At Barter Theatre, growth has a way of coming full circle. Artists arrive eager to learn; they’re shaped by the work and the people around them, and over time become an essential part of the fabric of the company. Few stories capture that journey more poignantly than Sarah Van Deusen’s journey from Barter Player to Artistic Director of the Barter Players.
Van Deusen first became aware of The Barter Players as a student when the company toured her school. Suddenly, a possibility unfolded in front of her, one that she had no idea even existed: a professional career in theater. She remembers the instant she fell in love with Barter, “I was so taken by the work… I didn’t understand that theater was a job [until then].”
Bold and determined as only a seventeen-year-old could be, she reached out to now Producing Artistic Director Katy Brown, who served as the Artistic Director of the Barter Players at the time, and asked how to pursue theater professionally. “It was my dream to be a Barter Player,” she said. Katy gave her invaluable advice, advice she held onto, allowing it to guide her choices and eventually leading her to Barter as a summer intern—an experience that instantly confirmed she was precisely where she was meant to be. “I just fell in love with the work that the Players did. It was everything that I dreamt it would be and more.”
By the end of that summer, her next goal was clear. “I told Katy it was my dream to come back as a year-round Player,” and she did, so seamlessly, in fact, that her college graduation took place not on campus, but at Barter itself. “They threw me a graduation in the basement of the Barter Inn, and it was a total surprise. Katy led my commencement ceremony, and we had caps and gowns; they’d [even] made me a diploma.” It’s the kind of moment that feels uniquely Barter: personal, generous, and rooted in a sense of belonging.
During her two years as a Player, Van Deusen embraced every aspect of the work, including serving as performance manager while on tour. “The performance manager was the person kind of in charge of maintaining the integrity of the performance while on the road.” That role gave her a wider lens on the storytelling process, one that extended beyond her own performance and into the structure of the production as a whole. It didn’t go unnoticed. “I think Katy could tell from seeing me in that position that maybe I had an intuitive approach to directing,” she said. One conversation, standing in the back of Gilliam Stage, changed everything. “She came up to me and said, ‘I really think you’re a director.’”
At the time, directing wasn’t something Van Deusen had envisioned for herself, but once she stepped into the rehearsal room, it felt instinctive. “Stepping into the room as a director, I immediately felt so energized. My creativity just felt so amplified.” That first experience led directly to her next chapter as Associate Director of the Barter Players, where she continued to grow alongside fellow former Player, Barrett Guyton, Van Deusen’s predecessor.
Now, as Artistic Director, she sees her journey as deeply intertwined with the company itself. “Barter really developed me as a professional artist. I feel like Barter raised me creatively.” Her background as an actor continues to inform how she directs and leads. “I learned so much about acting from directing and vice versa.”
At the heart of her work is a deep commitment to artists, particularly those early in their careers. “My favorite part about directing is working with actors…helping them build their own toolboxes.” She pulls from her own time as a Player, finding meaning in guiding others through that shared experience. “Having experienced that myself firsthand and now getting to participate and kind of guide and walk side by side with young artists in that way is such a gift.”
That sense of continuity is especially present at Barter, where generations of artists often overlap. “It feels really surreal that actors I grew up watching…I’m now directing them in plays.” She speaks with genuine admiration for the people around her. “I just sincerely admire and respect the artists that I’m surrounded by every single day.”
Van Deusen is quick to acknowledge the mentors who shaped her along the way—John Hardy, Nick Piper, Carrie Smith Lewis, Katy Brown, and most importantly her father, who served as her teacher and director in high school. “I credit so much of who I am as an artist to the incredible mentors that I had in the Player company.” One guiding phrase, introduced on her very first day, continues to anchor how she leads and teaches: run to the fear. It’s a mindset that encourages artists to lean into discomfort, to face the moments that feel risky or unfamiliar rather than retreat from them. For Van Deusen, that philosophy has become central to the way she works in rehearsal rooms and mentors young artists, helping them build confidence through courage. “With each passing year it’s a joy to pass that down to the next generation of Players.”
Those values extend beyond individual performances and into how she imagines the future of the Barter Players. As she looks ahead, she’s excited to build seasons that balance classic stories with imagination and relevance for young audiences. “We are looking for plays that are going to really capture the imagination of the young people in our audience.” That same sense of pride carries through when she talks about artists she’s mentored stepping into new creative roles of their own. “The moments where I feel the most proud are when people that I’ve had the honor to mentor really step into their own and shine really, really brightly.”
In many ways, Van Deusen’s journey mirrors the rhythm of The Barter Players themselves: artists arriving curious, learning through experience, and growing into roles they never quite imagined at the start. Now, as Artistic Director, she brings with her a deep understanding of what it means to be shaped by this work and this place. As she steps into this role, she does so not just with a vision for what comes next, but with a commitment to nurturing that same sense of possibility for the artists who will follow.
