Barter Theatre Breaks Ground on New Building

Construction is now beginning on a new building for Barter Theatre. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Thursday, May 14 to kick-off the creation of a new facility for the properties department, often referred to as the Prop Shop. The land for this building is already owned by Barter and is located is on Barter Drive in Abingdon.

Currently, the Prop Shop is housed in the more than 100-year-old, general production building, and shares space with rehearsal halls, the costume shop and sound studio. The construction of a separate Prop Shop is an important step for Barter's growing production schedule, and will create a more efficient workspace for more employees. Barter has already begun hiring additional props staff in preparation for the expansion.

"I am so excited to see this come to fruition. Since 1999, when I was only a carpenter in the shop, I was aware of the need for more room for the properties department," says Barter's Properties Master Helen Stratakes. "It took no time for me to run out of room to build. Our crew will now have a space to be able to spread out and get our work done. We will be able to weld, saw and paint at the same time, without having to worry about getting sawdust in the paint."

Many Barter patrons do not realize that nearly every component of all Barter productions are conceptualized, designed and constructed at Barter in facilities like the new Prop Shop. "What a dream come true to finally have a shop that will more easily allow our artists to create the worlds our patrons see onstage everyday," says Barter's Director of Production and Associate Artistic Director Camille Davis, "If you think about it in terms of houses, the scene shop builds the entire structure of the house and the prop shop creates what fills the house including all the furniture, appliances, food, decorations and even curtains."

The funds being used to construct the new building are part of the Barter Capital Campaign, which began in 2008 with the purpose of raising funds for projects like this one. Projects creating a more enjoyable experience for audience members were completed first with Capital Campaign funds including extensive renovations to the Barter Theatre lobby, which were completed in 2012. Capital Campaign funds also launched Barter's Project REAL (Reinforcing Education through Artistic Learning) and are being used for renovations to the Barter staff housing facility, The Barter Inn.

The Capital Campaign is co-chaired by Steve and Debbie Smith from Food City and Mike and Debbie Quillen of Alpha Natural Resources. This project is also funded in part by The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. Barter's Director of Advancement Katherine Foreman says, "Every time Barter Theatre takes a big step forward, it's because people throughout the region value the impact Barter has on local communities. We are grateful to the many individuals and businesses whose investment in the new prop shop will make a difference for decades to come."

The bid for the new Prop Shop was awarded to BurWil Construction, a local firm who has completed construction on many recognizable buildings in the area. Some of BurWil's projects include: The Bristol Public Library, Alpha Natural Resources Corporate Headquarters, The Bristol Train Station and The East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy among many others.

Currently, Barter Theatre and BurWil Construction plan to have the new Prop Shop completed in the fall of 2015.