Country Music Meets Opera In MADAME BUTTERMILK At Barter Theatre Stage II

Barter Theatre presents "Madame Buttermilk" beginning June 7 running through August 11. With the original playwright out of Lexington, Kentucky, this thrilling mix of country music and opera graces the stage for the first time ever at Barter Theatre Stage II. See agents clash, people panic, and singers erupt at the worst possible moments in one of the funniest musicals you will ever experience.

"Madame Buttermilk" comes to life through Barter's Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights and follows a struggling opera singer who's dream is misinterpreted by her manager, and finds herself singing in a country band at a state fair.

"There a lot of love about this world premier musical comedy" said Nicholas Piper, director of "Madame Buttermilk". "From the clever songs and writing, to the hilarious and brilliant conceit bringing together the two seemingly separate worlds of opera and country music. But my favorite thing about `Madame Buttermilk' is that, although set in the present day, it feels like it comes from another time.

Ross Carter created the play, while Mark Hayes created orchestra and vocal arrangements.

"Madame Buttermilk" is made possible by sponsors Joe and Donna LeVine and the National Endowment for the Arts.

To purchase tickets, please visit bartertheatre.com or call 276-628-3991. Tickets for all performances of "Madame Buttermilk" begin at just $20.

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.