In Conversation with Stephen Sondheim

Omar Sangare – Founder and Artistic Director of United Solo; Chairperson and Professor of Theatre at Williams College – shares his memory of meeting Stephen Sondheim:

When I walked into Stephen’s home for the first time, I felt that I was walking into a space of music. The light, ambience, and charm of his home revealed the spirit of his life. The warmth of his house gave me the impression that he sought to surround himself with peaceful space for creative work. With that understanding, I was reminded how we can be the maestros of our own environment as we orchestrate zones where we feel safe and comfortable.

When we first met, Stephen was involved in the revival of his musical, "Company" with Patti LuPone, yet the show was cancelled early due to the pandemic. During the trying time, we were all uncertain about the future. At that moment, however, the future was unfolding within hours. Knowing Patti LuPone, myself, I also realized the intensity of the present time for her and the cast. The show returns in 2022 on Broadway, and I’m sure that this brings Stephen great happiness as he will watch the show in spirit. His musical, "Company" was included by The New York Times, as one of must-see events this season — in the same 2021 Fall Preview my own United Solo Theatre Festival in the city was included as well – and it was thrilling for me to see how close we were, both in-person and in-print.

Before getting to know Stephen Sondheim closer, I first became friends with his charming dog. The day I entered Stephen’s home, his poodle ran to me as if we had known each other for years. Perhaps this was a sign for Stephen to trust the person who entered his home. In our interview, both Stephen and his dog were present, sitting comfortably on the sofa. The poodle was silent though, with no objections to what Stephen had to say. It was a meet one, get two, though only one stayed in touch with me via email afterwards. When I sent to Stephen a video recording of the show, I directed as a tribute to his works after he graduated from Williams College, he expressed his gratitude and joy seeing the production of "Our Time: A Collage of Records from Williams" – the show is available at    • Our Time directed by Omar Sangare   — and has been recognized in the review by Michael Miller for The New York Arts at: https://newyorkarts.net/2020/03/our-t...

I am forever grateful for the work that Stephen and our cast and creative team at Williams Theatre who acknowledge theatre as a peaceful space for progressive dialogue. With my unending gratitude for Stephen, we now turn to the next chapter in our journey – yet another times for us to share.