Barter Theatre facts for kids
Barter Theare
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| Formation | 1933 |
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| Type | Theatre group |
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Artistic director(s)
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Katy Brown |
The Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, is a very special place. It opened on June 10, 1933. It is the longest-running professional theatre in the United States. This means it has been putting on plays for a very long time without stopping!
Contents
History of Barter Theatre
How the Idea Started
In 1933, the United States was going through a tough time called the Great Depression. Many people did not have much money. They could not afford to buy tickets for plays. Also, many actors could not find jobs.
A man named Robert Porterfield had a clever idea. He wanted to help both actors and people who loved theatre. He thought, "What if people could pay for tickets with food?" Farmers had lots of crops they could not sell. Actors needed food and a place to work.
So, Porterfield brought about twenty actors to Abingdon. He let local people pay for their tickets with food. This is how the theatre got its name, "Barter." To barter means to trade things instead of using money. Porterfield famously said, "With vegetables that you cannot sell you can buy a good laugh."
At first, a ticket cost 30 cents, or the same value in food. This idea seemed crazy at first. But it quickly became a huge success!
The actors were always busy. Even when they were not on stage, they helped out. They built scenery, found props, and even worked in the theatre's cafeteria. This cafeteria was at the Barter Inn, where the actors lived.
The First Play
The very first play at Barter Theatre was called After Tomorrow. It was written by John Golden. The theatre was completely full for this first show. People came with all sorts of things to trade. They brought cakes, fruit, vegetables, and even live chickens! One person even brought a live pig.
Reaching Out to Audiences
Even though Barter Theatre stayed in Abingdon, it performed plays in many different places. In 1939, the group traveled to New York City. They performed three different plays there.
In 1949, one of their groups even performed Hamlet in Denmark! That same year, another group toured around. They did one-night shows in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
In 1993, a special group was started called the First Light Players. This group focused on theatre for young audiences. Today, they are known as the Barter Players. They bring live theatre to young people in many parts of the South and East Coast.
Theatre Buildings and Upgrades
When it first started, Barter Theatre performed in the Abingdon Opera House. The actors stayed at the Martha Washington Inn. In 1935, the theatre moved to a former college campus. The actors lived in the old college dorms. They performed plays in the college's auditorium.
The place where the actors stayed became known as the Barter Inn. People could even make reservations to eat with the actors there!
In 1996, the theatre building got a big makeover. It cost $1.7 million to make it better. The stage was made much deeper. New lights and sound systems were added. The heating and air conditioning were improved. The balcony was also made bigger, so more people could sit there and have a better view.
Barter Theatre Today
Today, Barter Theatre is one of the few professional repertory theaters left in the United States. A repertory theatre means they have a group of actors who perform many different plays throughout the year.
The main theatre building was originally a church built in 1833. It is the second-oldest theatre building in the United States! In 1953, the inside was updated with parts from the Empire Theatre in New York. Later, the seats were replaced with seats from another theatre that closed.
Every year, Barter Theatre celebrates its history with "Barter Days." On these days, people can pay for their tickets with canned food instead of money. All the food is then given to a local charity.
Theatre Directors
Robert Porterfield was the director until he passed away in 1971. After him, Rex Partington became the artistic director from 1972 to 1992. Richard Rose then led the theatre from 1992 to 2019.
In 2019, Katy Brown became the fourth artistic director. She is also the first woman to hold this important job! The theatre has continued to be very successful under their leadership.
Famous Actors Who Started Here
Many famous actors performed at Barter Theatre early in their careers. These include stars you might know from movies and TV shows. Some of them are Gregory Peck, Ernest Borgnine, Patricia Neal, and Ned Beatty. Other well-known actors include Hume Cronyn, Gary Collins, Frances Fisher, Larry Linville, John Glover, Jim Varney, and Wayne Knight.
Theatre Facilities
The Barter Theatre is located in the historic part of Abingdon. The main theatre is called Gilliam Stage. It has 505 seats, with 216 of them in the balcony. There is also a smaller theatre called Barter Stage II, or Smith Theatre, which has 167 seats.
Starting in 2020, the theatre began putting on plays at the Moonlite Theatre. This is an outdoor drive-in theatre. Plays are performed on a stage and also shown on a big screen. People can watch from their cars, which helps with social distancing. The sound comes through their car radios. This allowed plays to continue safely during the pandemic. Indoor shows at Gilliam Stage started again in September 2021, with safety rules in place.
Awards and Honors
Barter Theatre has received many special awards:
- 1946: It was named the State Theatre of Virginia.
- 1948: It won a Tony Regional Theatre Award. This is a very important award for theatres!
- 2006: It won the Business of the Year Award for its region.
- 2008: It won the Torchbearer Award from the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
The Barter Theatre Award
In 1939, the theatre started a special award. It was given for the "outstanding performance by an American player." The first person to win was Laurette Taylor. The next year, Dorothy Stickney won.
Each winner received an acre of mountain land near Abingdon. They also got a Virginia ham! Winners also got to choose two actors to perform with the theatre.
