Spotlight On...Sarah Shaefer

Name: Sarah Shaefer

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Education: Boston University, studied German and Spanish

Favorite Credits: Writing: The Gin Baby!!!!  I Can't Explain It Better Than That (Rising Phoenix Rep's Cino Night series, dir. Evan Caccioppoli).  Also, acting: Bus Stop (Inge Theatre Festival, dir. Erma Duricko), Glowing Dinoflagellates (Rising Phoenix Rep and Kid Brooklyn Prods, dir. Daniel Talbott)

Why theater?: I think theater is such a beautiful art form because you create something that is destroyed moment-by-moment.  Each moment will never happen again.  It's like watching the ocean.  Every day that you go to the ocean, you will never see the same ocean.  It's the same with a show.  No two shows are ever exactly alike and I think that's cool.

Tell us about The Gin Baby: The Gin Baby is about a young woman whose life falls apart after getting sober.

What inspired you to write The Gin Baby?: I wanted to tell a story about a person who deeply fails at life and ultimately succeeds (or tries to succeed) as a direct result of that failure.  Writing the play has helped me come to terms with failing.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I like theater that nails me to my seat, so that I can't move after the show is over.  I love Jose Rivera's work.  I love Daniel Talbott's work.  Marcus Gardley's work also nails me to my seat.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I would kill to work with Steve McQueen.  His work makes me grateful to be alive.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I recommended that everyone see Rattlestick's production of Scarcity, which was directed by Daniel Talbott, as well as Killers and Other Family, directed by Caitriona McLaughlin, as part of Rattlestick's Hill Town Plays this past fall, celebrating Lucy Thurber's work.  I couldn't get out of my chair after seeing both of those plays.    
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Oh geez.  I don't know and I don't know.  Samantha Soule would be awesome.  I love her.  It would be called “Crazy Pants”. 100% kidding about the title.  I'll cross that bridge if and when it comes.  ;-)

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I LOVE watching British murder mystery TV shows like Midsomer Murders on the BBC. 

What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: "Spoon" by Cut Chemist.  It's my wake-up alarm.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: I would be living in Switzerland. 

What’s up next?: I am collaborating with the playwright, Troy Deutsch on a devised piece for Ali Dachis and Jacob Perkins.  I was also commissioned to write a play for Kid Brooklyn's upcoming production La Ronde Project, featuring short plays by several NYC playwrights.  I'm also going to be working on several projects with my theater company, Rising Phoenix Rep, this coming summer and fall.