Barter Theatre Announces Barter Youth Academy

Barter Youth Academy (BYA) is a theatre-based education program which improves social and learning skills, creative problem-solving skills, and grows confidence, all through the fun of theatre! Students learn professional-level techniques while working on some of the greatest plays and musicals ever written! Whether their eyes are set on Broadway, or they just want to see what it's like to be on stage, Barter Youth Academy gives students the skills needed to take them to the next level. Signups go through mid-December! Contact education@bartertheatre.com for more information.

Spring 2019, Join our Pre-Academy (ages 5-7) classes as they enter Aesop's imaginative and wacky world of brave mice, sly foxes, and slow and steady tortoises! Students will learn classic storytelling techniques using energetic activities, and create a beautiful collection of short morality plays with their instructor. Our elementary students (ages 8- 11) will explore classic stories from Greek folklore in this theatrical collection of myths! Open Pandora's box, fly with the ill-fated Icarus, and learn from King Midas that the "golden touch" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Middle/High students (ages 12-18) will bring the greatest adventure story of all time to life on stage! Students will set sail with Odysseus, battle monsters and villains, and immerse themselves in this classic tale of what it means to be a hero.

BYA also has a Jr. Troupe for ages 8-11, which is a workshop for students who have significant previous experience in BYA or in theatre. The workshop covers more advanced acting topics than those in our regular BYA classes, and the Jr. Troupe workshop gets to perform at two Demos. Jr. Troupe is an audition-only program, which will hold auditions on mid-December. No late auditions are allowed. For more information on auditions, families can email us at education@bartertheatre.com.

Our Troupe for ages 12-18 is a workshop for students who have significant previous experience in BYA or in theatre. The workshop covers more advanced acting topics than those in our regular BYA classes, and the Troupe workshop gets to perform at two Demos. Troupe is an audition-only program, which will hold auditions on mid- December. No late auditions are allowed. For more information on auditions, families can email us at education@bartertheatre.com.

Barter Theatre, the nation's longest running professional theatre, is located in Abingdon, Virginia. The theatre opened in 1933 during the Great Depression. Founder Robert Porterfield offered patrons admission to the theatre by bartering food and livestock. Barter Theatre was designated as the state theatre of Virginia in 1946. It exists today as one of the last year-round professional resident repertory theaters remaining in the United States. Barter Theatre is funded in part by The Virginia Commission for the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts.