Sarah Buck

The Barter Players Stage Manager

Sarah is originally from Nebraska and made the move to Abingdon VA in 2017. She received her Bachelors from the University of Nebraska- Omaha in theatre with a concentration in stage management and a minor in communication studies. In addition to her stage management work she takes pride in making theatre more accessible and serves on the community support team for the Barter Player’s Sensory Friendly Productions.

Sara Douglas

Stage Manager

Sara is incredibly grateful to be continuing her journey at Barter Theatre. She has been at Barter since 2011, serving as a production intern, production assistant, The Barter Players Stage Manager, and touring as The Barter Players Encore Company Stage Manager. Sara holds degrees in Theatre and History from Wilmington College – GO QUAKERS! When not stage managing, you can find her visiting Civil War battlefields or baking cookies in her Star Wars apron. Thank you to KB, JH, CR, BG, WA, BH, LH, her family, and all her Player brothers and sisters.

Cindi A. Raebel

Production Stage Manager

Cindi has had the honor and pleasure to work with Barter Theatre for over a decade, and she is still as excited as she was her first year. Cindi has worked as an AEA stage manager for 25 years, and is glad she has been able to make Abingdon her home. Some of her favorite Barter shows, include but are not limited to: Wooden Snowflakes; Friendly’s Fire; Bright Star; Big Fish; Evita; Beauty and the Beast; and Madame Buttermilk. Cindi wishes you the same feeling of excitement and wonder while you are watching the show as she has while working on it.

Karen N. Rowe

Stage Manager

Raised in/around Johnson City, TN, and a graduate of ETSU, Karen has worn many hats in her 25 year association with Barter Theatre and while the Administrative visor is most often worn these days, she is happy for opportunities to don her Stage Management cap again. In her SM heyday, Karen worked on nearly 100 productions with particular favorites being; Looking over the President’s Shoulder, Civil War Voices, I’ll Never Be Hungry Again, It’s a Wonderful Life and more recently, The Santaland Diaries. Karen is proud to support the great work of the many people that form the heart of Barter Theatre.

Victoria L. Sutton

Assistant Stage Manager

Victoria is thrilled to be a part of the Barter Theatre family. Hailing from Columbus, OH, Victoria holds a B.F.A. in Theatrical Design and Production from Wright State University, Dayton. Victoria first joined the Barter team in September of 2014 and has since had the pleasure of working on dozens of shows at both Gilliam Stage and Barter Stage II. She is the former stage manager for The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and The Zoot Theatre Company.

Rusty Allen

Rusty is honored to join Barter’s Resident Acting Company for the 2019 season! He proudly served as a Barter Player from 2016-2018, bringing the arts to thousands of young people across the Southeast in productions such as: Aesop’s Fables (Aesop); A Duck Called Ugly (Ugly); and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Willy Wonka). His other Barter credits include: The Producers (Leo Bloom); Shrek: the Musical (Pinocchio); Camelot (Mordred); Great Expectations (Miss Havisham & Herbert Pocket); and Sally McCoy (Cap Hatfield). Rusty is a native of Rochester, NY, holds a BA in Theatre with a second major in Communicative Disorders & Sciences from SUNY Geneseo, and has also worked with Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center, and Seven Stages Shakespeare. Deepest gratitude to Rick, Katy, and the entire Barter family for their wonderful support, his biological family near and far, and especially to JLWH for teaching, inspiring, and loving him every single day. More at rusty-allen.com.

Mary Lucy Bivins

Mary Lucy Bivins is a native of Spartanburg, SC. She began acting in high school and continued throughout undergraduate school at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC. She earned a graduate degree in theatre from Wake Forest University, where she stayed on to direct and teach acting for nearly a decade. She performed with the NC Shakespeare Festival for two seasons, where she earned membership in the Actors’ Equity Association. At this time she was also directing two productions a year at her alma mater, Salem. She spent more than a decade performing with Charlotte Repertory Theatre and the Blowing Rock Stage Company. Mary Lucy became a member of the Screen Actors Guild following her appearance in the feature film, The Road to Wellville.

Paris Bradstreet

Paris Bradstreet was born and raised in Danvers, Massachusetts. In preschool, when she was presented with the options of being either a Pilgrim or a Native American in the Thanksgiving pageant, Paris chose to dress as a turkey. After playing Peter Pan in third grade, Paris determined that she wanted to be an actor when she grew up.
She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre from Ithaca College in upstate New York, and her Masters degree in Acting from California State University, Fullerton. After spending parts of the 2012 and 2013 seasons at Barter, Paris joined the resident acting company in 2014, overjoyed to have found an artistic home after working in regional theaters across the country for 20 years.
Favorite roles over her seven years here include Marge (The Bridges of Madison County), Elizabeth (Richard III), Mamma Murphy (Bright Star), Martha Watson (White Christmas), Emma (Over The River and Through The Woods), Mama Morton (Chicago), Vernadette (Dixie Swim Club), Rosie (Mamma Mia!), Carmen (Curtains), Witch (Big Fish), Bird Woman (Mary Poppins), Bonnie (Anything Goes), Eunice (A Streetcar Named Desire), and Mrs. Meekly (Unnecessary Farce).
Paris would never have made it here without the love, laughter and support of her amazing Mom and Dad, and she is so very grateful for the passion and commitment of the wonderful Barter family. THANK YOU for supporting live theatre!

Kim Morgan Dean

Kim Morgan Dean is overjoyed to be back for her second season in Barter’s resident company. Barter roles include: Kathy (Singin’ in the Rain), Truvy (Steel Magnolias), Eve (Wooden Snowflakes), and Lady Anne et al (Richard III).Previously, Kim was a company member at Greenbrier Valley Theatre (GVT) in Lewisburg, West Virginia, where she also served as the associate artistic director. Favorite GVT roles include: Leading Player (Pippin), Gwendolyn (The Importance of Being Earnest), Velma Kelly (Chicago), Sally (Cabaret), Jo (Little Women), Chelsea (On Golden Pond), Maggie (Let It Snow) and Aldonza (Man of La Mancha). New York credits include: Have I Got A Girl For You at the NY Fringe Fest and Sevan Kaloustian Greene’s play Narrow Daylight at the New York Theatre Workshop, opposite Tony winners Victoria Clark and Randy Graff. Other credits: Janet in Yankee Tavern (Florida Stage); Lisa in Collected Stories at Mosaic Theatre (Carbonell Nomination, Best Supporting Actress); Ginny in Relatively Speaking; Rosalind in Moon Over Buffalo (Florida Rep); and Mrs. Farley in Playhouse Creatures (Women’s Theatre Project). She is the recipient of the 2008 and 2009 Carbonell Best Supporting Actress Award for her performances as Wren in Body of Water (Mosaic Theatre) and Mairead in GableStage’s production of The Lieutenant of Inishmore, respectively.

Hannah Ingram

Hannah Ingram first joined Barter Theatre’s Resident Acting Company in 2008, and she has been happily stretching her creative boundaries here ever since. Some favorite Barter productions: A Streetcar Named Desire (Blanche DuBois); Cabaret (Sally Bowles); 39 Steps (Annabella/Margaret/Pamela); Evita (Evita); Thicker Than Water (Andrea Yates); Man of La Mancha (Aldonza); as well as directing Barter Theatre’s 2015 production of Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol. NYC: From Paris to Main Street (World Premiere, Kraine Theatre); For A Good Time Call… (Duplex Cabaret Theatre); Island of the Blue Dolphins (Theatreworks USA). Regional: Walnut Street Theatre (Philadelphia, PA); Porthouse Theatre Company (Kent, OH); Allenberry Playhouse (Harrisburg, PA); A2 New Plays Festival (Ann Arbor, MI); Mohonk Mountain Stage (New Paltz, NY); Lakes Region Theatre (Meredith, NH). She worked for The Mouse, sailing the seven seas on Disney Cruise Line. She also had the honor of spending three years entertaining our active-duty military and veterans by traveling worldwide as a member and company manager of the USO World troupe, “The Liberty Belles” – an Andrews Sisters-style trio, specializing in intricate three-part harmony. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the prestigious University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She has been a proud member of Actors’ Equity for over a decade. She is eternally grateful for her friends, her dog, her life, her Matt, and her incredible parents.

Zacchaeus Kimbrell

Zacchaeus Kimbrell is absolutely thrilled to be joining the elite Resident Acting Company here at Barter! He is a graduate of The University of Alabama, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in music and a minor in theatre. In the summer of 2011, Zacchaeus made his New York City solo debut performing in Carner and Gregor’s Barely Legal Show-Tune Extravaganza (III) at Drom restaurant. That same summer, he was a featured performer among Broadway veterans in See. ‘Spot.’ Sing.: An Evening with Broadway Spotted and Friends at The Metropolitan Room in NYC. In December of 2011, Zacchaeus was seen as the Innkeeper/Homeless Man understudy in the first ever southeastern national tour of The Forgotten Carols, a Christmas musical produced by Michael Young and directed by Tony Blake. Another highlight in his performing career was the opportunity to perform as a spiritual soloist with the National Festival Chorus and University Singers of The University of Alabama at Carnegie Hall in New York City in May of 2010. Just one year earlier, in 2009, he won the T. Earle Award for Best Featured Actor for his portrayal of Henrik Egerman in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music with Theatre Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloosa, AL). He spent the summer of 2013 serving young audiences as a Barter Player in Mother Goose: The Musical, Cinderella, and The Pied Piper of Hamelin. On top of his theatre career, Zacchaeus has been teaching voice for seven years, and has worked with many singers of all different genres of music. Visit www.zacchaeuskimbrell.com for more information! Follow @zjkimbrell on Twitter!​

Carrie Smith Lewis

Carrie Smith Lewis first came to Barter in the fall of 2006, appearing inJane Eyre and Murderer. Since then, Carrie has worked at Barter in a number of capacities: actor, director, casting assistant, dialect coach, private acting instructor, and box office attendant. She is an associate member of the Resident Acting Company, as well as a two-year alumnus of The Barter Players. Favorite roles over the years include: M’Lynn (Steel Magnolias), Annie Sullivan (The Miracle Worker), Lena (The Dryad), Roxanne (The Understudy), Kamila (The Perfect Murder), Carrie Chapman Catt (Winter Wheat), Yvonne (The Gnome), and Debbie (The Doyle and Debbie Show). Carrie frequently serves as a text coach for the Shakespeare productions at the Barter. Her directing credits include Morning After Grace and The Road to Appomattox at Smith Theatre and Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, and Cinderella for the Barter Players. Carrie received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from East Tennessee State University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Florida Atlantic University. She has worked regionally with the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, North Carolina Stage Company, Immediate Theatre Project, Hampstead Stage Company, and Rude Mechanicals Productions. She has also served on the faculties of East Tennessee State University and Emory & Henry College, where she recently directed an all-female production of Macbeth. She resides in Abingdon with her husband, fellow company member Justin Tyler Lewis, and their daughter Charlie.

Justin Tyler Lewis

Justin Tyler Lewis is proud to be a member of Barter Theatre’s Resident Acting Company. He started his education at Catawba College where he studied Theatre and the Liberal Arts. After graduation, he continued his education at Charleston Stage in Charleston, SC where — as a member of their resident acting program — he gained experience as a teacher and actor. Justin was fortunate to follow that up with an internship with the Barter Players. As a member of the Barter Players, Justin continued his training while learning to serve young audiences and touring extensively throughout the eastern US. Some of his favorite roles with the Barter Players include Buck in The Call of the Wild, Alexander in Alexander & the…Very Bad Day, and Xanthus in Aesop’s Fables. After two years in the Player company, Justin joined the resident acting company in 2012. Memorable roles since then have included Billy Cane (Bright Star), Sherlock Holmes (…And The American Problem), Sky (Mamma Mia!), Will Bloom (Big Fish), and Enjolras (Les Miserables). Justin lives in Abingdon, VA with his wife, fellow actor, director, and company member Carrie Lewis, and their daughter Charlie.

Andrew Hampton Livingston

Andrew Hampton Livingston loves working at Barter Theatre. Some favorite roles include: Richard (Richard III); Cosmo Brown (Singin’ in the Rain); Jimmy Ray (Bright Star); Lysander (A Midsummer Nights Dream); Winston Smith (1984); Nick (Over the River and Through the Woods); Simon (Wooden Snowflakes); and The Tin Man (The Wizard of Oz). He also directed Lying in State and is the Resident Tap Choreographer at Barter. Andrew is so thankful for the loves of his life, Amanda, Clara, and Arthur.

Tricia Matthews

Tricia joined the Barter Resident Acting company in 2005. She also directs and is the Resident Acting Coach. Her Barter acting credits include Sally McCoy in the premiere of Sally McCoy, Eleanor (Lion in Winter); Donna (Mamma Mia!); Van Helsing (Dracula); Mother Superior (Sister Act); Amanda (The Glass Menagerie); Fraulein Schneider (Cabaret); Martha (October Before I Was Born, World Premiere); Ann (I Do, I Do, I Do, US Premiere); and the one-woman show The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead. As a director: The Bridges of Madison County, Santaland Diaries, Chicago: The Musical, Woman in Black, Looking Over the President’s Shoulder, Holiday Memories, Half a World Away (World Premiere), Dial M for Murder and Educating Rita.

Before coming to Barter, Tricia had an extensive career in regional theatre. She performed at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in the world premiere of Herman Wouk, Jimmy Buffet’s Don’t Stop the Carnival, and the southwest premiere of Nunsense Jamboree with Danny Goggin. She has played in The Cherry Orchard (Madame Ranevskaya), Hay Fever (Judith), The Crucible (Elizabeth), Menopause: The Musical (Soap Star), The New Yorkers (Alice), High Spirits (Elvira), Eccentricities of a Nightingale (Alma) and played on the stages of South Coast Rep, Asolo Theatre, Florida Stage, Arkansas Rep, Florida Studio, Centre Stage, Stage One, New Theatre, Mark II, Royal Palm, Seaside Music Theatre, Beef & Boards, Mill Mountain, Surflight, Connecticut Rep, Pirate Playhouse, among others.
Television and film credits include seaQuest DSV, Superboy, Divorce Court, One Life to Live, Guiding Light and co-starring with Morgan Fairchild and Engelbert Humperdinck in Even Angels Fall. Tricia holds a BA from CSU Fullerton and an MFA in Acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory and is a two-time bone marrow donor.

Rick McVey

Rick McVey is proud to have been acting in Barter productions since 2003 and has been a full-time member of Barter Theatre’s Resident Acting Company since 2005. Some of his favorite roles here include: Todd (Friendly’s Fire); Doyle Mayfield (The Doyle & Debbie Show); Robert E. Lee (The Road to Appomattox); Javert (Les Misérables); Scrooge (A Christmas Carol 2011); George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life); Harold (The Full Monty); and Kris Kringle (Miracle on 34th Street, 2008 and 2015).

Rick has now appeared in over 100 productions on Barter’s stages and appeared as the Boss in Barter’s 2009 national touring production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.

Rick has also had the honor of directing the Barter Players’ productions of Just So Stories, The Ugly Duckling, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and The Scarlet Letter. He also wrote and directed the award-winning feature film FREEDOM and co-wrote and produced the feature film THIS WORLD. His play for young audiences, The Learning Box, was the first play ever endorsed by the Virginia Education Association.
Prior to coming to Barter, Rick spent many years of his career in broadcasting and performing in and directing scores of shows at Theatre Bristol, where he also served for a time as Producing Director. He was also the producing director of the Don’t Touch That Dial! radio theater company for six years.
Rick is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and in 2010 was inducted into the ETSU Department of Communications Alumni Hall of Fame. A native of the region, Rick got his first exposure to live theater attending plays at Barter as an elementary school student in Damascus, Virginia. He and his wife Lola have three children with wonderful spouses and six grandchildren.

Nicholas Piper

Nicholas Piper is an associate director of Barter Theatre in charge of new play development, as well as a director and actor in the Resident Company. A graduate of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Nick first came to Barter as an intern in 1990 and went on to become a founding member of Barter’s First Light Theatre (now The Barter Players). Nick is also the director of Barter’s Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights, and is leading Barter’s Shaping of America Series. Nick has directed a number of plays for Barter including Elvis Has Left the Building, The Blue-Sky Boys, Showtime at First Baptist and I’ll Never Be Hungry Again. Some of his favorite roles include Chester in Circumference of a Squirrel, the Creature in Frankenstein and Jimmy Reed in The Road Where It Curves Away.

Michael Poisson

Michael Poisson is a proud member of Barter’s Resident Acting Company. He first came here from his native Massachusetts in 2001 and has appeared in more than 100 productions. Some favorite roles are Dracula (Dracula!), Atticus (To Kill a Mockingbird), Ryan (The Liquid Moon), Felix (The Odd Couple), Henry (The Lion in Winter), Herb (Lying in State), Matthew (Green Gables), Ronnie (The Quiltmaker), Boolie (Driving Miss Daisy) and Scrooge (A Christmas Carol).

David Alford

David Alford is a native Texan having grown up in the Dallas/Ft.Worth Metroplex. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and a teaching certification in Theatre Arts and English. In addition to working in radio (KCBI in Dallas and KNLE in Austin) and television (KSAT 12, an ABC affiliate in San Antonio), David became steadily involved in theatre while in San Antonio, Texas where, over the course of twelve years, he worked at numerous theatres including The Playhouse at San Pedro, The Sheldon Vexler Theatre, The Cameo Theatre and the Cellar Theatre. In addition to acting, David began working with multiple student performance groups providing theatre education to children of all ages. David moved with his family to Abingdon in 2008 so his wife could begin her practice at Johnston Memorial Hospital. He soon began work with Barter’s education wing which he later reshaped into the Barter Youth Academy where he currently serves as the Artistic Director. David has also been working with the resident acting company over the past five seasons enjoying roles such as Boolie Werthan (Driving Miss Daisy), General Howell (Kiss Me Kate), Christopher Belling (Curtains), Victor Fleming (Don’t Cry for Me Margaret Mitchell), Kyle The UPS Guy (Legally Blonde) and Governor Fred (Lying in State).

Timothy Eidman

is making his Barter Theatre debut. Previous credits: Trevor the Musical (World Premiere, Writers Theatre Chicago); The Producers, Mary Poppins, The Bardy Bunch (Mercury Theatre Chicago); The Muny; Tibbits Opera House; The Boy on the Roof workshopped at Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival under the direction of Chet Walker and Stephen Schwartz. Training: Loyola University Chicago, London Dramatic Academy, Neighborhood Playhouse New York. Thanks to Mom, Dad, and DPR. Proud member of AEA.

Erin Eloise

Erin Eloise is thrilled to be with Barter Theatre! Regional credits include: Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Seattle Opera, The Wick Theatre and Mid-Columbia Ballet. Also a movement director, she made her Off-West End debut for the world premiere of Devil With The Blue Dress at the Bunker Theatre. She received her Masters in Music Theatre (Distinction) from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where she stayed on as faculty. An internationally recognized yoga instructor, she is currently pursuing her advanced 500hr certification. Erin wants to thank her son Will for being her constant inspiration and motivation!

Joey Fontana

Joey Fontana is thrilled to be a part of this season at Barter! Graduate of Oakland University (Rochester, MI) with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. National Tour Credits: Monty Python’s Spamalot; Regional Theatre Credits: Newsies (Fireside Theatre); Oklahoma!, Anything Goes (Porthouse Theatre); A Chorus Line, Little Shop of Horrors (The Huron Playhouse). Endless love and appreciation for his biggest fans: Mom, Dad, and Aunt Lori. Visit joeyfontana.com or check out @joeyfontanaa on Instagram for more info!

Abigail Gatlin

Abigail Gatlin is thrilled to make her Barter Theatre debut and be so close to her hometown Cleveland, TN! New York: Rockette (Radio City Christmas Spectacular); Nat’l/Internat’l Tours: Silly Girl, u/s Babette (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast); Regional: Bombalurina/Demeter (CATS, Fingerlakes Musical Theatre Festival & Cortland Repertory Theatre), Beauty and the Beast (Ogunquit Playhouse, NC Theatre), Ens, u/s Serena/Vivienne (Legally Blonde, FLMTF), Gloria, u/s Dorothy (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, FLMTF), Marty, Dance Capt (Grease, CRT). Unending love and gratitude to my family, friends.

Katherine Lyle

Katherine Lyle graduated from James Madison University in 2016 with a degree in Musical Theatre. Some of her favorite roles at Barter include: Amelia (Amelia Earhart); Rudolph (Rudolph); Jan Swaggart (Madame Buttermilk); and Biddy (Great Expectations). She’d like to thank her family for always supporting and encouraging her to follow her joy, and her horse, Belle, who is still too far away for snuggles.

Wendy Piper

Wendy Piper’s heart is swelling with her return to the Barter stage. Originally from Corsicana, Texas, Wendy graduated with a theatre degree from Texas Tech. After living and working in NY and LA, Wendy made her way home to Abingdon and Barter Theatre in 2004. She was last seen in 2017’s The Savannah Sipping Society and Leaving Iowa. Other favorite productions are too many to name, but her most favorite role has been Mother to her daughters, Lucy and Maggie. Oh, and of course Wife, in the marriage of Nick and Wendy. Love and gratitude to my tribe, and to YOU.

Kathy VanDereedt

Barter Theatre debut! Favorite credits include: Beauty and the Beast International Tour (Silly Girl, Babette u/s), La Traviata at The Kennedy Center (Washington National Opera), Crazy For You (Ensemble, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), Saturday Night Fever (Featured Ensemble, Stephanie u/s, RCCL),The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), Broadway Bares, and many others. Love always to Mom, Dominic, and everyone I call family! IG: @kath_vander

Sarah Van Deusen

Sarah Van Deusen is honored to serve as the Associate Director of The Barter Players. She most recently directed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer for The Barter Players. Recent acting credits include: The Lemonade Stand; Ghost, Ghost Come Out Tonight; and The Lion, The Witch,and The Wardrobe. She is a proud two-year alumnus of The Barter Players and a graduate of Wittenberg University with a B.A. in both Theatre and English. “Thanks to my parents for giving me a love of the arts, my sister for always being weird, Shaan for his big heart, and my Barter family for constantly inspiring me.” sarahvandeusen.com

Joe Carleton

Joe Carleton moved to Abingdon, VA to be a Barter Player after finishing his studies at Louisiana State University. While at LSU, Joe received several awards for both his stage and screen acting from organizations in the area. Select credits include: A Song That Plays Itself; SNUC; Love and Information; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Rocky Horror Show; and Green Day’s American Idiot. He would like to thank his family and friends for turning his dreams into a reality. Without them, he would not be where he is today. “Let’s make memories.”

Tyler Cramer

Tyler Cramer is thrilled to be joining the Barter Family as a Barter Player for a second year! Some favorite past credits include: Cat (The Cat in the Hat); Prince Harold (The Princess and the Pea); Chillingworth (The Scarlet Letter); Widow Douglas and others (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer); Brother George (Dough & Cookies); Booth (Assassins); Dr. Stuart (Horn in the West); Odysseus (The Odyssey); and Lopakhin (The Cherry Orchard). Tyler is a graduate of James Madison University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Media Arts & Design. Much love to his friends, family, and teachers!

Cadence Lamb

Oleode Oshotse

Zora Vredeveld

Zora Vredeveld is ecstatic to be performing at Barter Theatre! Zora, a native St. Louisan, is a recent graduate from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Recent credits include; Anne (La Cage Aux Folles); Roxie (Chicago); Penny (Hairspray); and Woman 1 (Songs for a New World). Love to her family, always.

Libby Zabit

Libby Zabit is a proud native of Madison, WI, and she could not be more thrilled to be at Barter this season! A recent graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University’s BFA Acting track, some of Libby’s favorite collaborations have been: Abigail Williams (The Crucible) and Chris Mundy (Dancing at Lughnasa) at IWU; Margery Pinchwife (The Country Wife, The British American Drama Academy); as well as a season at Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Libby is endlessly grateful for the bravery and love she gets to spread everyday as a Barter Player! libbyzabit.com

Madeline Bullen

Barter Youth Academy Director Admissions

Madeleine Bullen is the Director of Admissions for the Barter Youth Academy. She has been with the program in different capacities since its creation in 2012. Madeleine has not only been a student, assistant, and director but she has also served as both Technical Director and choreographer for the program and has worked on BYA shows such as: Singin’ in the Rain Jr., High School Musical Jr., A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Little Women and Mary Poppins Jr. Madeleine has had the honor of teaching with BYA since 2014 and has had the privilege of directing shows such as Antigone, Arsenic and Old Lace, James and the Giant Peach, A Wrinkle in Time, Dear Edwina Jr, and Into the Woods. Madeleine is forever grateful to Barter for all of the opportunities she has been given over the years and to Joshua, James and AnnaTheresa who make every day an adventure. 

Nikki Skillman

Barter Youth Academy Director of Programming/Education

Nikki Skillman serves Barter Theatre’s Education Department as Barter Youth Academy’s Director of Education and as a Project REAL Teaching Artist. Nikki began her career with Barter in 2014 as a Project REAL Teaching Artist and in 2017 stepped into the role of Barter Youth Academy’s Director of Education. Nikki is a graduate of Emory & Henry College who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Acting, has completed conservatory training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in NYC, and has over a decade’s experience working with youth in a variety of camp programs and school settings. Nikki loves working in many facets of the Barter’s Education Department and thrives most when she is helping others realize and reach their full potential through exploring theatre and the arts.