SELECTED INTERVIEWS
"On a queer Much Ado" in Boston Spirit Magazine
Megan in conversation with Molly Smith on "Molly's Salon"
There Must Be Happy Endings on the New Books in the Performing Arts podcast
"Ask A Director" interview
"A Conversation with Nathan Alan Davis and Megan Sandberg-Zakian" in Stage and Candor
"Hang and Focus" podcast with Sean Daniels
"How to Solve Design's Diversity Problem" in American Theatre Magazine
Megan in conversation with Molly Smith on "Molly's Salon"
There Must Be Happy Endings on the New Books in the Performing Arts podcast
"Ask A Director" interview
"A Conversation with Nathan Alan Davis and Megan Sandberg-Zakian" in Stage and Candor
"Hang and Focus" podcast with Sean Daniels
"How to Solve Design's Diversity Problem" in American Theatre Magazine
SELECTED REVIEW QUOTES
"At a time of so much uncertainty, Megan Sandberg-Zakian's new collection of essays appears like a desperately needed balm." - The Boston Globe review of There Must Be Happy Endings
"Under the marvelous direction of Megan Sandberg-Zakian... it’s contemporary and resonant without feeling over the top or cheesy. The cast, full of local stalwarts, performs the centuries-old Shakespearean English in a way that seems natural, [which] coupled with the nostalgic music and costumes from the 1990s performed beneath the cover of night made for a special evening." - WBUR review of Much Ado About Nothing at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
"Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, who helped conceive the play, Mr. Parent [is] a deep-from-the-heart solo show ... a moving, sometimes funny account of what it takes to be a teacher, what it takes to fulfill your ambitions in the theater, and what it takes build a life." - Boston Globe review of Mr. Parent at the Lyric Stage
“What can a quiet, poetic play achieve in such a loud and crowded arena? Quite a lot, as it turns out... the production, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, has nerves of steel.” - New York Magazine review of Nat Turner in Jerusalem: Critic's Pick
“The sparse, persuasive two-hander, which marks Davis's New York debut, examines America's racial history, but feels disturbingly close to the present day... Though the larger drama has unfolded offstage, Davis and Sandberg-Zakian find a dynamic microcosm in the confrontations between Turner and the two white men... Brannon's Turner is tough to look away from: fervent, fearless, and unconcerned with eliciting pity or obtaining mercy. Sandberg-Zakian's minimalist staging places emphasis on the shifting tensions, and occasional glimmers of understanding.” - The Village Voice review of Nat Turner in Jerusalem at New York Theatre Workshop
“This year I saw so much good theater I kept changing my mind about which was my favorite… one strong contender was Jonathan Louis Dent’s The Broken Record, a poetic piece of political theater that’s rare in its dramatic power and deft in its deployment of humor, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian.” – The New York Times review of The Broken Record at FringeNYC
"Sandberg-Zakian’s fluid, unfussy direction, and the performances of a uniformly outstanding ensemble, do well to leave the audience with more questions than answers... One may create a new identity, Gurira suggests, but the voices of the ancestors can never be quieted." - Boston Globe review of “The Convert,” 2016
"Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, The Convert sets the bar so high for Boston professional theatre that it is unfair for anything else slated to open this season. Sandberg-Zakian's command of Gurira's script is so muscular that the final product is satisfying to an audience seeking taut, powerful and thought-provoking theatre." - Broadway World review of “The Convert,” 2016
“What makes Lava Fossil so compelling, besides Nixon’s unaffected delivery, are her props: a series of worlds that pop up, unfold, unravel, and ultimately erupt out of the suitcases. Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s pacing is superb as she moves Nixon deliberately from one suitcase to the next, with each stop allowing for another sly, charming surprise... The play’s stunning final image is both heartbreaking and hopeful.” – Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe review of Lava Fossil, created and performed by Beth Nixon, at the Boston Center for the Arts, 2014
“Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s direction feels like poetry, carefully paced and staged with a sharp eye. Zakian employs not only her actors, but her designers as well, tasking bodies, lighting, shadows and life-size puppets to tell her tale.” – Brian Boruta, “My Entertainment World” review of Sila at Underground Railway Theater, 2014
“Apollinaire Theatre Company’s nuanced production finds the pressure points of comedy and tragedy in this disconcerting satire... Under director Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s firm hand, the action unfolds with the pace of steady, even breaths... Lewis’ performance and Sandberg-Zakian’s direction make this sharp, smart production by the Apollinaire Theatre Company.” - Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe review of Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God at Apollinaire Theatre, 2014
“An enchanting evening of cabaret… Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian and music director Tim Maurice have a strong sense of the arc of the songs, arranging them to create a frame that highlights the theme of leaving, longing, and love … Never Far From Home is a delightful summer treat.” – Terry Byrne, Boston Globe review of Never Far From Home: Love Songs About Leaving at Central Square Theater, 2013
“Actors Maurice Parent and Kami Smith, together with director Megan Sandberg-Zakian, grace this bold, bracing play with an honest and profound humanity. It’s to plays like this that we applaud on our feet... and bow our heads.” – Killian Melloy, The Edge Boston review of The Mountaintop at Underground Railway Theater, 2013
“Now receiving its Boston premiere under the supple and assured direction of Megan Sandberg-Zakian... Sandberg-Zakian finds ways to consistently engage the eye: this production overflows with arresting and memorable images.” - Don Aucoin, Boston Globe review of In the Red and Brown Water at Company One, 2011
“Wow. Hedwig and The Angry Inch is blowing the doors off of Perishable Theatre, leaving pieces of soul shrapnel embedded in audiences, to work their way out over time… Directed with sensitivity by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, the Perishable space is the perfect setting.” – Bill Rodriguez, review of Hedwig and The Angry Inch at Perishable Theater, 2010
“A moving take on a story worth retelling… Harriet Jacobs comes together gracefully, thanks to Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s clear-sighted directing... Sandberg-Zakian has found an ideal Harriet in [Kami] Smith… more than just a historical figure - she’s a young woman, enduring the agony and ecstasy of first love and motherhood along with more heroic burdens.” – Jenna Scherer, review of Harriet Jacobs at Underground Railway Theater, Boston Herald, 2010
“The Etymology of Bird, the world premiere being staged by the Providence Black Repertory Company through May 18, is not about jazz legend Charlie Parker, but it certainly does soar and transport us. Billed as an urban love story, this tale by Zakiyyah Alexander is at once gritty and lyrical, full of punchy rap lyrics and a moving but unsentimental storyline. As impressively, under the direction of the company’s associate director Megan Sandberg-Zakian, the ensemble weaves together a gorgeously performed theater experience that ranks among the best at any off-Trinity stage in this or any recent season.” – Bill Rodriguez, review of The Etymology of Bird by Zakiyyah Alexander at The Providence Black Repertory Company, The Providence Phoenix, April 2008
"Under the marvelous direction of Megan Sandberg-Zakian... it’s contemporary and resonant without feeling over the top or cheesy. The cast, full of local stalwarts, performs the centuries-old Shakespearean English in a way that seems natural, [which] coupled with the nostalgic music and costumes from the 1990s performed beneath the cover of night made for a special evening." - WBUR review of Much Ado About Nothing at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
"Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, who helped conceive the play, Mr. Parent [is] a deep-from-the-heart solo show ... a moving, sometimes funny account of what it takes to be a teacher, what it takes to fulfill your ambitions in the theater, and what it takes build a life." - Boston Globe review of Mr. Parent at the Lyric Stage
“What can a quiet, poetic play achieve in such a loud and crowded arena? Quite a lot, as it turns out... the production, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, has nerves of steel.” - New York Magazine review of Nat Turner in Jerusalem: Critic's Pick
“The sparse, persuasive two-hander, which marks Davis's New York debut, examines America's racial history, but feels disturbingly close to the present day... Though the larger drama has unfolded offstage, Davis and Sandberg-Zakian find a dynamic microcosm in the confrontations between Turner and the two white men... Brannon's Turner is tough to look away from: fervent, fearless, and unconcerned with eliciting pity or obtaining mercy. Sandberg-Zakian's minimalist staging places emphasis on the shifting tensions, and occasional glimmers of understanding.” - The Village Voice review of Nat Turner in Jerusalem at New York Theatre Workshop
“This year I saw so much good theater I kept changing my mind about which was my favorite… one strong contender was Jonathan Louis Dent’s The Broken Record, a poetic piece of political theater that’s rare in its dramatic power and deft in its deployment of humor, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian.” – The New York Times review of The Broken Record at FringeNYC
"Sandberg-Zakian’s fluid, unfussy direction, and the performances of a uniformly outstanding ensemble, do well to leave the audience with more questions than answers... One may create a new identity, Gurira suggests, but the voices of the ancestors can never be quieted." - Boston Globe review of “The Convert,” 2016
"Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, The Convert sets the bar so high for Boston professional theatre that it is unfair for anything else slated to open this season. Sandberg-Zakian's command of Gurira's script is so muscular that the final product is satisfying to an audience seeking taut, powerful and thought-provoking theatre." - Broadway World review of “The Convert,” 2016
“What makes Lava Fossil so compelling, besides Nixon’s unaffected delivery, are her props: a series of worlds that pop up, unfold, unravel, and ultimately erupt out of the suitcases. Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s pacing is superb as she moves Nixon deliberately from one suitcase to the next, with each stop allowing for another sly, charming surprise... The play’s stunning final image is both heartbreaking and hopeful.” – Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe review of Lava Fossil, created and performed by Beth Nixon, at the Boston Center for the Arts, 2014
“Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s direction feels like poetry, carefully paced and staged with a sharp eye. Zakian employs not only her actors, but her designers as well, tasking bodies, lighting, shadows and life-size puppets to tell her tale.” – Brian Boruta, “My Entertainment World” review of Sila at Underground Railway Theater, 2014
“Apollinaire Theatre Company’s nuanced production finds the pressure points of comedy and tragedy in this disconcerting satire... Under director Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s firm hand, the action unfolds with the pace of steady, even breaths... Lewis’ performance and Sandberg-Zakian’s direction make this sharp, smart production by the Apollinaire Theatre Company.” - Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe review of Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God at Apollinaire Theatre, 2014
“An enchanting evening of cabaret… Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian and music director Tim Maurice have a strong sense of the arc of the songs, arranging them to create a frame that highlights the theme of leaving, longing, and love … Never Far From Home is a delightful summer treat.” – Terry Byrne, Boston Globe review of Never Far From Home: Love Songs About Leaving at Central Square Theater, 2013
“Actors Maurice Parent and Kami Smith, together with director Megan Sandberg-Zakian, grace this bold, bracing play with an honest and profound humanity. It’s to plays like this that we applaud on our feet... and bow our heads.” – Killian Melloy, The Edge Boston review of The Mountaintop at Underground Railway Theater, 2013
“Now receiving its Boston premiere under the supple and assured direction of Megan Sandberg-Zakian... Sandberg-Zakian finds ways to consistently engage the eye: this production overflows with arresting and memorable images.” - Don Aucoin, Boston Globe review of In the Red and Brown Water at Company One, 2011
“Wow. Hedwig and The Angry Inch is blowing the doors off of Perishable Theatre, leaving pieces of soul shrapnel embedded in audiences, to work their way out over time… Directed with sensitivity by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, the Perishable space is the perfect setting.” – Bill Rodriguez, review of Hedwig and The Angry Inch at Perishable Theater, 2010
“A moving take on a story worth retelling… Harriet Jacobs comes together gracefully, thanks to Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s clear-sighted directing... Sandberg-Zakian has found an ideal Harriet in [Kami] Smith… more than just a historical figure - she’s a young woman, enduring the agony and ecstasy of first love and motherhood along with more heroic burdens.” – Jenna Scherer, review of Harriet Jacobs at Underground Railway Theater, Boston Herald, 2010
“The Etymology of Bird, the world premiere being staged by the Providence Black Repertory Company through May 18, is not about jazz legend Charlie Parker, but it certainly does soar and transport us. Billed as an urban love story, this tale by Zakiyyah Alexander is at once gritty and lyrical, full of punchy rap lyrics and a moving but unsentimental storyline. As impressively, under the direction of the company’s associate director Megan Sandberg-Zakian, the ensemble weaves together a gorgeously performed theater experience that ranks among the best at any off-Trinity stage in this or any recent season.” – Bill Rodriguez, review of The Etymology of Bird by Zakiyyah Alexander at The Providence Black Repertory Company, The Providence Phoenix, April 2008