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Sara Holdren

BIO

Sara Holdren is a Brooklyn-based director originally from Charlottesville, Virginia and the Artistic Director/co-founder of the theater company Tiltyard. She specializes in Shakespeare, reimagined classics, and spectacular, outsized stories new and old. Recent projects include MIDSUMMER (which she co-adapted from the play by William Shakespeare) with Tiltyard, Deer and the Lovers by Emily Zemba, The Zero Scenario and A New Saint for a New World by Ryan Campbell, and The Master and Margarita, adapted by Edward Kemp from the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, as well as serving as the Artistic Director of the 2015 Yale Summer Cabaret, where she directed the original production of MIDSUMMER and Sarah Ruhl's Orlando. She holds a BA in Theater from Yale University and an MFA in Directing from Yale School of Drama. She is also a Drama League Fellow and a graduate of the Acting Shakespeare program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.



Other work includes: Measure for Measure, Tiny Boyfriend by Phillip Howze, The Tempest, and her own adaptations of Shakespeare's Henry IV plays and Leonid Andreyev's He Who Gets Slapped.

Sara is also a writer, a graphic designer, and a teacher with an abiding interest in making theater with students of all ages (recent teaching includes Primary Stages and the graduate acting program at the New School). In her work, she combines a lifelong love of Shakespeare and classical texts with an interest in contemporary ensemble training and devised theater, striving for a rigorous and dynamic use of language, fused with passionate, physical storytelling, vibrant visual worlds, and a spirit of joy, collaboration, and play.

News


Industry Pro Newsletter: Sardi's Sold, Broadway Booms & Phantom Makes History in Sydney
by Alex Freeman - Mar 30, 2026

This week's theater news spans the globe, from a massive outdoor Phantom of the Opera making history on Sydney Harbour to Shakespeare's birthday celebrations in Chicago, a landmark West End awards night in London, and a new home for one of New York's most celebrated Off-Broadway companies. Closer to home, Broadway is reporting record-breaking grosses and attendance even as international tourism dips, while one of the Theatre District's most beloved institutions — Sardi's — prepares for a temporary farewell as it changes hands. And as the world marked World Theatre Day on March 27, the stories this week serve as a fitting reminder of just how alive and far-reaching the art form remains.
As Female Playwrights Lose Ground, Female Critics Are Making History
by Cara Joy David - Mar 30, 2026

The biggest change from prior years is at The New York Times, where Helen Shaw became the first female chief theater critic at the paper of record earlier this year. Previously, The Times has had plenty of female second-string critics, but the top seat was always held by a man.
Review Roundup: GIANT Opens On Broadway Starring John Lithgow As Roald Dahl
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 24, 2026

Reviews are in for GIANT, the Olivier Award-winning play by Mark Rosenblatt, now on Broadway starring John Lithgow as Roald Dahl. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the production is playing a limited 16-week engagement following its award-winning West End run, where it received three Olivier Awards.
Review Roundup: MY JOY IS HEAVY at New York Theatre Workshop
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 18, 2026

New York Theatre Workshop is presenting the world premiere of My Joy is Heavy, created and performed by Obie Award-winning duo & NYTW Usual Suspects The Bengsons, directed by Tony Award winner and NYTW Usual Suspect Rachel Chavkin. Read the reviews!
Review Roundup: Tony-Winner Daniel Radcliffe Stars in EVERY BRILLIANT THING on Broadway
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 13, 2026

The Broadway premiere of Duncan MacMillan’s EVERY BRILLIANT THING, starring Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe opens at Broadway's Hudson Theatre tonight. Read the reviews!
Review Roundup: ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL) Opens At The Public Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 12, 2026

The Public Theater's world premiere of Antigone (This Play I Read in High School), by Anna Ziegler and directed by Tyne Rafaeli, opens tonight. The reviews are in for the starry production. See what the critics had to say in our roundup below!
Review Roundup: BUGHOUSE Opens at the Vineyard Theatre
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 12, 2026

The recently extended world premiere of Bughouse opened tonight at Vineyard Theatre, conceived and directed by Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Obie Award winner and MacArthur “Genius” fellow Martha Clarke. The reviews are in! See what the critics had to say in our roundup!
Review Roundup: COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE at MCC Theater
by Stephi Wild - Mar 11, 2026

Cold War Choir Practice, a play with music by Ro Reddick and directed by Tony Award nominee Knud Adams, officially opened on Tuesday, March 10. Read the reviews here!
Review Roundup: Wallace Shawn's WHAT WE DID BEFORE OUR MOTH DAYS Opens Off-Broadway
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 6, 2026

The critics are weighing in on Wallace Shawn’s new play, What We Did Before Our Moth Days, directed by André Gregor, running now at the Greenwich House Theater (27 Barrow St). The production stars Hope Davis, Maria Dizzia, John Early, and Josh Hamilton. Read the reviews.
Review Roundup: CHINESE REPUBLICANS Opens at Roundabout Theatre Company
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 27, 2026

Read reviews for the Off-Broadway production of Chinese Republicans, opening tonight at Roundabout Theatre Company's Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. See what the critics are saying!
Review Roundup: MEAT SUIT, OR THE SHITSHOW OF MOTHERHOOD Opens at Second Stage Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 26, 2026

Read the reviews for MEAT SUIT, OR THE SHITSHOW OF MOTHERHOOD, playing now at the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center. See what the critics had to say in our review roundup!
Review Roundup: Ethan Slater Leads MARCEL ON THE TRAIN at Classic Stage Company
by Stephi Wild - Feb 23, 2026

The world premiere of Marcel on the Train, co-written by Marshall Pailet and Tony Award nominee Ethan Slater, and directed by Pailet, officially opened on Sunday, February 22 at Classic Stage Company. Read the reviews here!
Siddharth Dutta Designs Performance Across Stage and Screen
by Felicitas de la Fare - Feb 9, 2026

In a Manhattan studio, Siddharth Dutta sketches the contours of a stage set while considering the movement of performers across it. His designs integrate architecture, costume, and choreography, producing spaces where performers interact with the environment as part of the storytelling.
Review Roundup: AN ARK, Starring Ian McKellen
by Nicole Rosky - Jan 23, 2026

An Ark, the first play created for and in mixed reality, makes its world premiere at The Shed. Written by Olivier and Tony Award winner Simon Stephens, directed by UK Theatre Award winner Sarah Frankcom, and produced by mixed reality pioneer Todd Eckert, An Ark is a genre-defying production, transforming universal human experiences into a profoundly intimate theatrical performance. Check out what the critics are saying...
Review Roundup: Carrie Coon, Namir Smallwood and More Star in BUG on Broadway
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 9, 2026

Manhattan Theatre Club is presenting the first Broadway production of Tracy Letts' Bug, the sci-fi thriller written by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts and directed by Tony Award winner David Cromer. Read reviews for the production!
The Best Theater of 2025: Shows that Ruled the Year
by Sidney Paterra - Jan 1, 2026

As 2025 comes to a close, New York City's top theatre critics have been taking stock of this theatre season- deciding on their personal choices for their favorite productions of the year. The season has been full of so many stellar plays, musicals, revivals and new works, both on Broadway and off.
Review Roundup: ANNA CHRISTIE Starring Michelle Williams and Tom Sturridge
by Gillian Blum - Dec 15, 2025

What did critics think of ANNA CHRISTIE, running at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse, directed by Thomas Kail, and starring Michelle Williams and Tom Sturridge?
Review Roundup: MARJORIE PRIME Opens On Broadway Starring Cynthia Nixon, June Squibb, Danny Burstein and More
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 9, 2025

Marjorie Prime, the existential drama from Jordan Harrison is now playing at the Helen Hayes Theater, directed by Anne Kauffman. The production stars Danny Burstein, Christopher Lowell, Cynthia Nixon, and June Squibb in the title role of Marjorie Prime. 
Review Roundup: Michael Cerveris Stars in A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Perelman Performing Arts Center
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 5, 2025

A Christmas Carol opens tonight at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. Matthew Warchus’ production of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic, adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne stars Tony-winner Michael Cerveris as Scrooge. Read the reviews!
Review Roundup: INITIATIVE World Premiere Opens At The Public Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 21, 2025

Go inside the lives of a group of California teens in the Public Theater world premiere of INITIATIVE, an epic new play by Emerging Writers Group alumnus Else Went and directed by The Public Theater’s inaugural Directing Fellow Emma Rosa Went. Read the reviews!

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