News

THE STORYTELLER wins the Oregon Book Award for Drama!

The Storyteller was awarded the 2023 Angus Bowmer Award in Drama at the Oregon Book Awards.


FORBIDDEN FRUIT enjoys a sold-out run at Shaking the Tree theatre

FORBIDDEN FRUIT opened in March 2023 and runs through April 1st. You can read more about it here and here.


Kailey Rhodes performs The Wheat Berry in FORBIDDEN FRUIT


THE STORYTELLER is an Oregon Book Awards Finalist!

THE STORYTELLER is a finalist for the 2023 Angus Bowmer Award in Drama, in the Oregon Book Awards.


THE STORYTELLER Featured in the 2022 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference

The Storyteller, directed by Mallory Metoxen, was presented at the 2022 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference.


EMERGENCE Opens at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School

I was invited to write a short piece for EMERGENCE, a Teen West Project production. My short play, WEAR, was featured alongside plays by Conor Eifler, Connor French, and Jesse Turner. The show was directed and scored by Matthew B. Zrebski.


Jerome High School in ID Presents a Workshop Production of THE IMPORTANCE

THE IMPORTANCE will run May 10th and 11th 2022 at Jerome High School in Jerome, ID.


CHICK FIGHT: A RECKONING IN 9 MOVEMENTS opens at Shaking the Tree Theatre

CHICK FIGHT will run through April 5th at Shaking the Tree Theatre in Portland, OR. Broadway World calls it “the first must-see theatre event of 2022.”


Audio Play, LANDSCAPE, available through 2/27/2022!

LANDSCAPE, an audio play commissioned and produced by Theatre Vertigo, is available to download Jan. 27 – Feb. 27 2022. Take a listen!


CHICK FIGHT: A RECKONING IN 9 MOVEMENTS at Shaking the Tree Theatre

It has been so much fun to collaborate with the brilliant minds at Shaking the Tree Theatre on this devised play. Coming to you in Spring 2022!


PORTRAIT OF THE WIDOW KINSKI at Vivid Stage

PORTRAIT OF THE WIDOW KINSI had its world premiere at Vivid Stage in Summit, NJ in October 2021.

(from left to right) Jason Szamreta, Stephanie Windland, Shabazz Green and Noreen Farley

BREAK presented at the 2021 Valdez Theatre Conference

A staged reading of BREAK, directed by Erin Dagon Mitchell, was featured in the 2021 Valdez Theatre Conference.

With Shawn Eby, Dana Mitchel, Wayne Mitchell, and Kaichen McRae

Profiled in the PSU Alumni Spotlight

I had the privilege of chatting with KJ Fields about playwriting and the Oregon Literary Arts Leslie Bradshaw Fellowship. You can read it here.


ORBITING THE SUN to be published

ORBITING THE SUN will be published by Applause Books in the upcoming anthology GO PLAY OUTSIDE.


JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM to be published

JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM will be published in the upcoming Smith & Kraus anthology LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE: FORTY-FIVE 5-MINUTE PLAYS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS.


2021 Oregon Literary Fellowship Recipient

I am honored to be the 2021 recipient of the Leslie Bradshaw Fellowship for Drama. You can read my interview with Literary Arts here: Meet Sara Jean Accuardi 2021 Oregon Literary Fellow.


THE DELAYS is an Oregon Book Awards finalist!

THE DELAYS is a finalist for the 2021 Angus Bowmer Award in Drama, in the Oregon Book Awards.


THE DELAYS was produced at Ball State University

THE DELAYs was produced at Ball State University in February 2021.


JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUIPD ROOM at Western Oregon University

Western Oregon University produced a selection of the PlayatHome.org plays, including JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM, in March 2021.

Sara Wright as Joy in JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM
Braden Pippert as Hieronymus Bosch in JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM

SEQUESTERED SOLILOQUIES VI: THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

I was invited to write a monologue for the 6th installment of Bag&Baggage’s Sequestered Soliloquies. You can watch my monologue, Dick Nose, performed by Diana Trotter and directed by Rusty Tennant, below.


REFUGE at Shaking the Tree Theatre

I was commissioned to write a piece for REFUGE, a theatrical installation at Shaking the Tree Theatre in Portland, OR. More information at shaking-the-tree.com.

https://www.orartswatch.org/seeking-refuge-enjoy-a-live-performance-again/


< 3 at Southern Oregon University

< 3 was presented as a virtual directing thesis at Southern Oregon University in December 2020.


Virtual Staged Reading of THE STORYTELLER at PlayMakers Repertory Company

PlayMakers Repertory Company will be presenting a staged reading of The Storyteller over Zoom that will run from November 9 – November 15, 2020. The reading will be directed by Vivienne Benesch and tickets can be found HERE.


JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM performed by Woolly Mammoth/Theatre Lab School

The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts partnered with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company to perform a selection of the www.playathome.org plays, including JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM.

Image from the reading of JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM


SEQUESTERED SOLILOQUIES IV: SPECIAL DELIVERY

I was invited to write a monologue for the 4th installment of Bag&Baggage’s Sequestered Soliloquies. You can watch my monologue, Snails, below.


JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM performed by No Small Part

No Small Part live streamed a reading of JOY FRICKIN’ HATES HER DUMB STUPID ROOM to raise money for the See Lighting Foundation.


SEQUESTERED SOLILOQUIES III: SUMMER NIGHTS

I was invited to write a monologue for the 3rd installment of Bag&Baggage’s Sequestered Soliloquies. You can watch my monologue, All Those Alligators, below.


Commissioned by Portland Center Stage at the Armory to write for Play At Home

Portland Center Stage at the Armory commissioned me to write a play for www.playathome.org. My play, Joy Frickin’ Hates Her Dumb Stupid Room, can be downloaded for free here.


Portrait of the Widow Kinski at The Portland Civic Theatre Guild

Portrait of the Widow Kinski will be a part of The Portland Civic Theatre Guild’s 2020-2021 Season.


The Last Frontier Theatre Conference 2020 Monologue Workshop

Two monologues I wrote were featured in the The Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference 2020 Monologue Workshop. The workshop can be viewed in here, and my monologues are featured at 8:47 and 58:32.


SEQUESTERED SOLILOQUIES II: SPRING CLEANING

Due to the success of the first round of Sequestered Soliloquies, LineStorm Playwrights and Bag&Baggage Productions teamed up again for another virtual 24 hour monologue festival! You can watch my monologue, Is –> Was, below.


The Storyteller wins the International Thomas Wolfe Playwriting Competition!

PlayMakers Repertory Company, along with The Thomas Wolfe Society and The Thomas Wolfe Memorial, selectedThe Storyteller as the winner of the first International Thomas Wolfe Playwriting Competition.


Sequestered Soliloquies

LineStorm Playwrights teamed up with Bag&Baggage Productions to create a piece of virtual theatre. Over the course of 24 hours, 9 teams (playwright, actor, and director) will create, rehearse, and perform brand-new monologues . My monologue, Greatness, was included in the bunch. You can watch Sequestered Soliloquies here:


BREAK has been selected for the 2020 Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference

BREAK will be one of the plays featured in the 28th annual Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference Play Lab in Valdez, Alaska.


A Banquet at Shaking the Tree Theatre

I am very excited to be collaborating with visionary director Samantha Van Der Merwe on her upcoming theatrical exhibition, A Banquet, at the award winning Shaking the Tree Theatre in Portland, OR. Opening fall 2020.


Staged reading of And Everything Nice at Chapel Theatre Collective

And Everything Nice was presented as a staged reading at Chapel Theatre Collective (Milwaukie, OR) as part of LineStorm Playwrights’ reading series in the Fertile Ground Festival of new Work. Directed by Tamara Carroll. February 2020.

From left: Mamie Colombero, Jane Geesman, Marissa Sanchez, Austyn Stone, Adriana Gantzer, Nicole Accuardi, Dana Walls, Dot Hearn

LineStorm’s reading series is a top pick for the 2020 Fertile Ground Festival of New Work

The Willamette Week and Oregon Arts Watch both named LineStorm’s new play reading series, including my play And Everything Nice, a top pick for the Fertile Ground Festival.


The Delays makes the list of Portland’s top 10 plays of 2019!

The Willamette Week chose The Delays as one of the top 10 plays of 2019.

Set in a single airport on three separate New Year’s Eves, Sara Jean Accuardi’s masterpiece journeys backward through time and deep into the souls of its flawed and beautiful characters.


The Storyteller at Spooky Action Theater in Washington, D.C.

There will be a public reading of The Storyteller on October 27 as part of Spooky Action Theater’s New Works in Action staged reading series.


The Delays wins the Drammy for Outstanding Original Script!

The Delays won the award for Outstanding Original Script at the Drammy Awards in Portland, OR on July 1, 2019.


The Delays is Nominated for Two Drammy Awards

The Delays has been nominated for two Drammy Awards:

  • Outstanding Original Script
  • Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role for London Bauman

O’Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist

The Storyteller was a finalist for the for the 2019 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.


The Storyteller at Something Marvelous

Storyteller Something Marvelous

The Storyteller was selected for a workshop with Something Marvelous in Chicago, IL. April 2019.


Interview with Pixel Strike Creative

I was delighted to chat about playwriting with Pixel Strike Creative, my dear friend (and certified creative goddess) Juliette Oliva’s company.


A Science Thing Selected for the 2019 Majestic Eight 10-Minute Play Festival

Majestic Eight

A Science Thing was one of eight 10-minute plays chosen for the upcoming Majestic Eight 10-Minute Play Festival in Corvallis, OR. April 2019.


A Short in the Wire 

I was invited by Playwrights West to be a guest writer for year 7 of their ongoing Teen West Project. This year’s show, A Short in the Wire, is an immersive theatre piece that features 11 short site-specific plays set throughout Wilson High School in Portland, OR. My play, Tri-Fold, was one of the 11. (February 2019)


World Premiere of The Delays at Theatre Vertigo in Portland, OR

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The world premiere production of The Delays, directed by Tamara Carroll at Theatre Vertigo in Portland, OR. (January 2019)

Photo Credit: Sleeper Studios

Press for The Delays:

The Willamette Week Fertile Ground’s Highlights

“Accuardi’s play is both new and a masterpiece… It takes regret and satisfaction, pain and joy, and fuses them together to create a tapestry of spectacularly honest stories and characterizations.” – Bennett Campbell Ferguson

Broadway World Life’s Layovers Become Permanent in THE DELAYS, at Theatre Vertigo

“It’s a moving, well-crafted play that shows how easy it is to get trapped… I enjoyed THE DELAYS immensely. Accuardi’s writing is sharp, and I love her decision to reveal the characters’ lives in reverse. Somehow, knowing the end makes the journey even more poignant.” – Krista Garver

The Oregonian 7 Portland Theater Shows That’ll Keep Off the Chill This Winter

The Willamette Week Productions We’re Most Excited About Through March 2019

Broadway World 10 Things to See at Fertile Ground 2019


Staged Reading of BREAK at Artists Repertory Theatre

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BREAK was presented as a staged reading at Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland, OR) as part of LineStorm Playwrights’ bi-monthly reading series. Directed by Matt Pavik. July 2018.


Staged Reading of < 3 at Theatre Vertigo

Theatre Vertigo in Portland, OR staged a reading of < 3 in June 2018 as part of their Season 20 Reading Series. Directed by Emilie Landmann.


Staged Reading of The Storyteller at Artists Repertory Theatre

The Storyteller_Sara Jean Accuardi (resized).jpg

The Storyteller was presented as a staged reading at Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland, OR) as part of their Lunchtime Reading Series for the Fertile Ground Festival of New Work. January 2018.


Cold Call at FronteraFest!

Cold Call was featured at FronteraFest Short Fringe 2018 at Hyde Park Theatre in Austin, TX.


Portland in Play: Decades at Artists Repertory Theatre

Rough Edge was featured in LineStorm Playwrights’ Portland in Play: Decades at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, OR. October 2017.

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Nicole Accuardi in Rough Edge 


Portrait of the Widow Kinski at The Blank Theatre 

Portrait of the Widow Kinski was selected for The Blank Theatre’s Living Room Series in Los Angeles, CA. May 2017

Joanna Miles, Jon Prescott, Frank Collison, and Tinks Lovelace

Directed by Samantha Shada


I have been commissioned to write a new play for Theatre Vertigo’s 2018-2019 season.


Love Scenes in Theatre Vertigo’s reading series

Theatre Vertigo (Portland, OR) produced a reading of Love Scenes January 2017.

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LineStorm Playwrights presents Short and Sweet at Hipbone Studios

Off Duty was featured in LineStorm Playwrights’ evening of 10-minute plays for the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works in Portland, OR January 2017.

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Lawrence Suilagi in Off Duty

LineStorm Playwrights presents Portland in Play at Artists Repertory Theatre

A Science Thing is featured in Portland in Play, LineStorm Playwrights‘ flagship production at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, OR October 2016.

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Willamette Week write-up


No Man’s Land 

Co-writer for Brenan Dwyer’s four-part serialized play about an all-girls Catholic high school. Action/Adventure Theatre in Portland, OR March 2016.

Portland Mercury Review


Portrait of the Widow Kinski at The Reading Parlor

Portrait of the Widow Kinski was chosen for a reading at The Reading Parlor in Portland, OR in January 2016.

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Clara Hillier, Tom Mounsey, Patricia A. Hunter and Dave Bodin reading Portrait of the Widow Kinski 

Script Tease

Collaborator/script curator for Script Tease at the Brody Theater, which enjoyed its third successful run in January 2016.

Brody Theater out the prove improv isn’t just for comedy with ambitious new show, ‘Script Tease’

Script Tease: acting without the net

Improv and scripted theater collide: ‘Script Tease’ returns to the Brody


< 3 at the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference 

Seven Devils Playwrights Conference Announces 2015 Writers; Runs 6/8-20

2015 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference


That Water Moment at JAW Playwrights Festival

A 10-minute play commissioned by Portland Center Stage for the 2012 JAW Playwrights Festival kick-off event.

Kerry Ryan and Isaac Lamb in THAT WATER MOMENT

Kerry Ryan and Isaac Lamb in That Water Moment

JAW 2012 wrap-up in the Oregonian

“Most touching was Sara Jean Accuardi’s “That Water Moment,” which hinged on the balance of frustration and faith in the lives of young parents (played by Kerry Ryan and Isaac Lamb) struggling with the care of a developmentally disabled child.” –  Marty Hughley, The Oregonian

Portland Center Stage re-sets JAW, puts playwrights festival back on Gerding mainstage


Love Scenes

Fertile Ground Festival: Promising Productions


Portrait of the Widow Kinski at JAW Playwrights Festival

Portland Center Stage’s JAW Festival gives playwrights– including Sara Jean Accuardi– an Act 1

Interview on KBOO

July Brings a Wealth of Wide-Eyed Obsessives to Portland Center Stage’s JAW 2010

JAW announces 2010 line-up

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