Among the top draws during the Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon is the venerable Barter Theatre, a professional state theatre founded in 1933 and named for the nature of its income – people often paid in produce to see performances, in lieu of 40 cents admission.

Today, Barter headlines the fortnight’s festivities with shows at almost any given time of day on one of its two stages in historical Abingdon. It’s the busiest time of year for resident actors, who work and often live here year-round.

“Barter’s unique,” said Nicholas Piper, resident actor and director of the Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights (AFPP). “We’re one of the only theatres left in the country that has a fulltime resident acting company. While we have four shows in repertory, we’re also rehearsing the next four shows. [We’re] always in rehearsal or in performance.”

Multi-faceted Resident Actors

Many, like Mike Ostroski, juggle various projects both onstage and behind stage. Ostroski recently starred in the independent film “Freedom,” which premiered last week, said his days can be a blur in retrospect as he darts among his readings, rehearsals and performances.

“The company is performing in two, if not three, of five productions,” said Ostroski, “and everyone is in an average of two readings. In addition to those five plays and the readings, many company members are in two mini-productions. Then, in addition, we’re rehearsing for the fall.” He added that the festival also attracts actors and other Barter staff members to “extracurricular” productions including late night improvisation and cabaret shows, ticket sales from which benefit charity.

“I’m in a part of most of it,” said Ostroski, who appeared at the Main Theatre this summer in “Oliver!” and “More Fun than Bowling,” participated in AFPP readings, and is currently directing a fall production for the Barter Players, a children’s theatre.

“It’s very hard to leave work at work,” said Ostroski, who stressed the overtime an actor devotes, in addition to the average eight-hour workday, which can’t be expressed on paper.  “The good thing is that I love my job. We earn our rest, but we love what we do. It’s a gift. I’m very thankful.”

How to Get Involved

Barter scooped up Ostroski from a 1999 New York City audition, his first performance was spring 1999, and he was a resident by 2000.  He’s one of many similar Barter stories, but at the same time there is no set path, age limit, or official credential required to become a resident.  The only thing one really needs is the desire to live the theatre.

“We have local auditions in early December each year at Barter Stage Two,” said Barter Associate Director Katy Brown. “It’s the best way to be seen for the 2008 season.” She also said Barter representatives attend auditions in Asheville, N.C., and in Memphis, New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C., among other cities.  There are also specific auditions for certain roles at times.

Brown added that Barter will hold children’s auditions Sept. 15 at 9 a.m. for the upcoming holiday classic “A Christmas Carol.”

“One of the things you look for is not just a strong work ethic but a real desire to grow as an actor,” said Piper. “You have to be invested in everything you do as wanting to grow as an artist. Those are the people who end up staying and loving the job.

“If you show an interest in another part of it,” he added, “we make it possible for people to pursue that. The more skills we can give people, the better it is for Barter and for the community.”

Some Barter residents prefer being onstage rather than behind it, but Frank Taylor Green said his limited directorial experience gave him a valuable new perspective on his acting.

“I don’t have the patience for [directing]—I enjoy the acting part,” said Green, a five-year Barter veteran who also appeared in “Freedom,” “but the one thing it did do was open my eyes to what kind of actor I am and what I bring to the director. It’s been great as far as re-examining how I can get better as an actor and do my part more in helping the director tell the playwright’s story.”

A Unique Summer Comedy

With a better perspective on his own acting gained from seeing things through a director’s eyes, Green tackled a complex but, as he said, “ridiculous—in a good way” role in Steven Dietz’s “More Fun than Bowling” this summer.  As the quirky Jake Tomlinson, Green said he used facial expressions and vocal intonations to elicit comedic response from both the audience and the others onstage.

Amy Baldwin, who played Jake’s deceased wife Loretta, said this was a unique performance for her because of each character’s interface with the audience in relating the story.

“It was a new experience for me talking to the audience onstage, breaking the fourth wall,” said Baldwin. “You don’t rehearse with an audience, and every audience is different. You have to figure out when you walk onstage what kind of vibe you’re getting. I love those moments of speaking to the audience and saying, ‘Hey, you don’t know this, but ...’”

Baldwin added that, surprisingly, the chemistry between characters and audience, and among the characters themselves onstage, was almost entirely written into the script, right down to their expressions and their reactions to others.  She said it was more than just “landing a joke,” but rather a comprehensive credit to every character’s business throughout the show.

Future Main Stage Productions

Fittingly, summer is harvest time at Barter, so to speak.

The Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights gradually cultivates new talent and material for the Barter stage under one of two simple criteria: Either the play is set in Appalachia, or the playwright is from Appalachia. According to Piper, the APFF was founded in 2001 “to give voice to the stories and playwrights of our area.”

Piper said that each year roughly 100 plays enter the AFPP, and six are chosen for staged readings during the VHF.  “We have a panel of judges who read each play,” he said. “They give their comments on it and we open it up to the audience, then they give their comments on it. At the end of the festival the two most popular pieces go on to mini-productions the next year—full productions with minimal technical elements.

“Next year they’ll go on to full productions,” added Piper. “It’s a great way for us to develop pieces, especially with the audience feedback. The audience gets to have a hand in the creative process and help us develop the plays, see what plays they want to develop and what they think works, so it’s really valuable to a playwright.”

In its seventh year this summer, the AFPP attracts more and more fans of the theatre offer their feedback on what the next big Barter production should be. “We’re developing a core audience who want to be involved in the development process,” said Piper. “The audience keeps growing because they love being a part of that process.”

Next year they’ll undoubtedly come back to Abingdon to see the performance they’ve nominated during this year’s festival.  Until then, Barter continues to beat on at the heart of Abingdon, circulating the art and tradition of the stage throughout the region.

Upcoming Fall Plays

• Where the Red Fern Grows - Sept. 8
• America’s Blue Yodeler: Jimmie Rodgers - Sept. 14
• Dracula! - Sept. 21
• Doubting Thomas - Sept. 28
• Driving Miss Daisy - Oct. 5