Barter Theatre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barter Theatre, located in Abingdon, Virginia, opened on June 10, 1933. It is one of the longest running professional theatres in the nation. In 1933, when the country was in the middle of the Great Depression, most patrons were not able to pay the full ticket price. Robert Porterfield, founder of the theatre, offered admittance by letting the local people pay with food goods, hence the name "Barter". The original ticket price for a play was 40 cents, or the equivalent in goods. In 1946, Barter Theatre was designated the State Theatre of Virginia. Today, Barter is one of the last year-round professional resident repertory theatres remaining in the United States.
After Porterfield's death in 1971, Rex Partington was named the artistic director, serving from 1972-1992. Since 1992, Richard Rose has served as the Barter Theatre's third artistic director.
Many well-known stars of stage, screen and television have launched their careers at Barter, including Gregory Peck, Ernest Borgnine, Patricia Neal, Ned Beatty, Hume Cronyn, Gary Collins, Frances Fisher, Kevin Spacey, Larry Linville and Wayne Knight. On The Lot winner Will Bigham acted at Barter Theatre for many years before pursuing a film career alongside his wife Catherine Gray.
In 1995, Barter Theatre underwent a massive renovation that made the theatre more comfortable for patrons and gave all the seats an unobstructed view of the stage. In 2006, over 160,000 patrons passed through its historic stages enjoying productions from Shakespeare to new, Appalachian-themed plays.
