Office Hours
By Appointment
Education
MFA, Virginia Tech
BA, Wesleyan College
About Me
Prior to her arrival at Auburn University, Sarah Chandler was the Associate Director of Production and Operations for the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. With an MFA in Theatre Management from Virginia Tech and a BA in Sociology from Wesleyan College in Macon, GA, Chandler has worked professionally as a manager in the performing arts with a focus on ensemble companies that create innovative and collaborative work. At Auburn, Chandler serves as the Area Head of Management and Design/Tech while overseeing both the BFA in Theatre Management and the Minor in Arts Administration. Chandler’s research focuses on the artistry of management, asking the question ‘How does a manager impact, create, and contribute to a culture of care and creativity within an arts organization while also serving as the logistics coordinator?’ Chandler has recently completed training as an Intimacy Professional in pursuit of further skills and tools to support safe, sustainable, and authentic creative practices.
Chandler works professionally as a freelance producer and manager in addition to her role at Auburn. As a manager (production, events, operations, facilities, rentals, project — whatever category you might put in front of it), Chandler has created shows with Pig Iron Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA; collaborated on public works events with the City of Philadelphia, the University of the Arts, and PECO; and presented new works like David Hare’s Stuff Happens with The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City — to name a few of their adventures when she was first starting out (oh, so many years ago). One of Chandler’s favorite projects was Camp Bonfire, a summer camp for adults in the Poconos - a beautifully inclusive, joyful experience with all the fantastic connections and activities summer camp has to offer.
In 2019, they toured as Producing Stage Manager for Lashed But Not Leashed at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, and from 2018-2020 served as the Production and Facilities Manager for Chautauqua Theatre Company at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. In March 2020, she was Production Stage Manager for the world premiere of Nikki Appino and Philip Glass’s The White Lama at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. In the summer of 2022, Chandler toured as Production Stage Manager of The Garden, created by Nichole Canuso Dance Company (NCDC), in Västerås, Sweden, as part of the Swedish Biennial for Performing Arts 2022, and acted as Production Manager for CANNABIS!: A Viper Vaudeville, produced by HERE Arts Center and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City. In the summer of 2023, Chandler worked with NCDC again to produce The Garden in Argentiera, Italy, with Sardegna Teatro’s Giornate del Respiro Festival.
Chandler continues to create work with Nichole Canuso Dance Company as a company member. The current project in the creation phase is Lunar Retreat, a multi-sensory environmental and durational performance installation inspired by the gradual distance growing between the Moon and the Earth. As Project Manager, Chandler’s focus is on prioritizing an atmosphere of care and accessibility, aiming to infuse this ethos into the entirety of the process as well as the performance experience.
Contact Sarah Chandler at sarahchandler@auburn.edu.