Rogue Spotlight: Theater on the Grow—Artistic director Jessica Sage maps future of success

By JIM FLINT for the Rogue Valley Times Oct 12, 2023

When every theater she contacted shunned Jessica Sage’s new play, she didn’t bow out— she created her own stage. Fours years on, her once tiny Rogue Theater Company is a standing ovation to the adage "Necessity is the mother of invention."

Today, RTC has a home at Grizzly Peak Winery and just completed a season with twice as many performances as the year before. The company is in good financial health and planning for growth.

But back in 2019, that wasn’t on the horizon. “I had written a semi-autobiographical play, ‘Fragments,’ and shopped it to theaters around the country,” Sage said. “I got a few nibbles but no bites.” Someone suggested she produce the play herself. “My first thought was, ‘How hard can that be?’ Ha!”

But she loved the experience and didn’t want it to end. Her follow-up the same year was “’night, Mother,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Marsha Norman, with OSF’s Caroline Shaffer directing and Sage playing the role of Mama. “There was no turning back,” she said. “Starting Rogue Theater Company is the best professional decision I ever made.”

OSF alumni are attracted to working with RTC, “because the genre of plays we produce is unique,” Sage said. “And artists are hungry for these intimate, meaty, and intelligent pieces.” Sage likes to create a collaborative environment, where actors are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas.“ I find it makes artists happier and more fulfilled when they have ownership of the project they are working on,” she said.

OSF alum Jeffrey King recently completed a run in “Circle Mirror Transformation” for RTC. “I have seen so many of my friends working with RTC, directing shows and acting in shows,” he said. “It looked like they were having such a good time, I was just hoping the time would come when I would be asked to do it, too. And it did. I immediately said yes.”

“Together, we look for stories that are relevant to the times we live in,” Sage added, “stories that give voice to people in challenging circumstances who are honestly facing themselves and their relationships.”

After doubling the number of performances this year—with a number of them sold out—RTC has selected its lineup for 2024, to be announced in January.

Planning is well under way for the 2025 season, as well. “We’re looking at possibly adding a weekend play reading and/or a holiday offering,” Sage said. “I am ever mindful not to grow too large too fast. RTC is financially healthy, strong and solid. And I am determined to keep it that way.”

Sage, who lives in Ashland with her husband, Shakespeare scholar and OSF veteran Barry Kraft, was born in Brooklyn and raised in Long Island, New York. The couple moved to the Rogue Valley in 2015 from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sage discovered the arts on her own. “I grew up in a tumultuous and unstable household,” she said. “I suspect acting was a way of escape. To be fair, I was a handful, and my parents were relieved that I had an outlet.” She regularly rounded up her sisters to make up skits to entertain the family. Today, she does it with her young nieces and nephew. She took acting classes beginning at age 7, attended acting camp at 8, and was going regularly into the city to see theater by the time she was 12. Her dad owns a company that does stage lighting for many New York theaters, and he often took her to matinees to watch shows from the wings.

She always wanted a life in the theater. Her parents were supportive of her acting but concerned about her making a living from it. They offered to pay for college if she got a “sensible” degree. “I went to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and got a bachelor’s degree in business administration,” she said. “The week I graduated, I went right back into theater — studying and acting in theaters such as Studio, Source, New Playwrights, and Woolly Mammoth.”

Today, she’s the artistic director of RTC and runs the day-to-day operations. She has cultivated a large number of supporters and volunteers who are enthusiastic about RTC. Maybe that business degree has come in handy after all.

What’s it like working with Sage? 

“Jessica is like a magnet that draws the best from people,” said Pam Thomas, RTC house manager and event coordinator. “A bundle of energy, she infuses the company with enthusiasm. We love her for her heart, her intelligence, her vision— and she’s good fun, too.”

Sage has a long list of theatrical credits and numerous movie and television roles to her credit. She acted in “Who Shot Pat?” with Sandra Bullock, “If Tomorrow Comes,” “General Hospital,” and PBS productions “Getting Out” and “Blithe Spirit.” She has taught acting, written plays and produced stage works for more than three decades, including directing nearly 40 theatrical productions.

Sage recently announced the formation of a RTC education department, with Tyrone Wilson as director and Amy MacLennan as education and artistic assistant. The department’s first phase will focus on engaging high school and college students in Southern Oregon and Northern California with free tickets and show prefaces. In phase two, RTC will offer day-long classes with teaching artists. Phase three will see RTC going into schools with teams of teaching artists. “It’s ambitious for a small theater like RTC, but in my opinion, it is invaluable,” she said. “I am buoyed by the possibilities.”

Sage said she has had two consistent passions throughout her life: travel and theater. She’s visited more than 75 countries and lived abroad cumulatively for six years. “Learning about different cultures, perspectives, lifestyles and traditions has made me a more well-rounded person and artist,” she said. “For the record, I’m excellent at reading maps, albeit an antiquated art form.”

She certainly has had success in mapping a future of growth and achievement for RTC.

To learn more about Rogue Theater Company, see roguetheatercompany.com.