1to1 Dramaturgy

Testimonials

Sandra A. Daley-Sharif is a five-star creative powerhouse who wields her craft with velvet tenacity and kick ass grace!  As a seasoned writer, she proves a rich and welcoming vessel for untold stories imbued in tantalizing complexity yet spoken succinctly to the soul. Her characters weave and wrestle with moments, each other and Life with uncompromising honesty, poetry and texture. As a dramaturg, Ms. Daley-Sharif is a true advocate for any serious playwright, honoring their courage in their continued development of the work.  She takes time to deeply listen, meditate on then massage, stretch, pry open and shake loose the junk and gems in hidden pockets of each developing work, releasing the many needed sounds, spaces, layers and hues discovered within.  Ms. Daley-Sharif is nothing short of a magical weaver of the word and provocative truth conjurer, gifting whomever works with her the awesome journey of open-minded exploratory adventure coupled with tough-love challenge and choices birthing both stronger written work and writer. Aixa Kendrick, MultiMedia Artist/Producer (Rainbow & Thunderbolts MultiMedia Inc ©)

 

Sandra A. Daley-Sharif is an incredibly brilliant and talented dramaturg. She is one of the most gifted theater artists that I know. She has an uncanny ability to listen to a reading or go to a production and bring focus to the heart of the play; what ails it and what feeds it.  She is able to read a script with total openness, providing dramaturgic advice to make ANY play more clear.  Some have learned how to hone the skills necessary to become a successful dramaturg, and some have a natural innate ability to pick up a script and intuit the playwright.  Sandra is the latter.  She has a gift that she has refined from 25+ years in the business.  She is also an accomplished writer, so she knows how to offer constructive feedback without shutting down her fellow writer.  She facilitates a group for African-American writers that requires her to inspire writers at various levels.  I personally don’t know any other African-American female dramaturgs, you will want to have Sandra at the table if you are ready to have difficult conversations and answer hard questions. Spencer Scott Barros, Producer (Harlem9, Inc.)

 

Sandra A. Daley is a fierce and necessary force in our theater community. She is extremely innovative in creating collaborative platforms for theater artists such as the OBIE Award winning Harlem9 presents 48Hours in... Harlem and a number of invaluable artists' salons. I loved attending the playwriting workshops she hosted as part of Liberation Theater Company's emerging playwrights' program. Sandra is a generous spirit who is always ready to guide and nurture emerging artists. I loved working with her as she directed me for a reading of Dolphins and Sharks by James Anthony Tyler. Sandra is a brilliant visionary who is always striving for the truth in text and the humanity in the characters. I am so proud to call her a colleague and peer. Pernell Walker, Actor (Annie, The Butler, Pariah)

 

Sandra helped bring new light to my play Queen Nanny--a story I had been struggling with for months prior to working with her.  I was excited and relieved when I learned of Sandra's Jamaican roots, which I believe are an added bonus, as the play's central character is also Jamaican and represents a major part of my own familial background. The connection was instant. Sandra offered insight that aligned perfectly with my artistic goal for the piece and allowed me to truly stretch my creativity with a stronger understanding of how to structure each scene. When I had to present an excerpt of Queen Nannyat Playwrights Horizons for the Dramatists Guild Fellowship presentation, Sandra quickly guided me through rewrites fleshing out scenes beat by beat, but also pushed me to dig deep within, drawing out the essence of each character. Her questions were challenging in a perfect way, and allowed me to strengthen my writing muscle in finding the answers. My objectives became clearer, and I was able to tackle a fresh draft with a renewed sense of confidence. Camille Darby, Playwright

 

Sandra A. Daley-Sharif has a nurturing discernment.  Even though I had known Sandra as an actor and playwright, I got to experience another aspect of her artistic bent as Director and Dramaturg of the Black Playwright's Group, a division of Liberation Theatre Company, which she co-founded.  As an actor/volunteer reader, I watched Sandra work intimately with fledgling writers and more seasoned ones bringing in new work.  Sandra met everyone on the level where they were most comfortable and with careful dissection and keen insight, led some writers to "break up" with their favorite lines or probe deeper into why a particular character had recurring behavior. I witnessed many a writer's A-Ha moment as well as tears of joy as to how they could "see" what Sandra had meant by a particular suggestion.  Sandra A. Daley-Sharif urges all writers to excellence and her presence in your collective would be a wonderful boon. Laura E. Johnston, Actor/Producer Director

Sandra Daley is amazing.  She has this incredible ability to see beyond the page and to inspire the playwright to go deeper.  Whether it is to flesh out the spine of a character that is underwritten to challenging the writer to find the humanity in the work.  Sandra is nurturing but is insistent upon excellence in your work.  I feel honored to be able to work with her. Jeffrey Harmon Smith, Playwright

Sandra A. Daley is the type of colleague a professional artist values. Fully present and thoughtful, her input is provocative, insightful and to the point. It is also obvious that she works with passion and drive while making the quality of the work the only priority. Sandra is on my A-list of "go to" professional colleagues when there is a desire for objective, caring and honest critique. Evander Duck, Jr., Professional Actor / Executive Producer, NTFBS Productions

Sandra A. Daley-Sharif when she served as dramaturg for a reading of my play WITCH CAMP, which takes place in northern Ghana. Sandra immediately grasped the essence of what I wanted to communicate. Presented with several hundred pages of background material, Sandra demonstrated a remarkable ability to amalgamate enormous amounts of information on an unfamiliar subject in a short time. I was impressed and grateful for her meticulous attention to detail, her care and concern for my characters, and her astute observations. In addition to her finesse at handling playwrights, Sandra was equally adroit at handling audiences at talk backs, gently guiding the discussion in a way that feedback was kept on course and was extremely useful to me. J. Thalia Cunningham, Playwright

Sandra A. Daley-Sharif’s insight and advice guided me as I completed my latest play.  Anyone who is lucky enough to be a member of her playwright’s group is a better writer for it.  She is truly invested in her writers.  Her energy, talent and devotion make her more than just a dramaturg – she is a muse, teacher, friend and standard bearer for the artists she works with. I also had the added good fortune of having Ms. Daley-Sharif produce and direct two very successful readings of my play, The Silver Thread.  I am so glad I found her! Joslyn Nicole Housley (A 2012 Hudson Valley Writer's Center Awardee)

Sandra Daley brings many perspectives to her dramaturgy that enhance her ability to help writers clarify their intentions. As an actor, director, producer and a playwright herself, she has an innate sense of what will make a play work dramatically while insuring that the playwright's voice and vision are always maintained. Sandra asks the relevant questions to make you think about what you've written and how it can have the greatest impact on an audience. When necessary, she can also be a taskmaster too. Playwrights who are serious about writing are well served by working with her.  Bernard J. Tarver, Playwright

 

 

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