sarah doh

Class of 2020 Hometown: Chicago, IL Studies: Theatre, Screenwriting, Political Science Pronouns: She/her

I realized the power art can have in terms of activism. I was getting back into theatre in my own life and realized I don’t have to give up art in order to do good work in the world.

Before taking her first theatre class at Sarah Lawrence, Sarah Doh had a fairly traditional notion of theatre—think Broad- way and show tunes. She immersed herself in abstract theatre right away, exploring new modes of storytelling and pushing past the confines of mainstream productions, both on 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.

Sarah took Shahnaz's class around the time the 2016 election was unfolding, bolstering her passion for immigration rights. She 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.”

Last spring, Sarah studied abroad with SLC’s southern Africa program, and continued weaving threads of art and activism em- bedded within her academic work. The program examined the his- tory 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 graduates a proud hyphenate of the SLC theatre department. “Director-playwright-sound designer-actor,” Sarah 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.”