The Path that Shaped My Work
This work did not begin in one place. It took shape over many years through theatre, expressive arts practice and writing, and continues to evolve today.
Hey there, I’m Sabrina,
I am a writer and expressive arts therapist interested in how story helps us understand the turning points in our lives. My work integrates creative practices, reflective writing, and emotional expression as a way to explore our experiences rather than move past them too quickly.
Where This Work Began…
6 YEARS OLD
From a young age, I grew up immersed in the arts. Much to my chagrin, I started taking piano and voice lessons at the age of 6. Practicing was not something I liked to do but today I can read music so that’s an awesome skill in my toolbox! Around the same time I also started taking ballet, jazz and other dance styles. Rather than catch the fly ball on my baseball team I was the girl who would make up dances in the outfield. Sorry Dad!
14 YEARS OLD
In high school, I joined the drama club and fell in love with the performing arts. My first role was as the Hoursecourser in a production of Dr. Faustus. I still don’t understand why we were doing that play?! I mean really. For 14 year olds?! Seems odd to me but what do I know….
After high school graduation, I left home and lived on campus at the University of Victoria where I turned my performing arts hobby into a professional pursuit. I graduated with a BFA in Theatre in 2004, and from there I moved back to Vancouver and started a theatre company.
18 YEARS OLD
26 YEARS OLD
I had no idea what I was doing but I jumped in with both feet and started what would become Twenty Something Theatre in 2006. During the following 12 years, as the Artistic Director, I lead the company from a small collective of twenty-something artists to a Jessie award-winning independent theatre company. As the Artistic Director, I helped to develop the voices of many young Canadian theatre artists as well as developed & produced the world premiere of 3 new Canadian plays: Prodigals (2011) and Us & Everything We Own (2013) by Sean Minogue, and The Out Vigil (2016) by Julie McIsaac. Remember the days of black & white headshots?!
As a theatre director, I directed numerous productions including both Tender Napalm by Philip Ridley and the world premiere of The Out Vigil by Julie McIsaac in 2016. These two productions were nominated for a combined total of 8 Jessie Richardson Awards including Outstanding Production and Direction. Over the years, I also worked as a designer and technician on over 30 productions with companies from across Canada including Robert Lepage’s Ex Machina. I trained & studied the movement languages of Viewpoints & Suzuki with the SITI Company's Anne Bogart & Ellen Lauren in NYC (and beyond); as well as, Mary Overlie's original Viewpoints. And, I was the Executive Producer for the adaptation of Prodigals into a feature film that had its world premiere at the Whistler Film Festival in November 2017.
36 YEARS OLD
37 YEARS OLD
Phew, that’s a lot, I know. I was a busy young lady, that’s for sure. And, the reason I kept so busy was because that way I wouldn’t have to deal with my own pain. Then in 2017 everything began to change, I started to devise & create Resilio, a contemporary circus interdisciplinary work that explored trauma and resilience. This experience truly changed my life. I do not exaggerate. As a trauma survivor, it was the healing journey of this creative process that ultimately led me to the Expressive Arts Therapy program at Langara College.
Today
Whether through personal essays, my memoir, expressive arts practice, or writing-based facilitation, I create spaces where people can engage with their own stories using curiosity and care. Sometimes that happens on the page. Sometimes in workshops. And, sometimes it’s through a creative process that doesn’t begin with words at all.
My expressive arts work began through Firepot Expressive Arts, where I have developed a creative practice grounded in writing, movement, music, visual arts and story as tools for reflection, integration and growth. That continues today as part of my broader canvas of work under my own name.
Currently I am working on
Alongside my expressive arts practice and facilitation, I am currently completing a memoir that explores a season of transition shaped by trauma, heartbreak and the slow return to self-trust. My personal essays and ongoing writing can be found at Sabrina & The Stars, where I share reflections at the intersection of astrology, story and lived experience.
CREDENTIALS | BACKGROUND
HIGHLIGHTS:
BFA in Theatre & English Literature (University of Victoria)
20+ years in performing arts
Artistic Director of Twenty Something Theatre / Firepot Performance
Executive Producer of Prodigals, World Premiere at Whistler Film Festival
Expressive Arts Therapy (Langara College)
Registered Therapeutic Counsellor
Before training as an expressive arts therapist, I spent more than twenty years working professionally in the performing arts as a director, designer, and movement instructor. I hold a BFA in Theatre & English Literature from the University of Victoria and later trained as an expressive arts therapist, bringing those disciplines together in the work I do today.
