Have you seen the “Will work for food” sign? Well, during the Great Depression, Robert Porterfield thought it was a wonderful idea to cast him. They were able to get much-needed food and the farmers of southwestern Virginia were able to 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 the entrance was “35 cents or the equivalent in products”. I bought the first ticket with a little pig! He screamed so loud that the actors tied him up in front of the theater to serve as a barker. Most of the customers brought produce or canned goods. As you can see in the photograph, someone brought a calf. They continue the tradition of at least one performance per year when they collect non-perishable items for a local food bank. Barter Theater was honored by the Virginia General Assembly in 1946 by being designated “The State Theater of Virginia.”
In case you’re wondering if any of those starving actors ever became someone you might have heard of, it’s 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 film 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 recounts 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 except hard work. and food. My friend, not accepting the job they offered him, stayed one day, I stayed for five years. During that time I fell in love with the town and everything it offered.”
Barter Theater has undergone some major renovations over the years. In 1996, the theater underwent a $1.7 million renovation. One thing remained, however: the 500-bulb chandelier that Mr. Porterfield saved from New York’s Empire Theater in 1953. It has become so popular that it has outgrown its only stage. In 2002, over 50,000 people attended Barter Stage II (located across from the main stage in a building that has served as a church and university gymnasium). Originally known as the Barter Playhouse, it is currently undergoing an $800,000 renovation to expand the existing facility. Once the renovations are complete, it will offer more seating, expanded restrooms, a gift shop, and cafeteria.
The Barter Players, formerly known as Barter’s First Light Theatre, produces interactive productions and workshops that correlate to the objectives of the Virginia Learning Standards. 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 spoke of “a delightful story I heard at lunch…from Robert Porterfield.” The story told of a man and his wife who had brought a milk cow to the theater. The man asked Mr. Porterfield how much milk he would have to provide to buy 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 attend as well. The farmer said she would, but he wasn’t milking her. The tale appealed to Mrs. Roosevelt’s do-it-yourself attitude, but also her cooperative spirit and the idea of being able to trade in your goods and services for what you lack.
If you’re in town for Virginia Highland’s Abingdon Festival, be sure to plan to spend a night or two…or three at The Barter Theatre, where director Richard Rose opens each performance with Mr. Porterfield’s wry request: “If you like us, then talk about us! But if you don’t, then keep your mouth shut.”
