As a director…
An extremely shy child, I blew my family away when I started performing in musicals and on cheerleading squads in elementary school. Those early formative experiences as a performer have followed me into rehearsal rooms 30+ years later. I always have an eye for movement, structures, and stage pictures, even in the most classic straight play. I am an artistic cheerleader for my actors, using community-building and celebration to encourage them toward our common goal. And I like to use repetition as a method for training physical and emotional muscle memory, just like my coaches used to do for me.
In terms of form and style, I rarely just “direct a play.” Former collaborators used to joke that I was incapable of just presenting what’s written. That’s not true (I am a playwright, after all!), though rarely do I enter a project without the curiosity to explore what else is there. I think that images can sometimes expose a deeper truth than words alone, and so I love to probe different psychological layers through whatever means possible. Sometimes that means movement, projections, sound, music, water, etc. make their way into unexpected moments, leading to dynamic and evocative new lenses through which to experience performance.
I am continually drawn to work in educational and community-based settings, which harkens back to my own start in the performing arts. The stage is a place for everyone, and anyone can be an artist with the right tools and support. The moment when a young person becomes alive in a new way through the act of connecting with their fellow theatre-makers or an audience is what keeps me motivated and inspired. I hope to continue to create ambitious acts of theatre with these populations for years to come.
Directing Projects: Educational & Community Theatre
Sample production photos from selected productions
Full directing list available upon request
All work below was directed, choreographed, and costumed by Sabrina Jacob Washburn
Directing, Choreography, Video Editing
A Guide to Getting Through
A digital musical review
Shot in 12+ locations around New York City with teenage performers
(in the middle of a pandemic)
Spring 2021
Theatre Choreography & Movement
Contemporary & Swing dance videos can be found here
Choreography & Movement Direction:
The Stowaway
Trusty Sidekick Theatre Company
Presented by Classic Stage Company, NYC
Fall 2017
”The physical movement and choreography, by Sabrina Jacob, is really the icing on the cake. It’s is specific and smooth. The movement that demonstrates the ship going through a storm is particularly fantastic.” -Times Square Chronicles