Virginia Capitol Connections Winter 2023

Barter Theatre Announces 90th Season!

Producing Artistic Director Katy Brown announced Barter Theatre’s 90th season. In 2023 Barter will produce twelve titles featuring its resident acting company, and will welcome audiences at both Gilliam Stage and Barter’s Smith Theatre. In the spring of 2023, Barter will produce The Last Romance by Joe DiPietro, Macbeth byWilliam Shakespeare, and Keep on the Sunny Side by Doug Pote. The summer will include Footloose , a musical based on the classic 80’s movie, adapted by Dean Pitchford andWalter Bobbie. The summer season will continue with Sense and Sensibility , based on the novel by Jane Austen, Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau, and Country Girls by Stephen Brown. In the second half of the year, Barter will open its fall rep with To Kill a Mockingbird , a play based on the novel by Harper Lee and adapted by Christopher Sergel. To Kill a Mockingbird will be followed by a William Goldman adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery , as well as CLUE , based on the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture and written by Sandy Rustin. Barter will close its 90th season with holiday productions of Miracle on 34th Street by Vern Stefanic and I’ll Be Home for Christmas by resident playwright Catherine Bush. Tickets for Barter’s 2023 Season will be available for purchase to the general public on January 17th. Subscribers may book tickets earlier, beginning January 3rd. Subscription purchases for 2023 are now available to the public. SEASON OVERVIEW Spring The Last Romance by Joe DiPietro (Gilliam Stage) On an ordinary day in a routine life, 80 year-old widower Ralph decides to take a different path on his daily walk, and discovers the beautiful-yet-distant Carol on a bench at a dog park. Relying on his boyish charm and a fictional dog named Rex, Ralph begins to woo Carol, thus embarking on a hilarious and heartwarming journey that proves it’s never too late for romance. Macbeth byWilliam Shakespeare (Barter’s Smith Theatre) “Something wicked this way comes…” Returning home from battle, the victorious Macbeth meets three witches on the heath. Driven by their disturbing prophecies, he sets out on an ambitious path to take the crown – a plan that leads to murder and madness. Don’t miss this action-filled adaptation specifically tailored for Barter’s Smith Theatre. Keep on the Sunny Side by Doug Pote (Gilliam Stage) Come celebrate the original musical tale of America’s First Family of Country Music. When A.P. Carter convinces his wife Sarah and his sister-in-law Maybelle to record with him at the Bristol Sessions, he has no idea he is about to change his life—and the world—forever. You’ll tap your toes to Carter Family favorites like Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow, Keep On the Sunnyside, Wildwood Flower, and Will the Circle Be Unbroken . Summer Footloose adapted by Dean Pitchford andWalter Bobbie (Gilliam Stage) Join us for the high-energy musical based on the 80’s movie.When Ren and his mother leave Chicago and move to the rural community of Bomont, Ren finds himself at odds with most everyone, including the powerful Reverend Moore. As a result of a recent tragedy, Moore has convinced the town fathers to outlaw dancing. With the help of Ariel (Moore’s daughter) and Willard (his new friend), Ren convinces the Reverend to let teenagers dance again, and in the process, helps to heal the whole town. Sense and Sensibility based on the novel by Jane Austen (Gilliam Stage) Playwright Kate Hamill gives us a fresh, comic take on this beloved novel. This wildly theatrical adaptation follows two radically different sisters—sensible Elinor and emotional Marianne—in the wake of their father’s death, as they face wave after wave of dance partners, dinner parties and great loves amid an English society mad for gossip. Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau (Barter’s Smith Theatre) What do you do when the industry that has supported you, your family, and your entire region threatens to close up and go away?

Skeleton Crew is set in 2008 Detroit, where a small automotive factory is on the brink of foreclosure and the livelihoods of a tight knit family of workers hangs in the balance. This powerful play explores how loyalties and survival collide when a world changes. Country Girls by Stephen Brown (Barter’s Smith Theatre) Megan hates country music singer Rick Montgomery, and she and her best friend Kimmy have decided tonight’s concert will be his last. The two teens hatch an ill-conceived plot to kidnap the country music star in this laugh-out-loud, offbeat comedy. Songs will be sung, shots will be fired, and the girls will discover that revenge ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. Fall To Kill a Mockingbird adapted by Christopher Sergel (Gilliam Stage) Young Scout and her brother Jem live in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama with their widowed father, the lawyer Atticus Finch. Life is wonderful – until the facade of the seemingly peaceful town begins to crack when a young Black man is accused of a terrible crime. Driven by an unshakeable moral conviction, Atticus defends the man in a trial that sends waves of violence through the community. This hard-hitting work explores prejudice, compassion and the courage to do what is right. Misery adapted byWilliamGoldman (Barter’s Smith Theatre) Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new Misery novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it…. and it does. CLUE by Sandy Rustin (Gilliam Stage) Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie and classic board game, Clue is a hilarious comedy-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up. Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out…WHO did it, WHERE, and withWHAT! Winter Miracle on 34th Street by Vern Stefanic (Gilliam Stage) It’s the story of the year when Macy’s Santa Claus claims to be the real Kris Kringle. When he is put on trial to prove it, it’s up to a little girl’s belief in miracles, a kindly lawyer, and a lot of Christmas spirit to save the day. Join us for the musical of one of the most beloved Christmas stories of all time! I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Catherine Bush (Barter’s Smith Theatre) It’s December 24th in a busy airport, and newly-divorced gate agent Cheryl Dean is desperately trying to keep her Christmas spirit as she deals with a host of zany characters flying home for the holidays. An opinionated grandmother, a young man with big dreams, a champion turkey caller, and more are stuck in the airport as the night wears on. People will fall in love, get on each others’ nerves, and maybe even end up with the happiest Christmas they’ve ever had in the unlikeliest of places. About Barter Theatre Barter Theatre, the nation’s longest running professional theatre, is located in Abingdon, Virginia. The theatre opened in 1933 during the Great Depression. Founder Robert Porterfield offered patrons admission to the theatre by bartering food and livestock. Barter Theatre was designated as the State Theatre ofVirginia in 1946. It exists today as one of the last year-round professional resident repertory theaters remaining in the United States. Barter Theatre is funded in part by The Virginia Commission for the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts.

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , W inter 2023

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