| Show t A Ay y s c y A. A N 5 y S A V Yd BARTER FOR BEANS BEAN At I I. I Virginias Virginia's info's uni unique a Barter thea theater ter where produce I t I can be c exchanged rte for tickets pigs chickens and other oth oth- Y cr er r barn barnyard and d denizens deni ni zens vc vegetables g. g and fruits pile up f J at the box o o office cc t x Produce received x in ID trade provides pro pro- vides meals torI for tor ww I K d FOR BED AND DEANS DEANS' Unique Barter Theater Plays Significant Role in ITS US Drama Features ABINGDON Va In In these days of wholesale prosperity and bulging bank vaults it is difficult to recall that a mere dozen years or so ago bread lines reached far up the streets smoke long since had ceased to billow from factory chimneys chimney's chimneys chimneys chim chim- ney's banks clanged shut their doors and threw away the keys people faced starvation in a land of plenty farmers could not sell their produce produce and and the American theater suffered suffered suffered suf suf- the worst season in history It was in this depression setting that the Barter theater was born in 1933 Returning from a tour with Walter Hamp- Hamp Robert Robert Rob Rob- C den in m Cyrano de Bergerac ert Porterfield scanned the dismal Broadway scene He found hordes of feU fellow ow actors out of work and hungry with no prospects of casting calls caUs Recalls Ancient Trades He thought of produce left in the I j fields and the problems of econom econom- ics He recalled that in farming communities business is by the ancient barter system His family he remembered remembered remembered had purchased the old Virginia Virginia Virginia Vir Vir- ginia home place from the Indians by barter around 1800 Reasoning that there was plenty plent of talent on Broadway Broadway- but no money money and and plenty of food on farms farms but but no money money- Porterfield decided to bring the two together by founding the nations nation's nations nation's nations nation's na na- tion's first Barter theater As the site for his experimental theater he decided on Abingdon first English town west of the Al- Al and only a fey few miles from the family homestead at Glad I Spring He arranged to use the buildings of the defunct Martha Washington college for a home Near this spot Daniel Boones Boone's trail west crossed the old Wilderness road When Porterfield sounded out gome some ome of his stage friends he was besieged besieged besieged be be- by candidates willing to forsake forsake forsake for for- sake Broadway for three months of acting in exchange for bed beans and salubrious Virginia mountain air Selects 21 Actors From the list of applicants Porterfield Porterfield Porterfield Porter- Porter field selected 21 talented thespians who were willing to double as stage stagehands stagehands stagehands hands scene designers seamstresses seamstresses seam seam- stresses and general genera around all I theater people By wheedling pieces of furniture old fabrics electrical equipment decorations and md other I properties on a round of shops stores and wholesalers Porterfield finally assembled a freight car of material By the time Porterfield got his 21 actors and carload of equipment to Abingdon he had one lone dollar In his pocket A canvass of the community netted kitchen supplies tableware and other necessities Women of the town made curtains Boy Scouts cleaned up the grounds On a sunny June da day in 1933 the Barter theater first theater to accept produce as well as cash at the box office was officially officially officially of of- opened to a packed house and a full pantry The theater is located in the old Main 1 street opera house erected In 1830 and the second oldest in the nation The theater incidentally is part of the town hall It is linked with the mayors mayor's office and the local hoosegow Is in the rear with the dressing rooms next to the cells Pigs Are Prolific First ticket to Barter theater was traded to a farmer for a baby pig which became a pet of the Barter Borter colony At the end of the season season season sea sea- son Porterfield proposed to serve the pig at a farewell banquet for forthe forthe forthe the staff but the actors rebelled Porterfield acquiesced and sent the pig to his fathers father's farm where It formed the foundation for an unending unending unending ing supply of hams for the colony's dining tables Sugar cured hams from descendants of that little pig also went to playwrights In lieu of royalties Porterfield never having paid a cash royalty Intrigued by the new theater townsfolk and farmers flocked to the opening night performance News New that tickets could be secured in trade traveled fast Soon the town barber arrived with an offer of haircuts and shaves for first row sea seats ts Live chickens and other fowl honey potatoes onions enough to last for a century lettuce corn and chocolate cakes were included among the bartered items Constant problem for Porterfield's Porterfield's Porterfield's Porter- Porter fields field's chief dietitian is to evolve new recipes with which to use the cottage cheese which two elderly eld- eld erly women present for their admissions ad missions nightly Once the two women brought more mote cheese than usual and asked for ten cents change because we thought we would like to buy a n soda after the show In early years of the theaters theater's existence existence existence ex ex- produce accounted for fn almost almost almost al al- most 85 per cent of the total take sometimes more Porterfield begged for money Today the reverse is true about 90 per cent of the receipts receipts re reo being in m cash Taking cognizance cog of current shortages Porterfield Pore For now begs for produce Trace Groups Group's History History of the Barter theater is divided into two periods the prewar barter period and the postwar professional pro period The distinction Porterfield hastens to explain doe does not indicate that prewar companie companies were not composed largely of pro pro- During that period however how how- ever the actors received no compensation compensation com except bed and board Since raising the first curtain or Ot June 10 1933 the Barter colony ha has presented plays in more that thac 1000 performances In addition tc the regular Abingdon season the players have trouped to nearby Virginia Virginia Vir ginia sinia towns of the fog circuit sc designated by because ol oj the ghostlike fog that is each night through the mountains of southwest Virginia Gets State Grant Now after being closed during war years when the young founder founder- director entered the army air ait forces Barter theater has resumed operations Aided by a n subsidy ol oj from the commonwealth ol oj Virginia Barter now ranks as the first state theater in history ol oj America From this start Porterfield Porter Porter- field envisions an expansion of such theatrical enterprises throughout the nation until something resembling resembling bling the Old Vic Vie theater of England England Eng land has been achieved The state grant has enabled Barter Bar ter to to be set up on an annual basis with a permanent company Although now on regular salary however the actors still double as stage hands box office cashiers ushers ushers ush ers and even as caretakers of ducks pigs chickens goats and other barnyard barnyard barn barn- yard denizens some of which are arc recent box office receipts while others others others oth oth- ers are descendants of the original barter animals Plan Extended Tour At close of the regular season In Abingdon this fall the company launched an extensive statewide tour covering 70 Virginia cities inan in inan inan an attempt to provide every citizen an opportunity of viewing the best in drama as staged by the theatrical group which the state has underwritten ten Performances in other south south- cm err states will follow tollow with two weeks in hi New York climaxing th the trip On the results of ot the tour hinges the feasibility of ot state subsidized drama throughout America adherents ad ad- of the project agree |
