Photo by Cristin Coss
Meet Sarah McPartland, Throughline Theatre Company’s new artistic director. I had the opportunity to sit down with Sarah to chat about her vision for the future of Throughline, and how she came to be the company’s next AD.
A Pittsburgh native, McPartland began her theatre career in high school and decided to pursue acting at Pitt Johnstown, studying under the tutelage of well-known Johnstown theatre educator, Dr. Rodney Eatman– a shared connection McPartland and I have, as Dr. Eatman left UPJ while she was studying there to direct at my high school. He was a significant impact on McPartland’s future in theatre and nudged her in the direction of behind-the-scenes work. She began writing plays, which may very well have led to her love of new works and the New Play Exchange, where she would read plenty of riveting plays that didn’t get the attention they deserved.
After graduating from UPJ in 2012, McPartland moved back to Pittsburgh and threw herself in the deep end, ready to embrace the Pittsburgh theatre community. She got in contact with an alum working at Quantum theatre where she had her first experience with assistant stage managing, a field in which she would continue developing her skills for years to come.
We discussed a bit of her experience with the company; she started working with Throughline during their 7th season with the show Saving the World. Encouraged by these earlier seasons of Throughline, McPartland wants to reintroduce themes which tie seasons together; to push a ‘throughline’ if you will. McPartland seemed the most enthusiastic when talking about the direction Throughline is headed in regards to their initiative to bring new works to the forefront of Pittsburgh theatre.
McPartland is hoping to expose audiences to underrepresented themes through underproduced shows and playwrights, citing inspiration from Throughline’s 2016 New Play Festival where she worked on David L. Williams’ The Censor, which had a trans actor playing a trans character. This concept of representing not only an underserved community but also casting people who are a part of that community is at the top of McPartland’s priorities, which explains her drive towards creating Throughline’s Steel City Spotlight. This collection aims to feature staged readings of new works by local LGBTQ+, women, and PoC playwrights. She also strongly believes that the next step to utilize underserved talent is to employ equitable auditions and ensure inclusive casting. She mentioned to me that she feels she’s got a rare opportunity as Throughline’s first female artistic director and wants to use this momentum as well as her, “awesome artistic team,” to create important work. To show that, “we can do work that matters.”
McPartland starts up her first season as Artistic Director with Andre. For more information about Throughline and their upcoming season click here.
Rachelmae Pulliam is a recent Pitt grad who has been obsessed with the world of theatre since she saw the PBS recording of CATS in the 90s. She graduated with degrees in theatre arts and English writing with a focus on poetry; ask her about her chapbook, Full Stop. She’d love to get your feedback. When not writing for PITR, Rachelmae can be found onstage, behind the work desk of one of her jobs, lounging with her cats, or trying to get around to finishing that one painting. She loves theatre with her whole soul, and feels privileged to experience it in Pittsburgh, a city where she thinks people are emboldened to take risks, where you can always find something new.
Categories: Feature