ABINGDON, VA - Next year marks Barter Theatre's 80th year. In anticipation of this historic milestone, Barter Theatre's 2013 Barter PassBooks are on sale now. PassBooks can be purchased by calling Barter Theatre's box office, contacting one of the Friends of Barter, who sell Barter PassBooks in communities throughout the region, or visiting BarterTheatre.com.
"Even though Barter Theatre ticket prices are among the most affordable professional theatre tickets in the country, we offer Barter Passbooks to reward our loyal patrons with coupons for up to 50% off single ticket prices. If you plan on attending three or more productions in 2013, and we are sure when you see our 2013 Season line-up that you will want see more than three of the 19 productions - the most affordable way to do this is by purchasing Barter Theatre PassBook. If you purchase before Dec. 31, your discount is even greater as Barter Passbook rates increase on Jan. 1," said Richard Rose, producing artistic director of Barter. Barter PassBooks are on sale through April 1 or while supplies last.
"Barter offers five different PassBooks that cater to different lifestyles and schedules," said Lori Hester, Barter's director of patron services. For the person who wants to see all eight Barter Main Stage shows in 2013, the Porterfield Pass ($246, after Jan. 1 $252, the best offer) offers one admission to every Barter Main Stage show plus three admissions to Barter Stage II. The Anytime PassBook ($186, after Jan. 1 $188, up to 37 percent savings) is for people who like more flexibility and includes six admissions to any show, any time, any day. The Value Pass ($162, after Jan. 1 $174, up to 47 percent savings) offers six admissions for any show, any day except Friday and Saturday evenings. For the person who likes to be one of the first to see a show, the Early Bird PassBook ($138, after Jan. 1 $144, up to 56 percent savings) offers six admissions to any show during the first 12 performances. The 5 to 30 Pass ($80, after Jan. 1 $88, equals a $16.50 ticket) is available year-round, as supplies last, and includes four tickets to any show Barter has to offer. The 5 to 30 Pass is only valid for patrons between the ages 5 and 30.
Another benefit of a Barter PassBook: admissions can be shared. Unlike other season passes which can only be used by the pass holder, Barter PassBooks can be used to bring your friends and family with you to Barter. "Because of the flexibility, Barter PassBooks make great gifts. Our patrons often tell us how giving and receiving PassBooks has become an annual tradition, no matter what the occasion: birthdays, anniversaries, personal celebrations and Christmas gifts," said Hester.
"Barter's 2013 Season will be one that folks will be talking about for years to come," said Rose. "We are confident that folks are going to be so excited that we will sell-out all of Barter Passbooks well before the April 1 deadline. So I would encourage everyone to get their Barter Passbooks early."
A sensational way to celebrate Barter's 80th year, Barter Theatre will open 2013 with one of the most requested shows of all time: I'll Never Be Hungry Again, Catherine Bush's musical-comedy spoof of "Gone with the Wind." Described as Mad magazine meets Scarlett O'Hara as performed by Monty Python, imagine five actors portraying all the characters in Margaret Mitchell's iconic novel on Barter Stage II. 'I'll Never Be Hungry Again played to sold out audiences when we last produced it, and we expect the same in 2013," said Hester.
Beginning Barter's Main Stage season is the world premiere of Walking Across Egypt, named after the beloved Christian hymn. Written by Clyde Edgerton and adapted for the stage by Barter's own Playwright-in-Residence, Catherine Bush, the play follows 78-year-old Mattie Rigsby (Mary Lucy Bivins) as she finds out you're never to old to be needed and a new, and unlikely, friend of hers finds out you're never too lost to be found. Presented as a mini-production the summer of 2012 during Barter's Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights, Walking Across Egypt was the hit of the play festival and became an immediate favorite of Barter's audiences. "I believe we were selling out during the mini-production this summer because the story is one of the most sincere and inspiring I've seen onstage," said Hester.
Little Women, based on Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel set during the Civil War, is scheduled opposite Walking Across Egypt on Barter's Main Stage. "Many of our patrons cherish the book and we're excited to bring this classic and well-known story to life," said Hester.
In the summer of 2013, Barter is pulling out all the stops with the epic Barter stage premiere, Les Mesérables.
"Even if you've seen 'Les Mis' 100 times, you haven't seen it like this," promises Richard Rose. Then, fall of 2013 will bring one of the best musicals in musical theatre history, Cole Porter's clever and comic Kiss Me Kate, a musical loosely based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.
Many more productions are planned for Barter's 80th season which will be announced soon. To purchase Barter Theatre 2013 Season PassBooks call 276-628-3991 or visit www.BarterTheatre.com. Barter Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit professional theatre funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission of the Arts.
