From left: Jamal Crowell, Mandy Williams, Bryan Pridgen, Kelli Winn and Justin Tyler Lewis received scholarships for Barter Theatre's professional training program, The Barter Players.
ABINGDON, Va. – Five members of Barter Theatre's young actors' company, The Barter Players, have been awarded scholarships to help fund their training at the historic State Theatre of Virginia in Abingdon.
The scholarships, provided by kind donors and Barter Theatre alumni, subsidize some of the costs of training and work done by The Barter Players. The small company of actors is carefully chosen to develop and hone their skills in the environment of Barter's professional Resident Acting Company. Awards are presented based on various criteria including acting experience, desire of training, local residency and audition performance.
The 2010 recipients are:
• Jamal Crowell, awarded the Owen and Ruth Phillip Scholarship;
• Justin Tyler Lewis, the Patricia Neal scholarship;
• Mandy Williams, the Richard H. Levin scholarship;
• Kelli Winn, the I.B. Dent scholarship; and
• Bryan Pridgen, the Ernest Borgnine scholarship.
The Barter Players perform plays for the kid in all of us. The company presents seven shows throughout the year, either at Barter Theatre or Barter Stage II. Every January through March, The Players perform for over 40,000 additional people by touring to schools and presenting houses around the region reaching as far north as New York and as far south as Florida.
Unlike the Barter Theatre Resident Company members, whose career mainly consists of acting, The Barter Players do it all – acting, building sets, costumes and props, repping (changing sets) up to three times a day, running lights and sound, laundry, touring, teaching workshops, postering the community and most of all, growing in their craft.
"While attending conferences and auditions around the country, I often hear that The Barter Players is considered one of the finest acting training programs attached to a professional theatre. The program has gained quite a respected reputation," said Katy Brown, artistic director of The Barter Players.
Many of The Barter Players continue their careers in Barter's Resident Acting Company or go on to experience success in other theatres across the globe.
Barter Theatre congratulates these fine young actors and applauds their dedicated work. For more information, email Katy Brown, artistic director of The Barter Players at barterplayers@bartertheatre.com. For tickets or more information about productions call 276-628-3991 or visit www.BarterTheatre.com.
