Barter Theatre and Symphony of the Mountains to Present CHICAGO in Concert

Barter Theatre of Abingdon, Virginia and The Symphony of the Mountains of Kingsport, Tennessee announce a one-time performance of the Broadway musical "Chicago" on November 13 at 3:00 PM at the Toy Reid Center in Kingsport.

Friday morning, Barter Theatre and The Symphony of the Mountains announced exclusive details of their upcoming partnership to bring Barter's production of "Chicago" to the heart of Kingsport. After the musical closes on Barter Theatre's stage in Abingdon, The Symphony of the Mountains (SOTM) will partner with Barter for this unique performance, which will combine Barter's actors and SOTM for a performance allowing symphony enthusiasts to fully appreciate the rich musical score of this popular Broadway musical.

Barter Theatre's Producing Artistic Director, Richard Rose, said, "It's an exciting collaboration, as always, to be working with the Symphony of the Mountains. To have that symphony sound and to have that symphony background as part of the Broadway musical with the professional cast of Barter is a pretty spectacular event. It makes for an evening you can't get anywhere else. You rarely see this happen in the world of the theatre."

Cornelia Laemmli Orth, chief operating officer of The Symphony of the Mountains, said, "What we are doing here is bringing all the art forms together on one stage. Most of these singers have never worked with a professional orchestra. Some of our musicians have never worked with that level of actors. So we get inspired. We listen to each other, we watch each other, we learn from each other and the whole thing gets even stronger. So in addition to just producing great art, on the long term, it's an inspiration."

Previously, Barter Theatre and The Symphony of the Mountains have partnered to offer performances of this kind, including the wildly popular collaborations of "Cabaret" and "LES MISERABLES." Like those productions, this fall's performance of "Chicago" will feature Barter's cast performing the show with costumes and props with limited scenic and lighting elements from Barter's original production. This minimalist style of production will allow the audience to better experience the full impact of production's incredible score.

This joint venture is an event that is truly unique to both organizations.

Barter Theatre and The Symphony of The Mountains have not offered a joint performance since 2013. This rare opportunity is available to the public as well as Symphony of the Mountains season ticket holders.

Tickets to this one-time event can be purchased through Barter Theatre's box office. To book, call276-628-3991 or visit bartertheatre.com. This joint performance of the Symphony of the Mountains and Barter Theatre is sponsored by Eastman Credit Union.

Pictured: Cornelia Laemmli Orth of The Symphony of the Mountains, Kelly Price of Eastman Credit Union and Richard Rose of Barter Theatre at a press conference Friday.