Evening star., 1939-07-09
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
ABINGDON, Va, July 8.-Place:
The gaunt brick building and rolling
65-acre campus of an abandoned
college, once billed as the "Stonewall
Jackson Female Institute for
Women"
Time: June, 1899.
Cast: Eighty budding Bankheads
and Barrymores, embryo Eugene
O'Neills and assorted technicians,
including dietitian and nurse.
Story: The Barter Theater and
how it grew; originated, directed and
produced by Robert Porterfield.
Scene one: Box office, appro-
priately located directly in front of
dining hall. A duck, kissing loudly
from inside Slated crate in an
effort to protect her nine ducklings,
is exchanged by patron for tickets.
Larder Fills Rapidly.
Barterites agree Immediately to
keep duck for pet instead of assign
ing her leading role on tomorrow
menu. But players won't 60 hungry.
Real "vittles" pile up in form of as
sorted vegetables, an diversified ham,
Strawberries fresh from the vine,
dozens of eggs, shelf of jellies and
preserves, butter, lard, and a foot
long comb dripping with honey.
Pretty ingenueS mot in tonight'S
play) usher patrons up wide stairs
and to seats in old college audito-
rum, with balcony. reserved for COL
ored playgoers in exchange for mus
tard green's and chickens.
Bob Porterfield, just out of sick
bed as result of overworking in
personally interviewing 673 appi-
cants for 80 vacancies before leav-
ing New York, draws filters and then
outlaws with his folksy opening
speech in which he neatly ties
Abingdon and it's Barter Theater
in with the honey atmosphere of
Thornton Wilder's poignant Our
Town
Ham Serves as Royalty.
AS royalty Author Wilder will re-
ceive Virginia ham, as Noel Cow
ard, George Kaufman, Robert
Sherwood and other top-notch play
wrights have done. The hams come
in at the box office, in the most
amazing two-way producer-to-c con-
sumner hookup in theatrical history.
Take it from Bob Porterfield, this
barter business is no gag. The first
year, when he brought one company
of players, 80 per cent of receipts
was in produce, on the basis of IS
cents or its equivalent for admission
Now it's about $3.50, at 40 cents.
One woman who drove $50 miles to
attend this summers opening paid
money for her ticket. but inquired
whether she could bring wine as
barter next time (She was cordially
invited to attend every week.
A few years ago an Unidentified
boy got several tickets in exchange
for jars of apple butter" that turned
out, under the dietitian's expert ap-
praisal. to be mud But the boy heard
Porterf1eld was looking for him and
either stopped coming or resorted to,
more legitimate barter Bob only
wanted to give him a seasons pass in
recognition of his ingenuity
Does Away With Marketing.
One patron regularly brings flow-
ers for the players dinner tables. In
fact, some patrons are so systematic
Bob can tell just about who's in the
audience by glancing at the box
office. Another good point is that
advance sales of tickets, with busi-
ness transacted daily at the kitchen
door, keeps the company regularly
in "vittles' without the bother of
marketing
The idea, its tall. vivacious origi-
nator explains, was born of the de-
preston. when there was a surplus
of actors without food and a surplus
of unstable food among farmers,
Porterfleld knew the actors would
like to get the food and he had a
hunch the farmers and townspeople
OF his native Southwest Virginia
would like to see some good plays.
1Ic HuIlCu pTUVeQ correct.
That first year the barter group
wound up with a regular diet, s4.3O
in cash and two barrels of jelly Last
year the profit was SOS, several bar
rels of produce and nearly smoke
house full Of hams.
The money goes to the Authors
League fund of the Dramatists'
Guild and the surplus produce to
the Old Actors Home in New jersey,
for the Barter Theater, its founder
and youthful impressario emphasizes,
is non-commercial enterprise.
Living Plus Experience.
The players receive only room and
board, plus experience that Porter
field claims they could get nowhere
else
AS proof that this experience pays
dividends, Porterfield cites barter
alumni such as Geoffrey Lynn,
now in the movies. and Thomas
Coley, in road company touring
with Our Town" Several young
players already under contract to
movie producers are here this sum-
mer for seasoning
This years barter group includes