About Us

Resident Actors

Barter Theatre's Resident Acting Company

	David Alford* was most recently seen as Marquis St. Evrémonde and others in Richard Rose’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and last summer’s Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Monsieur d’Arque). Regional credits include: Bob Cratchit (Scrooge!), Hap (Death of a Salesman), Orpheus (Metamorphoses), Lt. Pittman (Titanic), Harry (Brilliant Traces), Rev. Hale (The Crucible), Gremio (Taming of the Shrew) and Joe (Damn Yankees). A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, David has a certification in theatre arts for secondary education and serves as the artistic director for Barter’s Youth Academy.
	Mary Lucy Bivins* is a native of Spartanburg, SC. As a child, she studied dance for many years and attended every stage production that came to Spartanburg from New York. She wasn’t aware of this early influence on her career choice until much later, but she is very grateful to her parents and other relatives for providing her with early and constant exposure to the arts. She began acting at Spartanburg High School, where she became a member of the National Thespian Society. She continued her love of acting throughout undergraduate school at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC, even though she holds a BA degree in history. She never dreamed how much that degree would contribute to her stage work! For two summers during undergraduate years, she apprenticed and interned at the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Fla. It was this experience that cinched her love of and preference for regional and repertory theatre. After her sons, Matthew and Evan, were born, she earned a graduate degree in theatre from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, where she stayed on to direct and teach acting for nearly a decade. Her sons were also students in her after-school acting classes at the Winston-Salem Little Theatre for several years. This led to the three of them performing with the NC Shakespeare Festival for two seasons, where Mary Lucy earned membership in Actor’s Equity Association, the union for professional actors. At this time she was also directing two productions a year at her alma mater, Salem. She spent over a decade performing with Charlotte Repertory Theatre and the Blowing Rock Stage Company. Other regional stage credits include many theatres from New Hampshire to Florida. She became a member of the Screen Actors Guild following her appearance in the feature film, The Road to Wellville. She has had the pleasure of being on screen with some of her favorite actors, including Kathryn Hepburn, Sir Anthony Hopkins, James Earl Jones, Henry Winkler, and Naomi Watts. Mary Lucy is very grateful to Barter for fulfilling her love of regional and repertory theatre year-round. She is grateful to Matthew and Evan for being such an important part of this journey.
	Sean Campos* is happy to be back home after Barter Theatre’s 2009 national tour of Of Mice and Men (Whit). A native of Florida, Sean has been seen performing for professional companies throughout the Southeast. Barter audiences may remember him in various productions such as The Fantasticks (El Gallo), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere), Othello (Cassio), Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks (Michael) and Doubting Thomas (Thomas). Other credits include Cats (The Rum Tum Tugger), Chicago (Mary Sunshine), Proof (Hal) and I Love You, You’re Perfect... (Man 2).
	Parris Cromer recently graduated from American Musical and Dramatic Academy and is honored to make her regional theatre debut. Originally from Washington, D.C., where she’s had the opportunities to sing for President Bush and mezzo soprano Denise Graves to and perform at the Kennedy Center and Constitution Hall. She was awarded the Robert J, Prindle and Doris P. Prindle Memorial Award and the Lauren M. Becker Memorial Award in creative arts. Favorite credits: Crystal (Little Shop of Horrors), Spat Palazzo (Sugar), Acid Queen (Tommy) and Serena (Porgy and Bess). Special thanks go to her family and niece Ee’lon for all their love and support.
	Abbey C. Elliottis thrilled to be a member of Barter’s Resident Acting Company. Favorite Barter productions include: Cabaret* (Fritzie Kost), Dracula Bites (Joyce Fickle), Avenue Q (Lucy T. Slut), A Christmas Story (Esther Jane) and Tarzan. A musical theatre graduate from Millikin University, Abbey has studied dance at the Debbie Reynolds Studio in Los Angeles, Gus Giordano Dance School in Chicago, and Steps on Broadway in New York City. After graduating, Abbey performed for Stiletto Entertainment, and sang and danced her way around the world in spectacular musical revues with Holland America Cruise Line. Regional credits include A Chorus Line (Directed by KD Smith), Promises, Promises (Stages St. Louis); Crazy For You (Little Theatre on the Square); Hairspray (Little Theatre on the Square); Mack & Mabel (Surflight Theatre) and Follies starring Joan Roberts and Ann B. Davis. Abbey is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
	Hannah Ingram* first joined Barter Theatre’s Resident Acting Company in 2008, and she has been happily stretching her creative boundaries here ever since. Some favorite Barter productions: Evita (Evita); Cabaret (Sally Bowles); Disney’s Beauty & the Beast (Belle); 39 Steps (Annabella/Margaret/Pamela); The Who’s Tommy (Acid Queen); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator/Angel); Age of Arousal (Rhoda Nunn); and Barter Theatre’s national tour of The Diary of Anne Frank (Mrs. Van Daan). NYC: From Paris to Main Street (World Premiere, Kraine Theatre); For A Good Time Call…(Duplex Cabaret Theatre); Island of the Blue Dolphins (Theatreworks USA). Regional: Walnut Street Theatre (Philadelphia, PA); Porthouse Theatre Company (Kent, OH); Allenberry Playhouse (Harrisburg, PA); A2 New Plays Festival (Ann Arbor, MI); Mohonk Mountain Stage (New Paltz, NY); Lakes Region Theatre (Meredith, NH). She worked for The Mouse, sailing the seven seas on Disney Cruise Line. She also had the honor of spending 3 years entertaining our active-duty military and veterans by traveling worldwide as a member and company manager of the USO World troupe, "The Liberty Belles” – an Andrews Sisters-style trio, specializing in intricate three-part harmony. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the prestigious University of Michigan. She has been a proud member of Actors’ Equity for over a decade.
	Nick Koesters* has been a working professional actor since 1994. He has been a member of Actor’s Equity since 2002. Before joining Barter's Resident Acting Company, he resided in Northeast Ohio where he performed in over 60 productions including: The Other Shore, Browns Rules and My Barking Dog at Cleveland Public Theatre; The Importance of Being Earnest, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Bye Bye Birdie at Porthouse Theatre; Singin’ on the Ohio at the Cleveland Play House; Fully Committed and Is He Dead at the Beck Center; Night Bloomers and Virtual Devotion at Dobama; Much Ado About Nothing at Cleveland Shakespeare; Death of a Salesman and Macbeth at Actor’s Summit; Blasted at The Bang and The Clatter; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at Playhouse Square; As You Like It, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Amadeus with The Great Lakes Theatre and Inoculations with Theatre Ninjas. Along with his stage work, Nick has also been seen in Spike TV’s Kill Point as Leon and in the Emmy-nominated children’s show, Ask Gilby as Mr. Nick, the voice of Gilby (an inquisitive Dalmatian puppy), and the lead puppeteer. He co-produced and starred in the award-winning independent film, Will Work for Food. He spent 8 years as part of a travelling educational theatre troupe using plays, music, interactive improvisation workshops, puppets and clowning to educate over a quarter of a million children on issues such as healthy lifestyle habits, nutrition, conflict resolution, HIV/AIDS and communication skills. He has also used these same theatrical techniques to help doctors and health professionals improve their communication techniques and bedside manner. He grew up in Weaverville, NC and now resides in Abingdon with his two muses; his wonderful and supportive wife Carolyn and their daughter, Calliope.
	Justin Tyler Lewis recently performed as Warner Huntington, III, in Legally Blonde: The Musical and as Brian in Avenue Q. Other roles include: The Road to Appomattox and a number of shows by The Barter Players; his favorites include The Call of the Wild, The Reluctant Dragon, Alexander…Very Bad Day. Justin is looking forward to future opportunities and challenges and would like to thank Katy, John, Rick, Carrie, his past and present fellow Barter Players and the countless others who have made his pursuit possible.
	Tricia Matthews * joined Barter's Resident Acting company in 2005 and became the Resident Acting Coach in 2008. Among her Barter acting credits are Eleanor in Lion in Winter, Marilla in Green Gables, Arlene in Baby, Van Helsing in Dracula, Mrs. Walker in The Who’s Tommy, Goneril in Lear, The Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Mrs. Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Mrs. Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. As a director, Tricia helmed The Woman in Black, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Wooden Snowflakes, the mini-productions of The Quiltmaker and A Southern Exposure, and The Littlest Angel and A Year With Frog and Toad for the Barter Players. Before coming to Barter Tricia had an extensive career in regional theatre. She performed at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in the world premiere of Herman Wouk and Jimmy Buffet’s Don’t Stop the Carnival, did the southwest premiere of Nunsense Jamboree with Dan Goggin and performed in the first annual A Christmas Carol at South Coast Rep. She was seen as Mrs. Tarleton in Misalliance at Centre Stage, as Meg in Damn Yankees at Arkansas Rep, as Soap Star in Menopause: The Musical, as Kate in Old Times at New Theatre, as Alice in The New Yorkers and Elvira in High Spirits at Seaside Music Theatre, spent two seasons with Stage One in Louisville, worked at Florida Stage, Florida Studio, NY Theatre Workshop, American Stage, Mark II, Royal Palm, Beef & Boards, Mill Mountain, Surflight, American Stage, Orlando Shakespeare, played Essie in Ah, Wilderness! at Connecticut Rep, Madame Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard, Judith in Hay Fever and Elizabeth in The Crucible at the Asolo Conservatory Theatre, and Alma in Eccentricities of a Nightingale at Pirate Playhouse. Television and film credits include seeQuest DSV, Suberboy, Divorce Court, One Life to Live, Guiding Light, and co-starring with Morgan Fairchild and Engelbert Humperdinck in Even Angels Fall. Tricia holds a BA from CSU Fullerton and an MFA in Acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory.
	Rick McVey* is proud to have been acting in Barter productions since his first appearance on the Barter stage in 2003 and has been a full-time member of Barter Theatre’s Resident Acting Company since 2005. Some of his favorite roles at Barter include Robert E. Lee in The Road to Appomattox, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, Harold in The Full Monty, The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming in Don’t Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell and Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street . To date Rick has appeared in over fifty productions on Barter’s stages. He also appeared as the Boss in Barter’s 2010 national touring production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Besides working as an actor at Barter, Rick has also had the honor of directing the Barter Players’ productions of Just So Stories, The Ugly Duckling and The Scarlet Letter. He also wrote and directed the award-winning feature film FREEDOM. His play for young audiences, The Learning Box, has the distinction of being the first play ever endorsed by the Virginia Education Association. Rick is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and in 2010 was inducted into the ETSU Department of Communications Alumni Hall of Fame.In addition to his work in theater, Rick spent many years of his career in broadcasting both as on-air talent and as a production manager in both radio and television. During those years Rick was also performing in and directing scores of shows at Theatre Bristol, where he also served for a time as Producing Director. He was also the producing director of the Don’t Touch That Dial! radio theater company for six years. A native of the region, Rick got his first exposure to live theater attending plays at Barter when he was an elementary school student in Damascus, Virginia. He and his wife Lola have three children and five grandchildren.
	Erin Parker* A Southern Illinois native, Erin holds a degree in theatre from the University of Evansville with associated studies in art & music. She has most recently been a resident of Nashville, TN where she has worked with The Tennesse Rep, The Boiler Room Theatre, Improv Nashville, Chaffin’s Barn, The Nashville Ballet, Street Theatre and is a founding member and the artistic director of MAS Nashville – a production company focused on the development and realization of theatrical ideas into performances. Erin received the 2011 Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artists Fellowship Grant in theatre and has performed around the US with many regional theatre companies including Metro Theatre Company, Tibbits Summer Theatre, Cortland Repertory Theatre, Beef & Boards, and at The New York Musical Theatre Festival in NYC. In addition to her Barter Theatre credits, Erin’s favorite roles include Svetlana (Chess in Concert - 1st US production), May Ferris (Long Way Down - 1st Staged Reading at the Tennessee Repertory Theatre’s Ingram New Works Festival), Cathy (The Last 5 Years), Audrey (Little Shop), Louise (Always...Patsy Cline), Roxy Hart (Chicago), Lucy (You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown), Song of Solomon (That Other Woman’s Child), and the role of “Erin” which she created in the 1st National tour of Ring of Fire – The Music of Johnny Cash. Erin has also toured with CMA Award Winner and Grammy nominee Martina McBride’s “Joy of Christmas” Tour. Erin is a proud AEA member, and when not on the stage, she works as a seamstress, designer, and theatrical licensing agent.
	Nicholas Piper* is an associate director of Barter Theatre in charge of new play development, as well as a director and an actor in the Resident Company. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Nick first came to Barter as an intern in 1990 and went on to become a founding member of Barter’s First Light Theatre (now The Barter Players). Nick is also the director of Barter’s Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights, a new play festival dedicated to giving an authentic voice to the stories of our region. Some of Barter’s most popular plays have sprung from this program including Keep on the Sunny Side: The Songs and Story of the Original Carter Family, Man of Constant Sorrow: The Story of the Stanley Brothers, First Baptist of Ivy Gap, Black Pearl Sings and The Quiltmaker. These plays have gone on to be performed in theatres across the country. He is also leading Barter’s Shaping of America Series in which, over the course of the next 15 years, Barter Theatre will investigate the shaping of America – from its founding to its present – through the development of one new play per year dedicated to this theme. Nick has directed a number of plays for Barter including Elvis Has Left the Building, The Blue-Sky Boys, Showtime at First Baptist, I’ll Never Be Hungry Again, Blithe Spirit and Lying in State. Nick is probably best known as an actor on the Barter stages. Favorite roles include Chester in of Circumference of A Squirrel, The Creature in Frankenstein, Jimmy Reed in The Road Where It Curves Away, Biff in Death of a Salesman, Dracula in Dracula, and Carter Stanley in Man of Constant Sorrow. He is eternally grateful to Rick Rose, Rex Partington, John Hardy, Katy Brown and all the Barter artists, past and present, who have given him the skills and the opportunity to live his dream in a community he loves.
	Wendy Piper* is overjoyed to be returning as a member of Barter’s Resident Acting Company after two years away to have her precious Lucy. Favorite Barter roles include Connie (The Controversial Rescue of Fatty the Pig), Carol (Another Night Before Christmas), Dogberry (Much Ado About Nothing), Wanda (Long Shadow) and Bernice (Don’t Hug Me). In addition to acting at Barter, Wendy has also been an acting coach and teacher for Barter’s education program for the past six years. She just completed an Artist-in-Residency at Abingdon High School, funded by the VCA and Barter Theatre.
	Michael Poissonis a proud member of Barter’s Resident Acting Company. He first came here from his native Massachusetts in 2001 and has appeared in over 40 productions. Some favorite roles are Dracula (Dracula!), Atticus (To Kill a Mockingbird), Ryan (The Liquid Moon), Felix (The Odd Couple), Henry (The Lion in Winter), Herb (Lying in State), Matthew (Green Gables), Ronnie (The Quiltmaker), Boolie (Driving Miss Daisy) and Scrooge (A Christmas Carol*).
	Holly Wiliams* A Navy brat, Holly hails from Texas, Tennessee, Florida and New York City to make her Barter debut! Previous experience includes roles at the Alhambra Dinner Theater (FL), Dutch Apple Dinner Theater (PA), Broadway Palm Dinner Theater (FL), Music of Denali Dinner Theater (AK), Weathervane Playhouse (OH) and Heritage Rep (VA). AA Florida School of the Arts; BFA University of Miami. Special thanks to Paul Russell. Dedicated in loving memory to a mentor, director and friend – Mathew Trombetta.
	Andrew Slane is thrilled to be joining the Barter family for the summer/fall season. A Florida native, Andrew's recent credits include: RENT (Angel), West Side Story (A-Rab; Bernardo u/s), The Rocky Horror Show (Rocky) and the many stages of Walt Disney World. He would like to thank his family and friends for their loving care and support, especially his mother for paying for his numerous dance and voice lessons. Andrew graduated from the University of Central Florida with his B.F.A in musical theatre and a minor in dance.
	Eugene Wolf* is happy to be back on the Barter Stage. He has appeared at Barter as Presidents Richard Nixon (Nixon’s Nixon) and Woodrow Wilson (The Second Mrs. Wilson), mystical songman A. P. Carter (Keep on the Sunny Side), Dickens thief Fagin (Oliver!), Randle McMurphy (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), poisonous Iago (Othello) and Willy Loman (Death of a Salesman). Films: Freedom, Box of Moonlight, Civil War Stories and The Curse. Television: Will the Circle Be Unbroken–PBS and Lost Highways–BBC. Eugene has served as musical arranger on a number of Barter musicals and has recorded with the Brother Boys for Sugar Hill Records. It’s a good life.
	Stephen Scott Wormley* is thrilled to join the Barter family. Stephen’s selected credits include OFF-Broadway: Alfred Preisser’s Black Nativity Now! Regional: Hairspray; Milton Honeyfield in Sean Hartley’s SNOW at Spirit of Broadway Theatre (nominated for outstanding supporting actor); Seussical and Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly (First Stage Theatre). In the spring, he can be seen in the regional premier of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at the Skylight Opera. A graduate of the performing arts department at Marquette University, he dedicates this, and every performance, to his mother, ”All I do is for you. I’ll never stop working to make you proud…Closer to our Dream.” www.StephenScottWormley.com

* The actors and stage managers employed by Barter Theatre are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Barter Theatre is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), a national association of professional non-profit theatres. Barter employs directors and choreographers who are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSD&C) and designers who are members of United Scenic Artists (USA).

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Did you know that you can visit Abingdon and see up to 4 shows in 2 days at Barter Theatre and Barter Stage II?