SARAH RASMUSSEN started her first theater company at 14 in her hometown of Sisseton, South Dakota after seeing a Garland Wright production. Since then she's gone on to a national freelance career with critical acclaim for inventive storytelling and a generous exchange between actor and audience. Sarah is a 2011 Princess Grace Award Recipient and the former Resident Director for Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Black Swan Lab.  Her recent credits include I & You (Marin Theatre Company), In the Next Room (Jungle Theater, Zach Theatre), The Seven (Ten Thousand Things), We Play for the Gods (Women’s Project), Bureau of Missing Persons (Neighborhood Prod. NYC), Ballad of 222& 223, Hero Dad (Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival), Chile Pod (La Jolla Playhouse), Crashing the Party, Red Ink, 1001 (Mixed Blood). 

Sarah has developed and/or directed new work as the former Resident Director of OSF's Black Swan Lab and at theaters such as Soho Rep., New York Theater Workshop, Arena Stage, O’Neill Playwrights Conference, The Lark, PlayPenn, and The Playwrights’ Center and has worked as an assistant director on Broadway.  Fellowships include Princess Grace, Drama Leauge, Fullbright and OSF's Phil Killian. Upcoming:  Sense and Sensibility, Dallas Theatre Center. Awards:  Minneapolis IVEY Award for Overall Excellence & Best Director, Austin Critics Table for In the Next Room. She is the Head of MFA Directing at UT Austin.  Sarah has been a teaching artist in public schools in her home state of South Dakota, and guest artist with Brooklyn College MFA, Long Island University BFA and was recently named Head of UT Austin’s MFA in Directing.  Fellowships include Drama League, OSF's Phil Killian and Fulbright.  Member, Lincoln Center Director’s Lab.  MFA, UC San Diego.