is about a team of courtside NBA dancers fighting to take over the newly vacant team captain position. you know how all female ensemble plays are either the wolves or dance nation? well… this one is BOTH!

I don’t usually share drafts this early which makes me super nervous, but am very much looking forward to hearing this initial iteration of sidelines out loud with some amazing actors!! there are $8 tickets available here, and the full lineup of tickets can be found through Uptown 1’s instagram.

I’m traveling home this week to watch the macy’s thanksgiving day parade from the comfort of my parent’s couch. if you know me, you know I am a devout, annual viewer of the macy’s thanksgiving day parade. can’t wait to see what weird gimmick they force al roker to do for a niche brand deal. absolutely timeless.

and!! I’ll let you in on a fun secret!! 1319 press is having a small business saturday sale, and all online orders placed that day will get 25% off, no code necessary. provided I did the squarespace programming right. so. yeah :)

did I mention we also have gift cards now?!

sorry to get soooo corporate on my monthly newsletter, folks. indie publishing is who I am now… it’s not just a phase…

but actually though. what a freaking gift to get to work on projects and with people that make me feel like this:

happy thanksgiving!!

xx sarah

if you miss back-to-school shopping like I do or if this image makes you feel something…

…then it is my civic duty to tell you that 1319 Press is having an autumn sale! Use code “SPOOKYSZN” at checkout for 20% off :)

and speaking of 1319 Press! we had a wonderful collab event last night with fucked-up play fest!

I also had TWO readings last month, the ballad of joan & jane with harlot productions, starring brie archer, laura scott cary, aj gluck, tali papouchado, and sydney greenhill; directed by amina khelif.

…and a reading of A Room With a View, produced by Gavin Petersen and Purple Light NYC, which was so awesome that I took no pictures of it!! but it starred this wonderful crew: emily white, teddy fischer, juan castro, elena cramer, catherine crimmins, henry germansky, & justin borak. they were very patient with me when I realized act ii was too long and I cut 10 pages between rehearsal and the performance!

some other exciting news… radio man is being presented as a thesis project at east carolina university!

I also got to see my dear friend nina kissinger make her off-broadway debut with her show this is government at 59E59!

and here’s the awesome/scary/cool thing… I have no other upcoming projects! so far, this has meant that I get to actually focus on writing. I’m currently in a writer’s group with uptown 1 train theater co, as well as a novel writing class (!!!) taught by the incomparable gina femia. it’s so nice to be reminded that I actually love writing, something that gets consistently lost in the sauce of applying/rejections/imposter syndrome/hopelessness about the industry/etc/etc/etc. haha! at the end of the day, it’s actually about your relationship to your work, in whatever form that takes.

and, of course, I continue to be obsessed with my foster puppy, dave.

also, why is it 80 degrees today?? come on… my bones tell me I need to make some soup.

let’s all think spooky, chilly thoughts together.

xoxo sarah g.

first, my publishing company 1319 press has TEN DAYS LEFT of our first birthday fundraiser!

we are not on track to meet our goal, which is ok-but-not-ok, ya know, and is definitely a microcosm of the fact that the people who are most passionate about new work are not the same people who can financially support it. there’s probably (definitely) an essay in there, but for now we’re just focusing on making the next year of 1319 the best it can be with the limited resources we have.

next: I have two readings of new work in september!

rehearsals start tonight for the ballad of joan & jane with harlot productions, directed by amina khelif. I’m meeting the full cast in a few hours!! woohoo!

I added new scenes to the script before the breaking & entering workshop, so I’m planning to focus my rewrites this week on integrating those scenes more fully into the arc of the play. but who knows where discoveries in the room will take us!

tix available here.

next up…

IT’S FINALLY HERE! my first adapted play, a story of longing and mishaps across italy and edwardian england, is finally done* (*there’s a completed draft). i’m SO excited to hear the piece out loud with actors, see what works/what gets laughs/what arcane english social structures cannot be translated for a modern audience. after the darkness of my latest shows, it’s a real joy to be working on a play that’s all about #living #laughing & #LOVING!

tix are available here - and if you’re free all weekend, you should absolutely check out the plays of my dear cohort-mates jude cramer, seth barnes, bailey jordan garcia, kiley gaddis, and nina kissinger.

^ the inspo playlist, if you want a vibe check before the show ~

oh my gosh, what else is there to share? august has felt like it was ten million years long. every time i feel a slight chill in the air, my nose perks up like a little mouse. i can’t wait.

speaking of chills, i house managed for the lovely folks at good apples collective this month and got to see sophie’s fantastic new play, road kills. let’s just say it was weird to see my dog after this show. read it as soon as you can.

I got to watch an industry presentation of the new play haters gonna hate, a moliere adaptation written by the wonderful justin borak.

I also stage managed for the first time since college and finished up a four-show run this past weekend! only one stress dream about a projector, and everything else went off without a hitch.

last but not least, i’m soft-launching offering script consultation sessions! haha remember what i said earlier about new work not being financially supported? but also, i love talking about scripts, digging into writing, and seeing what makes it come alive. so if you or someone you know is looking to get some feedback on their work, feel free to send them my way!

that’s all for now — thanks for being here.

xx sarah

before I get into this month’s roundup, I have to get on my soapbox about 1319 press for a moment.

almost exactly a year ago, I soft launched a theater publishing press on instagram, half-expecting the account to go the way of my bread-baking account (read: very few people wanted to look at my bread). instead, I was shocked by a massive outpouring of support, which gave the company enough legitimacy to receive over 50 submissions to the first open call. turns out, as usual, many of my frustrations with being an emerging playwright are shared by others — in this case, how difficult it is to get your work noticed and selected by commercial theater publishers. and so, 1319 press hit the ground running. since then, we’ve published 41 authors.

sorry, I’m going to say that again because this number is crazy to me.

in one year, we published 41 authors.

that’s 41 people who felt overlooked by the theater publishing industry, 41 people who are working so. hard. every. day. to put their writing out into the world. 41 people who trusted me (!) to take care of their work. 41 people who are now in community with each other as fellow playwrights and creatives.

with your help, we can spend the next year doubling that number.

we are fundraising on indiegogo and our goal is $7,000. at the risk of sounding dramatic, this company cannot continue without financial support from this campaign. there are many lovely perks available, including merch, books, dramaturgy sessions with press authors, a guest role in an audio play, bogo tickets to local theater events, and more!! the lowest donation tier for perks is $15, but contributions of any size, even less than $15, are still immensely appreciated.

and don’t take my word for it! here is why some of our incredible authors think that 1319 press is worth your contribution:

here’s that donation link one more time ; )

ok! what else have I been doing besides launching a multi-thousand dollar fundraising campaign?? lol!!!!

joan & jane at breaking & entering!

what an absolute gift this was! this exquisite group of theater-makers helped me workshop my cowboy-child-abduction-self-defense-joan-of-arc-middle-school-play. I’m finally able to see its shape and think about next steps. speaking of next steps: a new version of the play will be read in early september!

meet & greet at concord oob!

another lovely experience! my harry styles fanfic play the meet & greet made it to the second round of the concord oob festival, alongside a truly fantastic lineup of other short plays and fricking cool playwrights. would not have been possible without this crew:

also, concord gave all the writers not one, but TWO free tote bags just for being in the festival. epic…

other than that, I’m racing towards the finish line with my room with a view adaptation (we read the first 20 pages of act two at the last meeting of my writer’s group!) as someone whose first drafts are usually 40-60 pages and whose final drafts usually clock in around 60-80, the fact that this script is likely going to be over 100 pages is actually insane to me. my group is likely doing public work-in-progress readings the weekend of sept 12th, so keep an eye out if you’re interested :)

[spoiler ahead but guys this book was published in 1908]

and, last but CERTAINLY not least, my boyfriend and I are currently fostering a dog named DAVE through badass animal rescue.

this dog has turned me into a full millennial-core “my dog is my biological son” person and I don’t even care cause he’s so damn cute. he is a 60-lb lap dog, an absolute sweetheart, and only causes havoc like 70% of the time. tldr he is perfect. and available for adoption if you know someone looking!!

catch ya later - thanks for reading - & one more time, here’s that donation link!

x sarah

a new play! woohoo! and it’s being read out loud at 7pm on july 12. DM @bethtrco to rsvp!

this is what the play is about:

"A quiet American suburb is rocked by the abduction of a sixth grade girl. As they wait for news of her death or her safe return, three of her classmates are visited by the ghosts of Joan of Arc and Calamity Jane while preparing for their sixth grade formal. A play about the moment when you learn that violence can happen anywhere, and how to grow into your womanhood when becoming feminine feels like becoming prey."

and tickets are on sale for the Concord Theatricals OOB Festival! here’s my face!

and here’s more people’s faces! these are the super cool people who will be directing and reading the play!

the list of judges and panelists just came out and I cannot believe that some of these writers whom I idolize and respect are going to have to sit through my play about liam payne. and that’s showbiz, baby!

I spent the first weekend of july in wilton, new hampshire as a writer for the 24 hour plays at andy’s summer playhouse!

I wrote for a group of six children who all got to tell me something they wanted to do onstage for me to put in the play. my requests ranged from “play electric guitar” to “stare at the wall.” the final result was a wacky little espionage-themed short play called the last mission of secret agent patrick peebles, directed by the wonderful andie lerner. it was insane and also awesome! many thanks to friends and andy’s co-artistic directors smj & jess honovich for the opportunity :)

I also got to see two of my favorite theatrical productions so far this year: gypsy on broadway (it was so good, duh) and cold war choir practice by ro reddick with clubbed thumb/page 73. absolutely unhinged, 100% fabulous. I have truly never seen anything even remotely like it.

aaaaaaand I think that’s all for now! hope to see you in july!

love, sarah

I realized that in the last couple newsletters, I’ve done a lot of yapping and not a lot of shameless self-promotion, so here goes: buy my play! buy any of these books! buy a shirt or a sticker! xoxo.

the major announcement from this past month is that my play the meet & greet was selected for the samuel french off-off-broadway festival!

very honored to be in this super cool group of writers! this was my third time submitting to the festival and my first time submitting a play about liam payne dying! yes, this play is essentially one direction fanfiction with the names changed 50 shades of grey style! no, I don’t feel weird or crazy about that at all! and you can read more of my thoughts on the matter in this q&a!

tickets are available now! my show performs on july 29th and will be directed by the lovely katie royse-ginther.

I also got to see some lovely theater in may, including cankersore paradise by the brilliant leah plante-wiener, eurydice by sarah ruhl at signature (gosh having a well-used budget goes crazy), and even a film (! who is she), abigail holland’s beautiful short doc kid with a pearl earring, which was screened at brooklyn film festival this week.

I spent the last week of may in montreal (my first time leaving the country since 2019!). it’s funny how people tell you that rest is good for you while your brain says, “but not you, though! you need to work at 110% all the time otherwise you have no value or purpose!” and then you rest for a second and you’re like oh, right. this actually is good for me. I also ate a meal that was so delicious I had a dream that night that I was eating it again. 10s across the board.

my goal for this month is to finish another round of rewrites for my breaking & entering reading of the play previously titled for joan of arc, on her deathday then titled for calamity jane, on her deathday then titled for joan of arc, on her deathday AGAIN and now title tbd. or tba if that sounds hotter.

and if I get to end of play on the room with a view adaptation this month, that would be great, but if not, that’s life baby!

and now back to my audiobook. guys I think nick dunne is hiding something. idk just a hunch. ok love you bye!!!

thank you so much to everyone who came out to support radio man at the lighthouse series! we unfortunately did not make it to the second round, but it was so wonderful to watch three new actors (anna aubry, mackenzie moyer, and grace guichard) tackle the play’s first scene. dare I say awesome proof of concept if you know anyone who wants to produce it in new york…

in happier news, my *NEW* play for calamity jane, on her deathday was accepted to the breaking & entering rooftop reading series!!

this play (which is still in development) is a true return to form (about 12-year-old girls) and follows a group of friends who conjure the ghosts of calamity jane and joan of arc to guide them and help cope with the fact that one of their classmates has been abducted. it’s a response to the early exposure to/normalization of violence at a young age in america, in a generation that deals with the everyday possibility of being murdered in a school classroom and unfiltered access to the internet.

ok, so not the lightest content, but I can promise a few moments of levity and awesome good vibes at the gathering. rsvp info coming soon, and you can follow b&e to learn more. plus there are 5 other readings throughout the summer and the lineup is INCREDIBLE!!

I’ve wanted to do a b&e reading pretty much since I moved to new york, so I’m so excited and honored to be in this year’s group :)

lastly, we’ve got some in-person 1319 events coming up!! nyc AND philly!!

first up, we’re partnering with the lovely hive mind books for a night of queer theater!

and if you’re in philly, jaden is having a release party at wooden shoe books on 5/19!

and if you can’t come, no worries! buy a book! buy a shirt or mug or sticker!

writing updates: finished act one of my a room with a view adaptation! back to transcribing dialogue for act two!

sent out some submissions! got some other rejections back! the wheel turns!

^ setting my intentions for summer with this linda gregg poem.

cheers!

I started March with zero project and ended March with two. One is already over (the whole process was about two and a half weeks, start to finish) and the other one, you can read more about below…

I also got one of my strangest rejection letters to date, which went like (approximately): “We forgot to put on the listing that this is only for writers 18 and under! If you are a child, please resubmit! If you are an adult, please don’t!” I hadn’t submitted to any calls on nycplaywrights (iykyk) in a while since they’re mostly ten minute plays anyway…but yeah, I think this was a sign.

this month’s ~theme~ was embracing the imperfections in my writing. and the work I did this month served as an important reminder that collaboration is the best medicine. guys…I was excited to do rewrites on a play. life is crazy sometimes.

here’s what happened in march!

1. RADIO MAN is back!!!!!

two years later!! she’s back!! (sort of! it’s a 30 minute excerpt! trying to get your plays produced is weird!)

the soho playhouse lighthouse series is a competition where excerpts from longer plays are voted on by the audience based on which play they want to see more of. we’re competing for a full run at soho!

if you want to vote for the play, my wonderful friend and collaborator and director Mackenna Goodrich, and our stellar cast (Anna Aubry, Mackenzie Moyer, and Grace Guichard), you can get DISCOUNTED TIX HERE using code “LIGHT25” ! tell your friends! you have to come to the show to vote for it! so please come <3

2. cooking in the hamptons at re/venue x bechdel project!

remember last month when I was like “does anyone want to read this play about Ina Garten?” truly but an hour after I pressed send, I got an email from the Re/Venue team offering a spot in their pop-up at the Bechdel Project.

I knew the play wasn’t perfect, but this was a low-stakes kick in the butt that would push me to organize hearing the play out loud. I also knew I wanted to do rewrites between our first and second rehearsal, something that I normally shy away from before a public presentation (usually for fear of “messing up” the play).

in another mack x sarah collab, we assembled a truly brilliant team of actors who I cannot thank enough for jumping into this play on such short notice: Iain Mclellan, Patricia Lawrence, Richie Altmanshofer, Halle Charlton, and the incomparable Devan Hawkins on stage directions.

idk at the end of the day….theater is a collaborative art form!!!!!!

in all seriousness, it’s easy to forget this as a writer. when I think of putting up or producing a show, the shared process feels like second nature. but when you have actors who are willing to parse through the incongruities of a new work and ask questions, the path to the next draft can suddenly be illuminated. and that’s much more preferable than staring at the words on my laptop and wanting to claw my eyeballs out (and obviously getting nowhere).

cooking in the hamptons still isn’t “done” (what play is?) but it’s closer to what I imagined the play could be in its generative stage.

thanks to Dani Turner & Megan Finn from Re/Venue, and to Maria Aparo & Jens Rasmussen from the Bechdel Project for the space and their wonderful on-site dogs.

3. work work work work work work(s in-progress)

in the spirit of last month’s newsletter, here’s what’s been floatin’ around the nog:

• for calamity jane, on her deathday: I reached “end of play” on this one but boy, is it a hot mess. next step should probably be either hearing it out loud or lighting the script on fire (metaphorically, I don’t want to pay to print it)

• a room with a view: working on my E.M. Forster adaptation in my writer’s group! almost through a first draft of act I! woo!

4. for the culture

finished reading open throat by henry hoke. a short and sweet 5-star read, highly recommend!

gabby windey, cate blanchett, and natasha rothwell on las cultch. natasha’s episode even convinced me to try season 3 of the white lotus after I gave up on season 1 (too stressful!!!!) worth it for aimee lou wood alone.

saw john proctor is the villain on broadway. got emotional waiting in the line for the restroom because the lobby was full of young women whose introduction to what theater could be was going to be something so different than the crucible. cried during green light obvs.

also, it’s not like anyone was gatekeeping emily henry from me, but I finally made it! listen to funny story and book lovers this month. ok so I knew these were romance novels, but I didn’t realize they were like romance novels…like maybe don’t listen to the audiobook on the train at rush hour kind of book. you will feel weird about it.

anyways!

many happy returns for april <3

xx sarah

we’ve been blessed with another 50 degree day in new york, and it’s doing wonders for the community. I live in what’s known as a “railroad apartment,” which I’ve learned is a nicer way to say “mostly windowless,” so getting to spend some time outside without freezing my extremities off has been huuuuge for me.

first, I have to start by shouting out two incredible organizations, ghostlight theatre company and off the lane’s collab program, both of which produced my show the laundry play this month. with ghostlight, I got to see a full production during a 2-show run at the tank, and collab hosted a dynamic and engaging staged reading (for example, audience members were given mini bubble wands upon entering and told to blow bubbles at the actors every time something came up they should talk about in therapy. I would like every staged reading to have bubbles from now on)…

I am so grateful to the ghostlight crew: keely hagerty (producer), maddie heeney (director), lilliana patracuolla (SM), and justin borak & malin glade (actors). to be able to discover new things about this piece after setting it aside for two years (!!) was magical. and to see my pipe dream of having a REAL WASHER AND DRYER ONSTAGE was. so cool. like I’m still not over that.

and same the off the lane team: sophie brubaker (producer), rachel sabo-hedges (director), and jared kirsch & giuliana augello (actors).

I can’t believe these two events were last month because they personally feel like a million years ago!! haha!!!!!! if you’re interested in learning more about the laundry play, feel free to check it out on new play exchange :)

one last piece of good news to share: insertion is being produced by stagefemmes, a student theater group at my alma mater kenyon college. this is so crazy and special!! the first draft of this play was written in my college playwriting class, so the script is quite literally coming home. I spent an ungodly amount of hours in the black box on campus where they’re performing the show, so I hope the blood, sweat, and tears I left in that building provide stagefemmes with good vibes!!

and with all that lovely news comes the other stuff too. I don’t know if anyone else is feeling this but february was also the month that most of the submission opportunities I applied for six month ago have reappeared and popped rejection letters into my inbox. it’s gotten me thinking about how, as emerging playwrights, it’s become a privilege to even develop your work alongside other people, let alone perform it. so I’m trying something new – I’ve put the current draft of my play cooking in the hamptons on NPX even though I don’t consider it “finished.” like, it says “end of play” at the end but it’s by no means a final draft. in the spirit of embracing imperfection and making the writing process less isolating, I’m putting this script out there in the hopes that I can find collaborators who are interested in the story. (could this be you? does a play about ED recovery and food network stars sound intriguing to you? do you have the capacity to coordinate an informal table read with actors? let a girl know!!)

I also am back on my pinterest game and made a board for cooking in the hamptons (example pin above). I used to think these were silly but now I kind of vibe with it. I think it’s because there’s so much pressure now to be able to clearly articulate that WHAT and WHY of your play/your art/yourself, and the images help me visualize that intangible essence of a play.

and, as has been the case for a while now, the great joy of my month was 1319 Press. our catalogue jumped to 15 books this month (!!!!!!!!!) and i’m so proud of all of the writers. we also announced our first acquisition post-inaugural cohort!

thanks for reading along, as always! nothing like shouting into the void on a tuesday afternoon.

enjoy the sunshine today!

x sarah

hey team! been quite the start to the year, no?

speaking of poor mental health, the laundry play is being performed TWICE in new york in february, starting this week!!

tickets here!! this is a full production, produced by Ghostlight Theatre Company!

justin borak (david) & malin glade (eliza) are truly magnificent under the direction of maddie heeney and not to be missed. I’m so proud of them.

if you can’t make it to the Tank, you can also catch a staged reading of TLP on February 10th. Tickets here!

honestly, there was a time when I wasn’t sure if I could return to this play given its content — but I’m so happy with this rewrite and excited that this piece is having another little moment. I couldn’t have made it here without the first TLP team from 2023: ben teitelbaum, sara rosenthal, & mackenna goodrich.

what else is new?

if you haven’t checked out 1319 Press lately, you should!! there are some freaking awesome new plays available and more coming soon.

also, at the risk of jinxing it but in the hopes of accountability, I’ve been working on some new pages. I had the first few scenes of a play about twelve year old girls (I’m surprised, says no one) that I haven’t been able to crack for a few years now, but after changing the historical figure who appears as a reincarnation/ghost/? at the center of the piece, it’s totally opened up the story for me. this is all incredibly vague but the pinterest board has been looking like this:

yes, reader…I am finally writing a cowboy play. it does indeed come for us all.

finally, this is not something I typically include, but I wanted to share this podcast episode featuring elizabeth gilbert. I love the psychology of your 20’s 1) because the science is interesting and 2) because the host has the most gorgeous australian accent and listening to her is sooo calming & soothing. gilbert is usually a little too spiritual for my cup of tea, but in this episode she talks about the differences between a job, a career, a hobby, and a calling. it was something I really needed to hear given my perpetual anxiety about creating a life in the arts, so maybe it’ll be helpful for you, too!

that’s all for now — hope to see you at the tank this week!

x sarah

well….here we are! 2024, you sure did happen.

because everything happens in a crazy marathon right before the holidays, we opened and closed a 3-week run of the hand that feeds you at the players theatre with forager theater company!

thank you to everyone who came out to see a show about anthropomorphized butcher trimmings, to our amazing cast and crew, and to thinking theatre nyc for describing the production as “disarmingly humorous and humane, confidently inventive and unconventional” in their review!

if you missed the show and are interested in reading the script, head over to 1319press.com!

speaking of, 1319 continues to be a true source of joy for me. our first inaugural cohort script, arrow of time by allyson dwyer, is now available for purchase! the rest of the books await imminent release as fast as I can put them together. in the meantime, treat yourself to allyson’s gorgeous play about grief, aging, and the value of artistry.

and now…

submission roundup 2024!

it’s time to get candid about how much people said “no” to me and my work this year! because the only thing more embarrassing than a rejection is NOT TRYING! and there is literally no way to do this work without trying to put yourself out there, and often failing. so let’s talk about it:

this year I nearly doubled my annual submission count because I spent a lot of time embracing the COLD EMAIL. I am sorry to report that I did not receive a single positive response from this; I only got ghosted or a response from someone who forgot their institution had a NPX account and said “how did you get my email? please do not contact me.”

will I stop cold emailing? NO! have I been taking a break from it for a while? YOU BETCHA!

after sending out 110 submissions in 2024, here’s the final breakdown:

my main take-aways are a) yo go girl! and b) the american theater has a mthrfckin GHOSTING PROBLEM. please — I implore you — if you are connected to a theater institution in any way, PLEASE SEND REJECTION EMAILS. we can handle it! they don’t have to be personalized. they don’t even have to be nice (they could be, but I digress). just LET A GIRL KNOW. ya know?

and the interesting thing is, my acceptance rate was cut almost exactly in half compared to last year — and yet 2024 felt so much more “full” artistically. I think that’s partially because I’m learning to sus out what opportunities will actually be fulfilling, but also because I’m becoming more skilled at making more opportunities and space for my work (officially adding producer to my resume in 2025).

and speaking of producing, if you’ve read this far…

come join us at WHALE WATCH 2025!

I’m producing a reading series at the east village basement next week, featuring the work of four INCREDIBLE playwrights I met in valdez: zach barr, emma durbin, kanika asavari vaish, & nina kissinger. I genuinely believe these writers are like…the future of theater, so. not only are they talented but they are also all so kind and wonderful and would love a full house responding to their work! please consider getting a ticket to one (or four!) readings here.

that’s all I’ve got for ya now…new york city, I can’t wait to be back in you tomorrow :P

hny!!!

xx sarah

hi substack friends! popping into your inbox to let you know that TODAY (11/24) is the last day to get Early Bird tickets to The Hand That Feeds You, December 5-22 at the Players Theatre!

visit this link to buy tickets and learn more about the show. use code “EARLYBIRD” for your discount!

hope to see you there :)

x sarah