Barter Theatre Hosts Central High School 2012 One-Act Play Festival State Champions Today

Barter Theatre will host the students of Wise, Virginia's Central High School today, January 12 at 11am. The team of 24 Central High students were recently named Virginia High School League State Theatre Championships for the high school one-act play festival in the Single A High School division. Saturday January 12th, the students will have the chance to perform their winning play on the Barter Main Stage.

Barter has donated the use of the theatre for this special event, and all proceeds benefit the Central High School drama team. Tickets are $10, and are available at the door, beginning at 10:30am.

Central High School is a consolidated school located in tiny Wise, Virigina-population 3,000. Central truly is an underdog in the state competition. The students must rehearse after school, since the school drama program was cut in recent years.

Team advisor Jan Thompson was a drama teacher in Wise for many years. When the drama program was cut, it seemed a natural time to begin her retirement-but she missed working with the kids and directing plays. So she began volunteering in the school every day from 1 to 2pm to teach drama, and rehearsing with the one-act team at night from 9-10pm.

Thompson says the students had to rehearse so late at night so that students on various sports teams could participate. "At first, some of the parents were concerned about the scheduling," she said, but when they saw the results, they are thrilled and didn't mind."

The play, entitled "Stroke Static" is written by Lindsay Price and loosely based on her relationship with her grandfather after he had a stroke and was in a nursing home.

Barter Theatre's Main Stage is located at 127 West Main Street, Abingdon, Va. Barter Theatre is acting as the host for this community event. Tickets are available at the door at 10:30 a.m., show time is 11 a.m.

Barter Theatre. With its unique beginnings during the Great Depression, Barter Theatre, one of this nation's oldest professional non-profit theatres, is located in beautiful historic Abingdon, Virginia. Barter Theatre is a theatre of firsts: one of this nation's first professional regional theatres, the first professional theatre to be designated a state theatre - The State Theatre of Virginia and more. Today, Barter offers a variety of musicals, classics, comedies, dramas and new southern and Appalachian plays performed February - December yearly on two stages: Barter Theatre and Barter Stage II. Barter Theatre continues to be one of the nation's most vibrant and exciting professional theatre experiences.