Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 14, 1993 TAG: 9301140264
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B6 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Southwest bureau
DATELINE: ABINGDON LENGTH: Medium
BARTER SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON PROGRAMS
Barter Theatre will start a series of town meetings for comment on its programs at 7 p.m. today at the Washington County Public Library."We're holding the town meetings to give local residents an official opportunity to comment on all aspects of the operation of the Barter Theatre - our schedule of plays, our programs and our facilities," said Richard Rose, who became Barter's artistic director last year.
"I firmly believe that Barter cannot grow and prosper without the involvement of the community it seeks to serve. The Barter staff and board of directors are genuinely interested in the opinions of local theatergoers," he said. "We invite their constructive criticism and we want to hear their ideas for new programs."
Rose said input from the meetings will help with the development of special programs in 1993 and in long-range planning. Opinions expressed will complement a marketing plan the theater is working on.
Other meetings will be in Bristol; Johnson City, Tenn.; and Kingsport, Tenn.
Barter has also started publishing a newsletter called Esprit, which includes news of plays for the 1993 season from April into November; the theater's first new logo in 60 years; suggestions obtained in a survey of theatergoers; news of what former Barter performers are doing; and plans for the theater.
Those plans include two after-play discussions between actors and audience for each play, five plays for young audiences during the summer, a fall tour to regional schools, more concessions at performances, opening-night parties for each play, staged readings of new plays, reduced prices on certain nights for people in need, and articles by scholars in the newsletter and programs about plays and playwrights.