Show 4 4 17 A t 4 BARTER FOR BEANS at virginias unique barter theater where produce can be exchanged acif for tickets pigs chickens and other barnyard deni zens vegetables and fruits pile up at the box office ra uce received in trade pro 1 vides meals for Barte rites gap FOR BED AND aim BEANS unique barter balster theater Theat els plays significant role in US drama D ama features ABINGDON va in these days of wholesale prosperity and bulging bank vaults it is difficult to recall that a m mere ere dozen years or so ago bread lines reached far up the streets smoke long since had ceased to billow from factory chimneys banks clanged shut their doors and threw away the keys people faced starvation in a land of plenty farmers could not sell their produce and the american theater suffered 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 hampden in cyrano de bergerac berjerac Ber gerac robs 0 ert porterfield scanned the dismal broadway scene he found hordes of fellow actors out of work and hungry with no prospects of casting calls recalls ancient trades he thought of produce left in the fields and the problems of economics he recalled that in farming communities considerable business Is transacted by the ancient barter system his family he remembered had purchased the old virginia home place from the indians by barter around 1800 reasoning that there was plenty of talent on broadway but no money and plenty of food on farms but no money porterfield decided to bring the two together by founding the nations first barter theater As the site tor for his experimental theater he decided on abingdon first english town west of the al AI legh anies and only a few miles from the family homestead at glad spring he arranged to use the buildings of the defunct martha washington college for a home near this spot daniel boones trail west crossed the old wilderness road when porterfield sounded out some of his stage friends he was besieged by candidates willing to forsake 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 selected 21 talented thespians who were willing to double as stage hands scene designers s seamstresses and general allaround all 11 a around round theater people by wheedling pieces of furniture old fabrics electrical equipment decorations and other 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 bad 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 day in 1933 the barter theater first theater to accept produce as well as cash at the box office was officially fici ally opened to a packed house and a full pantry the theater Is located in the old main street opera house erected in 1830 and the second oldest in the nation the theater incidentally is part of 0 the town hall it Is linked with the mayors 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 colony at the end of the season porterfield proposed to serve the pig at a farewell banquet for the staff but the actors rebelled porterfield acquiesced and sent the pig to his fathers farm where it formed the foundation tor for an unending supply of hams tor for the colons col onys 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 that tickets could be secured in trade traveled fast soon the town barber arrived with an offer of haircuts and shaves for first row seats live chickens and other fowl honey potatoes onions enough to last tor for a century lettuce corn and chocolate cakes were included among the bartered items constant problem tor for porter fields chief dietitian Is to evolve new recipes with which to use the cottage cheese which two elderly women present for their admissions mis nightly once the two women brought more cheese than usual and asked for ten cents change because we thought we would like to buy a soda after the show in early years of the theaters existence produce accounted for almost 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 being in cash taking cognizance of current shortages porterfield ter field now begs tor for produce trace groups history history of 0 the barter theater Is divided into two periods the prewar barter period and the postwar professional fess es ional period the distinction porterfield hastens to explain does not indicate that prewar companies were not composed largely of professionals fessio nals during that period however the actors received no compensation pensa tion except bed and board since raising the first curtain on june 10 1933 the barter colony has presented plays in more than 1000 performances in addition to the regular abingdon season the players have trooped to nearby virginia towns of the fog circuit so designated by Barte rites because ol of the ghostlike fog that Is whipped each night through the mountains of southwest virginia gets state grant now after being closed during war years when the young founder director entered the army air forces barter theater has resumed operations aided by a subsidy of from the commonwealth of virginia barter now ranks as the first state theater in history of america from this start porterfield envisions an expansion of such theatrical enterprises throughout the nation until something resembling the old vie vic theater of england has been achieved the state grant has enabled barter 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 and even as caretakers of ducks pigs chickens goats and other barnyard denizens some of which are recent box office receipts while others 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 in an attempt to provide every citizen an opportunity of viewing the best in drama as staged by the theatrical group which the state has underwrite ten performances in other southern states will follow with two weeks in new york climaxing the trip on the results of the tour hinges the feasibility of state subsidized drama throughout america adherents of the project agree |