Have you seen the “Will work for food” sign? Well, during the Great Depression, Robert Porterfield thought it was a wonderful idea for his actors. They could get much-needed food, and farmers in southwestern Virginia could enjoy quality entertainment. He convinced twenty-two Broadway actors to follow him from New York to Virginia.
Although the building itself was built in 1865, the Barter Theater opened in June 1933 with the production “After Tomorrow.” The cost of admission was “35 cents or the equivalent in products.” The first ticket was bought with a little pig! He screamed so loudly that the actors tied him up in front of the theater to act as a thief. Most of the customers brought agricultural or canned goods. As you can see in the photograph, someone brought a calf. The tradition continues for at least one performance per year when they collect non-perishable goods for a local food bank. The Barter Theater was honored by the Virginia General Assembly in 1946 by being designated “The Virginia State Theater.”
In case you’re wondering if any of those starving actors ever turned into someone you might have heard of, it is possible. Have you ever heard of Gregory Peck or George C. Scott? How about Patricia Neal or Hume Cronyn? Other Barter Theater alumni include John Spencer from The West Wing, Wayne Knight from Seinfeld and Kevin Spacy from the movie American Beauty. Robert Porterfield himself played Zeb Andrews in the 1941 film Sergeant York, and also appeared in The Yearling (1946) and Thunder Road (1958).
Ernest Borgnine recounted in an article he wrote for California Freemason On-Line: “In 1946, I traveled with a friend to a small town called Abingdon, Virginia, to see what the Barter Theater had to offer. It offered nothing but hard work. and food. My friend, not accepting the job they offered him, stayed one day – I stayed five years. In that time I came to love the city and everything it had to offer. “
Barter Theater has undergone major renovations over the years. In 1996, the theater was renovated for $ 1.7 million. However, one thing remained: the 500-bulb chandelier that Porterfield saved from the Empire Theater in New York in 1953. It has become so popular that it has outgrown its only stage. In 2002, more than 50,000 people attended Barter Stage II (located across the street from the main stage in a building that has served as a church and college gym). Originally known as the Barter Playhouse, it is currently undergoing an $ 800,000 renovation to expand existing facilities. Once the renovations are complete, it will offer more seating, expanded restrooms, a gift shop, and a cafeteria.
The Barter Players, formerly known as the Barter’s First Light Theater, produces interactive productions and workshops that correlate with the objectives of the Virginia Standards of Learning. Productions include “American Tall Tales,” “Edgar Allen Poe,” and “Fair and Tender Ladies,” based on the novel of the same name by southwestern Virginia author Lee Smith.
Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once told “a lovely story I heard told at lunch … by Robert Porterfield.” The story told of a man and his wife who had brought a dairy cow to the theater. The man asked Mr. Porterfield how much milk he would have to provide for a ticket to the show. Mr. Porterfield told him, and the man went out and milked the cow. When he returned alone, Mr. Porterfield asked if the man’s wife would not be attending as well. The farmer said that he would, but that he was not milking for her. The tale appealed to Ms. Roosevelt’s do-it-yourself attitude, but also to his cooperative spirit and the idea of being able to exchange his goods and services for those he lacks.
If you’re in town for Abingdon’s Virginia Highland Festival, be sure to plan to spend a night or two … or three at The Barter Theater, where director Richard Rose opens each performance with Mr. Porterfield’s tongue-in-cheek request: “If you like us, then talk about us! But if not, keep your mouth shut.”