Steven Thomas Sabel

Steven Thomas Sabel, founder and artistic director of the Rogue Valley Shakespeare Company, passed away on September 10, 2026 due to complications from cancer.

Steven was born on July 11,1971 to William and Lorraine Sabel in Riverside, CA. Steven was a true renaissance man; he was a theatre artist, a producer/director, an educator, a podcast host, a writer, a journalist, and many other roles. Steven began directing and producing theatrical plays shortly after graduating from Ramona High School in Riverside, and started his own production company, STS Productions, in 1994. Steven worked as the director of the theatre program at Notre Dame High School in Riverside, CA while directing plays under his production company. Steven was an eloquent and passionate writer; he worked as an investigative journalist for The Perris Progress newspaper and an entertainment writer for The Redlands Daily Facts newspaper.

In 2004, Steven started the Redlands Shakespeare Festival, which produced three Shakespeare plays every spring until 2013. Steven was the founder and artistic director of the Archway Studio/Theatre in Los Angeles, producing and directing 6-10 plays per year from 2011 – 2019. When he moved to Los Angeles, he taught theatre and journalism classes to homeschool and charter school students through his company Bard for Kids. Steven had a tremendous influence on the Shakespeare authorship debate, which was a major passion for in his adult years. In 2018, Steven became the host of the Shakespeare-focused podcast “Don’t Quill the Messenger,” which he continued to host until his death.

In late 2019, Steven and his family moved to Grants Pass, OR, where Steven worked for two years as the Information Coordinator for the City of Grants Pass, continuing his passion for journalism by writing and publishing the city’s monthly newsletter. In 2022, Steven and his wife, Annie, founded the Rogue Valley Shakespeare Company. Through RVSC, Steven produced and directed multiple Shakespeare plays “under the stars”, performing two seasons at Reinhart Volunteer Park and three seasons at the Walport Family Cellars winery.

During his active career, Steven performed in, produced, and/or directed over 200 theatrical productions, hosted over 150 podcast episodes, wrote numerous newspaper articles, and touched countless lives through education in the theatrical arts.

Steven is survived by his wife, Annie, their three children, his sister, Lori, and five nieces. 

A catholic mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., October 3, 2026 at St. Annes Catholic Church. Interment will immediately follow at Hawthorne Memorial Gardens. 

Please share a memory of Steven in his Guestbook.