Sarah is a freelance director, educator, and performer.  She is an Assistant Professor in Theatre, specializing in Directing,  at the University of Notre Dame. Sarah recently moved to Notre Dame from Chicago where she was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the MFA Directing program at Northwestern University. Her research at Northwestern titled The Body Onstage: Best Practices in Directing addresses how to reduce harm in theatrical spaces while actively investigating how to bring our authentic selves into a collaborative process. Sarah hails from Washington, DC and graduated from Kenyon College with a theater degree and Northwestern University with an MFA in Directing. Directing credits include work at Chicago Commercial Collective, Curious Theater, American Theater Company, A Red Orchid Theatre (Sick by Seven) and Raven Theater. For The New Colony, Sarah directed Kate and Sam Are Not Breaking Up (Jeff Nomination-New Work) and the Off-Broadway, national tour and commercial run of 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche (Winner Best Production 2012 New York International Fringe Festival).   She is married to the actor Jared Fernley and mom to their kiddos, Charlie and Isaac.

And thus Sharyn Rothstein’s gutsy “Right to be Forgotten,” which has been very shrewdly cast and honestly staged at the Raven Theatre by the capable young director Sarah Gitenstein, comes as an incisive and sharp-toothed relief… And this is a zesty staging: Gitenstein knows how to use her minimal set and large amount of space to inject varying levels of stress and tension. Everything feels very much in the moment. No one at this show is likely to be bored.”

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune 3.5 Stars

“What makes this dark comedy pack a punch is that every line is delivered completely straight—no mugging necessary. Each character is a clearly defined archetype, and the humor comes not from slack-jawed pandering, but from the relatable absurdity of the situation. Gitenstein’s direction toward dryness allows every line of Rothstein’s script to shine on its own merits.” – Tristan Bruns, Newcity Stage