Sara Salahi is an arts professional who brings a collaborative, people-focused approach to creative and community-based projects. Her multidisciplinary experience spans theatre directing and production, film, visual arts, arts education, and event coordination. She combines creative thinking with hands-on experience in project coordination, scheduling, stakeholder communication, team leadership, and event operations.

Sara immigrated to Canada with her family in 2010 and settled in Toronto, where she continued to develop her career in film and theatre. In 2020, she moved to Vancouver, where she has continued to pursue her creative practice while expanding her experience in leadership, arts administration, project coordination, and community-based arts initiatives.

She holds a BFA in Theatre Production from York University, a Film Studies certificate from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), a BFA in Theatre Directing from Iran, and a Diploma in IT Systems Management from Iran.

Sara has extensive experience in theatre and the performing arts. While in Vancouver, she worked as a Front of House Manager at Massey Theatre, where she recruited and trained a casual team and helped coordinate front-of-house operations to ensure events ran smoothly.

Her directing credits include Clown Scenes, performed at Toronto’s Distillery District and later selected for consideration for a presentation at the Aga Khan Museum as part of a Talent Showcase organized by the Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario (IWOO), as well as Manchild Psychiatry, presented as part of the InspiraTO Festival. She has also directed Kont Dracula and worked with performers and creative teams across a range of theatre projects.

As a performer, Sara appeared in Dance of Torn Papers, written by Mohammad Yaghoubi and directed by Aida Keykhaii, performed at Fairview Library Theatre in Toronto in 2016.

Sara has also worked extensively in arts education. At Peaceful Art Studio in Burnaby, she taught children the fundamentals of sketching and coloured-pencil drawing, encouraging creativity, observation, and individual artistic expression. She also worked as a Visual Arts Teacher at Marilake Academy, guiding primary and elementary students in developing their artistic skills and creative confidence.

At OVATION! Performing Arts Academy in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Sara worked as a Film Production Director, guiding post-secondary students through the process of creating their own films; from developing storyboards and selecting scenes to directing production and supporting the editing process. She encouraged students to take ownership of their creative ideas while gaining hands-on experience throughout the filmmaking process.

Her creative background also includes working as a graphic layout designer and content creator for a community-focused magazine, where she developed visual layouts and created engaging content designed to connect with diverse audiences. She has published articles in newspapers and magazines, as well as books of poetry, plays, and screenwriting work.

In 2019, Sara was invited as a Newsletter Guest Writer for the Stratford Seminar Society in Stratford, Ontario. During the program, she attended theatre performances, wrote related reviews, and participated in seminars with theatre faculty, professional stage managers, performers, and directors.

In 2016, she also participated in the group visual arts exhibition Mahmoud and Students at Articsok Gallery in Toronto, where she exhibited a charcoal portrait inspired by people who had profoundly influenced her artistic and personal journey.

Alongside her professional arts work, Sara has organized and facilitated virtual play-reading and theatre workshops, including Read and Laugh and Tuka in the Cage, Maybe We’ll Be Saved, bringing participants together through theatre, reading, creative activities, and collaborative experiences.

Since moving to Vancouver, Sara has continued to build her experience at the intersection of arts, community, and project coordination. In her current role with the West Vancouver Community Arts Council, she manages volunteer scheduling, supports gallery operations and community engagement, prepares volunteers’ monthly newsletters as well as ticket sales reports for the managing director.

Across her work in theatre, film, education, and community arts, Sara brings together creativity, organization, and people to create meaningful and collaborative experiences through the arts.