Barter Theatre’s New Play Development Initiatives Build Community Through Connection, Inclusion, and Commitment

For the better part of a century, Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia, has been a model of connection, dedication, innovation, and perseverance. Barter’s connection to community, dedication to story, innovative approaches, and never-give-up attitude set a high standard for regional theatre within, and well beyond, its Southwest Virginia home. Located in the small town of Abingdon, Virginia, Barter is well known in the region for producing high quality professional repertory theatre and for its legendary start during the Great Depression. In 1933 when Barter Theatre began, its founder Robert Porterfield offered tickets to theatregoers in exchange for money or equivalent value in goods, which were used to sustain the performers and crew. The story goes that in their first season, Barter scored cash, “two barrels of jelly, and a collective weight gain of over 300 pounds.” That was no small feat in the midst of the economic instability felt by many during that time. The theatre that started out of passion, persistence, and necessity in the 1930s has been providing opportunities for theatre practitioners, the local community, and travelers from all over the world ever since.

One of the things that makes Barter truly a part of Appalachia is its commitment, not just to new work, but to new work that is of where we live.

Abingdon is seated in the heart of Appalachia. Southwest Virginia touches the borders of several other Appalachian states like Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine, treks right through neighboring towns. Calling Appalachia its “home” is a point of pride for Barter and a big part of why “place” is a strong theme in Barter’s initiatives around new work. “One of the things that makes Barter truly a part of Appalachia is its commitment, not just to new work, but to new work that is of where we live,” says Barter Theatre’s artistic director, Katy Brown.

Barter’s resident playwright, Catherine Bush, talks about Appalachia as an “exotic place that no one sees.” It’s a place of artists and farmers, she says, a place full of brave, trusting, “country-smart” people who persevere against challenges. Bush sees Appalachians as people who live “epic lives that nobody looks at” because they’re too caught up in stereotypes and stigma. The stories of Appalachia and its people are stories of home and family, of strength and pain, of historical struggle and grappling with the future––just like human experiences in other parts of the world. However, the region also offers stories centered around specific geography, history, identity, music, culture, traditions, and economic challenges that relate uniquely to the lives of Appalachians. When she set out into the world of playwriting, Bush recognized a hole in the theatrical canon and decided to focus on telling the stories of Appalachia that no one was telling. Her work with Barter Theatre began in 2003 when she first submitted to Barter’s Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights. Since then, she has written and adapted volumes of plays for Barter audiences and has helped Barter support the development of new plays and playwrights through its many initiatives.

The Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights (AFPP) began in 2001 as Barter’s very first program aimed at cultivating new work. This program encourages the development of work that contributes to the canon of plays by Appalachian playwrights or about Appalachia and the “Appalachian values of hard work, generosity, service, and story.” In 2002, Nicholas Piper, who started as an intern at Barter and grew into part of the resident company of actors, was drawn back to Barter to head the program after time away in New York. “The idea of leaving Appalachia and then returning home” is a recurring theme in stories about Appalachia, he says; it’s something that comes up a lot in the many plays he reads.

According to Piper, former Barter artistic director Richard Rose saw a gap in the theatrical canon––what was missing was authentic Appalachian plays. He created the Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights as a way of developing plays that Barter’s Appalachian audiences would appreciate.  AFPP has grown into a viable pathway for playwrights to contribute authentic stories of the region that audiences can connect with and take part in developing.

But Piper explains that since its inception AFPP has been both an audience-centered and a playwright-centered initiative. Barter understands the vulnerability required of playwrights who submit work to the festival, and the goal is to develop a relationship with each playwright that is built on trust. The Barter team makes a deliberate effort to create a positive experience for playwrights by creating a safe and supportive space for exploration, while still providing a productive way for audiences to have meaningful involvement in the development process. During carefully moderated talkbacks, Barter invites audience members to offer their observations about the plays in development.  Playwrights are often present but anonymous, and audience members are encouraged to offer their critiques in a constructive manner.  Over the years Barter’s AFPP audiences have come to understand the importance of this process and they approach the responsibility with care, pride, and excitement.

Over the last twenty-four years, Barter’s AFPP has resulted in the staged readings of over 130 plays and the development and production of over 40 new plays. Playwrights whose plays are selected for readings or mini productions during AFPP come to Barter to experience something like a retreat. Playwrights are welcomed to Abingdon, invited to be a part of the AFPP rehearsal process, treated to events and gatherings, paid for their work, and offered a safe and positive opportunity to get feedback from both theatre professionals and community members.

Barter’s focus on new work and Appalachian stories doesn’t begin and end with AFPP. A number of other programs and initiatives have grown out of this initial endeavor.

Not long after AFPP launched, Barter recognized the need to nurture the skill of playwrights who might one day contribute to AFPP and to the broader theatrical canon. Barter’s Young Playwright’s Festival was born out of a desire to teach young Appalachian students in nearby areas how to write and develop plays. The Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) is a mini version of AFPP with the addition of workshops for teachers and professional guidance for emerging playwrights throughout the process. Through collaboration with local schools, Barter invites young people to submit their ten-minute plays for selection by a panel of Barter professionals. Selected plays and playwrights go on to participate in a festival day where plays are showcased and the work of students, their teachers, and their schools are celebrated.

Each YPF invites five young playwrights who receive “honorable mentions” to have their plays read publicly by Barter performers. The top three plays selected receive “lightly staged performances” of their plays, along with cash prizes and individual mentoring sessions with experts in the field of theatre and playwriting. YPF led to Barter’s College Playwrights Festival (CPF), which similarly celebrates the work of undergraduate students in the region and aims to cultivate the skill of playwriting in those preparing to enter the professional world, with the hope that some of these plays and playwrights will go on to contribute to the collection of dramatic works about and for Appalachians.

Black Stories, Black Voices (BSBV), the most recent addition to Barter’s new work initiatives, began when the Barter team set out to prioritize the stories and experiences of Black Appalachians. BSBV explores the intersection of the Black experience in America and the Appalachian experience. The BSBV program invites Black Appalachian playwrights and Black playwrights from across the United States to contribute stories about Black Appalachians.

Terrance Jackson, director of outreach and Black Stories, Black Voices, explains that the conversation around the BSBV initiative started in response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Barter’s artistic director, Katy Brown, together with resident playwright Catherine Bush and AFPP director Nicholas Piper, recognized a need for the inclusion of a more diverse set of stories and storytellers and specifically set out to prioritize the telling of Black stories. They began planning ways to showcase the work of Black Appalachians, and they agreed that the first step was to use the existing AFPP programming to commit to helping build up the Black Appalachian theatrical canon. In 2020, Barter committed to showcasing at least one play by a Black playwright through the AFPP process. This commitment meant that they needed to actively work to build relationships with Black playwrights and storytellers in the region and beyond and that they needed a trusted figure to coordinate that outreach.

Terrance Jackson began as a part of Barter’s intern company, The Barter Players, in 2013, and returned to assist in Barter’s innovative approach to sustaining live theatre during a global pandemic. In 2020 Jackson was invited to usher in the Black Stories, Black Voices initiative. Jackson became a recognizable part of the Barter team, not only through his performances at Barter, but also through his work in the marketing department where he actively nurtured Barter’s relationships with the surrounding communities. Jackson’s experience and connective personality were clearly an asset. Early discussions about how to fuel the BSBV initiative resulted in the idea of a monologue competition to inspire the creation of new work about the Black experience in Appalachia. The idea took shape under Jackson’s care and guidance, and soon SHINE: Illuminating Black Stories, was born. This annual, one-night event showcases six monologues selected from competition submissions. In February, SHINE will celebrate its fourth year. This year’s theme is “Black Education and Educators in Appalachia,” and Jackson and the rest of the team are excited to see what stories surface about Black educators making an impact on the region.

SHINE is a free event, making it accessible to the community. In no time, the event has developed a reputation as an anticipated celebration of Black stories by Black storytellers, and it comes complete with packed houses and tangible excitement. Writers are paid a respectable stipend if their monologue is selected for the event, and Barter’s network of professionals collaborate to make the work come to life. Audiences are included as a critical part of the development process, just like in all other Barter initiatives. Based on audience response and feedback, as well as the playwright’s goal for the work, some pieces are commissioned for further development. So far Barter has commissioned two full-length plays that began as monologues showcased during SHINE over the last three years.

The work of BSBV began as a kind of storytelling initiative––a way of giving a voice to stories that were not being heard. As Jackson explains, “Everybody’s stories should be told.” In a time when Black stories are often silenced and Black history is being erased, it is important, he says, to help keep those stories alive. Jackson hopes that by targeting stories that are “happening in our backyard,” BSBV can be conduit for the “richness of the Black experience in Appalachia.” He sees this initiative as an important, small step within a larger picture; it’s a way that Barter can do their part to make sure stories are shared and not forgotten. Jackson hopes that BSBV will inspire other theatres to do similar work to tell the stories of marginalized groups in their own communities.

By uplifting the voices of marginalized and unseen groups, Barter is helping to rescript existing narratives in a way that showcases the lived experiences, diversity, and diligence of a region that is often overlooked.

Appalachia is a complex region with roots in the struggles of the past and an existence marred by stereotype. “I am deeply proud of Barter's initiatives that put the stories of this region at the core,” says Katy Brown, noting that the participation of Barter’s audiences in the development process helps to preserve the authenticity of new Appalachian works. Barter Theatre’s new play initiatives and programming are aimed at developing relationships, honoring community, inspiring stories, and cultivating craft. By uplifting the voices of marginalized and unseen groups, Barter is helping to rescript existing narratives in a way that showcases the lived experiences, diversity, and diligence of a region that is often overlooked. Barter’s new play initiatives provide an intersectional approach that allows the organization to continue to meet the needs of communities far and wide, just as it has since its inception.

Having a diverse set of voices contributing to the canon of theatrical work helps communities understand contemporary issues. It offers audiences exposure to a variety of people, perspectives, and experiences; it offers opportunities for understanding those whose lived experience is different than our own, and in doing so allows us to learn how to be open to, empathize with, and celebrate (rather than oppress, contain, remove, or ignore) difference.

Theatre is the study and reflection of the human experience. It studies and reflects all types of human experiences, without limit, without exception. Barter Theatre’s approach to new play development mirrors that truth.