Photo by Blake Nellis

biography

Sarah (she/her) is a Minneapolis based costume and scenic designer working in theatre, opera, and dance. Sarah has worked with companies including the Ten Thousand Things Theater, Theater Latte Da,Trademark Theater, Jungle Theater, History Theatre, Theater Mu, Artistry, Penumbra Theatre, Children’s Theater Company, Minnesota Opera, Jacobs School of Music, BRKFST Dance Company, and Vail Dance Festival. She is a committed advocate for supporting designers and technicians, along with creating meaningful mentorship opportunities for emerging theatre artists. Her teaching credits include the University of Minnesota, Augsburg University, Macalester College, and the Textile Center. In 2024, Sarah was recognized by American Theatre Magazine as a ‘Roll Call People to Watch: Twin Cities’ and in 2018 received a MN Theatre Award for Exceptional Overall Production for her Costume Design for This Bitter Earth at Penumbra Theatre. Sarah holds a Design and Technical Theatre MFA from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, a Studio Art MA from New York University, and a Design and Technical Theatre BFA from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and serves as a Central Region Board Member.  

artist statement

I am a collaborative storyteller that uses costumes and scenery as my medium. I work in theater is because I love to tell stories that engage my community. Every project I work on brings new exciting challenges, but also a new group of talented artists to work with. It could be a colleague I’ve known for decades or an emerging artist working on their first professional production; either way I relish the time we will spend together and the possibilities of what will manifest out of our collaboration. When I design a visual world with other artists who bring their own ideas, perspectives, and knowledge to the table, we create something bigger than ourselves; the work itself is more complex and has a greater impact.

 Theater has that collaborative component that ignites my creative spark. I find initial design meetings with my fellow designers and directors exhilarating. I look forward to this time where we bounce ideas around, ask questions, and ultimately dream up a visual language for the story we want to tell. I strive to elevate my fellow artists’ ideas in these early meetings to ensure we are creating something together, everyone’s ideas are considered, and we form a strong base for the design to emerge from. 

Visual research drives the next steps of my creative process and allows for my designs to have a depth of authenticity.  I stay flexible and adapt to each individualized research process, whether I’m looking for abstract paintings to inspire dance costumes that evoke the feeling of belonging, or using historical photos of mansions to know what style chandeliers would create cozy ambiance in a Regency era sitting room. I can spend hours searching for the right image that brings meaning to every costume and scenic piece I put on stage.  Sharing my research, I bring collaborators into my dramaturgical process and make space for a melding of ideas as we react to each other's research and ideas. 

One of my favorite parts of the theatre making process is presenting my designs to the performers on the first day of rehearsal. My designs help them immerse themselves into the environment and characters by understanding the story on a deeper level. Supporting the performers in this way brings them into my thought process and encourages them to engage with me as a fellow collaborator. When we all understand the meaning behind the visual world, we are able to make more dynamic choices on stage that engage our audiences. 

My theatre community is very important to me and cultivating an inclusive environment is key to the success of my work. My goal is to transport audiences into the visual world of my designs and help them connect with the story being told. I am a collaborative artist; working in theatre, dance, and opera; as I strive to uplift the work of my fellow artists, they also lift me up, and our work is better because the only way to succeed is working together.

Contact: sarahbahr@me.com

INSTAGRAM: @SARAHBAHRDESIGN

design Work:

*World Premiere

THEATER:

THEATER LATTE DA; Minneapolis, MN:

Costume Design

  • My Antonia, director Jessie Austrian, 2026

  • Stones in His Pockets, director Marcela Lorca, 2024

  • To Let Go and Fall*, director Sherri Barber, 2018

Scenic Design

  • Gutenberg! The Musical!, director Tyler Micheals King, 2026

  • We Shall Someday*, director Kelli Foster Warden, 2023

TEN THOUSAND THINGS THEATER COMPANY; Minneapolis, MN:

Costume Design

  • Men on Boats, director Joy Dolo, 2026

  • This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, director Markell Keifer, 2025

  • Emilia, director Marcela Lorca, 2023

  • Iphigenia at Aulis, director Marcela Lorca, 2022

  • Thunder Knocking on the Door, director Marcela Lorca, 2020 & 2022 Remount

  • The Sins of Sor Juana, director Marcela Lorca, 2019

Scenic & Props Design

  • Violet, director Kelli Foster-Warder, 2025

GUTHRIE THEATER; Minneapolis, MN:

Costume Design

  • Valor, director Maija Garcia, 2022

  • Incurable: A Fool's Tale*, director Marcela Lorca, 2017

HISTORY THEATRE; St. Paul, MN:

Costume & Scenic Design

  • I am Betty*, director Maija Garcia, 2023

Costume Design

  • The Root Beer Lady*, director Addie Gorlin-Han, 2023

  • Parks: A Portrait of a Young Artist*, director Talvin Wilks, 2022

Scenic Design

  • Hungry Like the Wolf*, director Laura Leffler, 2026

JUNGLE THEATER; Minneapolis, MN:

Costume & Scenic Design

  • Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, director Christina Baldwin, 2022

  • Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, director Christina Baldwin, 2017 & 2019 Remount

  • The Wolves, director Sarah Rasmussen, 2018 & 2019 Remount

  • Ishmael, director Leo Gerter, 2018

  • Lone Star Spirits, director Sarah Rasmussen, 2017

Costume Design

  • The Effect, director Alison Ruth, 2025

  • 5*, director H. Adam Harris, 2023 (co-production with Trademark Theater)

  • Stinkers*, director Sarah Rasmussen, 2019

  • Small Mouth Sounds, director Lauren Keating, 2019

  • The Wickham's: Christmas at Pemberley, director Christina Baldwin, 2018

  • Hand of God, director Christina Baldwin, 2018

  • Anna in the Tropics, director Larissa Kokernot, 2017

Scenic Design

  • Redwood, director H. Adam Harris, 2022

TRADEMARK THEATER; Minneapolis, MN:

Costume Design

  • The Reunion*, director Tyler Micheals King, 2024

  • 5*, director H. Adam Harris, 2023 (co-production with Jungle Theater)

  • The Hollow*, director Tyler Michaels King, Cowles Center, 2019

  • Understood*, director Tyler Michaels King, 2019

  • The Boy and Robbin Hood*, director Tyler Michaels King, 2018

GREAT RIVER SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL; Winona, MN:

Costume Design

  • A Winter’s Tale, director Doug Scholtz-Carlson, 2023

PENUMBRA THEATRE; St. Paul, MN:

Costume Design

  • This Bitter Earth, director Talvin Wilks, 2018

  • Joy Rebel*, director Lou Bellamy, 2018

THEATER MU; St. Paul, MN:

Costume & Scenic Design

  • Hmong Futures*, director Reena Dutt, 2026

Costume Design

  • Maybe You Could Love Me*, director Katie Bradley, 2025

Scenic Design

  • Man of God, director Katie Bradley, 2022

MIXED BLOOD THEATRE; Minneapolis, MN:

Costume Design

  • Roe, director Mark Valdez, 2019

  • Go Ask Alice*, director Jack Reuler, 2016

ARTISTRY; Bloomington, MN:

Costume & Scenic Design

  • Singin’ in the Rain, director Kelli Foster-Warder, 2025

Scenic Design

  • Waitress, director Amanda White, 2025

  • The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, director Tyler Michaels King, 2023

OPERA:

MINNESOTA OPERA:

Costume Design

  • Don Giovanni, director Keturah Stickann Doucet, 2023

  • Romeo & Juliet, director Matthew Ozawa, 2016

Scenic Design

  • Albert Herring, director Doug Scholtz-Carlson, 2021

JACOBS SCHOOL OF MUSIC:

Costume Design

  • La Boheme, director Micheal Shell, 2025

  • Carmen, director Keturah Stickann Doucet, 2025

MILL CITY SUMMER OPERA; Minneapolis, MN:

Costume Design

  • Carmen, director Fenlon Lam, 2018

LYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY

Costume Design

  • Romeo & Juliet, director Doug Scholtz-Carlson, 2024

SAN ANTONIO OPERA

Costume Design

  • Romeo & Juliet, director Loren Meeks, 2023

SAN DIEGO OPERA

Costume Design

  • Romeo & Juliet, director Matthew Ozawa, 2022

CINCINNATI OPERA

Costume Design

  • Romeo & Juliet, director Matthew Ozawa, 2019

DANCE:

Costume Design:

  • STORM CLUTTER, Brkfst Dance Company, Walker Arts Center, 2024

  • Death of Tybalt, Brkfst Dance Company, Des Moines Symphony, 2024

  • Invisible Cities*, choreographer Ashwini Ramaswamy, Cowles Center, 2023

  • New to the Session*, choreographer Michelle Dorrance, Vail Dance Festival, 2021

  • Until We Meet Again*, choreographers Lil Buck and Lauren Lovette, Vail Dance Festival, 2021

  • Dark Mountain Manifesto Part ii*, Blake Nellis Dance, Art Box, 2019

  • INVISIBLE*, Timetrack Productions, Southern Theater, 2018

  • Farewell*, choreographer Matthew Neenan, Vail Dance Festival, 2017

  • 6*, STRONGmovement, Southern Theater, 2017

  • Light Dance*, direction Sarah Bahr, Regis Center for the Arts, 2016

Scenic Design:

  • Rummble Strips*, April Sellers Dance Collective, Caponi Art Park, 2021