From an early age, Sara used performance and storytelling as a way of making sense of the world and connecting with others.
Now, decades later, Sara Fenton and co-producer Betsy Zajko are the brains behind Rogue Machine's hit literary event: Rant & Rave.
Fenton & Zajko work with writers to develop their stories for the stage, and on the second Monday of every month, serve up a highly curated evening of intimate and raw storytelling hosted by Ron Bottitta.
Sara finds heart and humor in the most earnest pursuits, especially when the pursuers are ill-equipped. "I think truth and humor are the best way into any story," Fenton explains, "and I find myself drawn to adorably inept characters – probably because I started out in life as one..."
Case in point: When auditioning to play Young Cosette in a Toronto production of “Les Mis,” Sara (unlike all the other children who were belting out their show tunes), stood in the hallway (along with her clueless-when-it-came-to-showbiz professorial father) practicing her favorite church hymn. Clearly the odd duck.
It is no surprise that she went on to place last in several gym meets and to warm the bench for every high school sports team, without ever missing a practice.
But it was an upward trajectory from there, and now, her professional dance and acting background make her an actor’s director with an eye for blocking, camera movement and choreography.
Now, decades later, Sara Fenton and co-producer Betsy Zajko are the brains behind Rogue Machine's hit literary event: Rant & Rave.
Fenton & Zajko work with writers to develop their stories for the stage, and on the second Monday of every month, serve up a highly curated evening of intimate and raw storytelling hosted by Ron Bottitta.
Sara finds heart and humor in the most earnest pursuits, especially when the pursuers are ill-equipped. "I think truth and humor are the best way into any story," Fenton explains, "and I find myself drawn to adorably inept characters – probably because I started out in life as one..."
Case in point: When auditioning to play Young Cosette in a Toronto production of “Les Mis,” Sara (unlike all the other children who were belting out their show tunes), stood in the hallway (along with her clueless-when-it-came-to-showbiz professorial father) practicing her favorite church hymn. Clearly the odd duck.
It is no surprise that she went on to place last in several gym meets and to warm the bench for every high school sports team, without ever missing a practice.
But it was an upward trajectory from there, and now, her professional dance and acting background make her an actor’s director with an eye for blocking, camera movement and choreography.
Sara is an alumnus of the Directors Lab West at Pasadena Playhouse, a company member at Rogue Machine Theatre, and a writer for Backstage.com.
