2012 Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights

Barter Theatre's 2012 AFPP Announced

Abingdon, Va. — Barter Theatre is proud to announce the 12th annual Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights (AFPP). “We are delighted to have had another successful year of the AFPP – audiences and playwrights alike raved about the quality of the readings, talkbacks and the experience in general,” said Nicholas Piper, the director of Barter’s AFPP.

Barter’s Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights was founded to give an authentic voice to the stories and playwrights of Appalachia. A number of AFPP plays have gone on to be developed and produced by Barter Theatre. Playwrights Ron Osborne and Catherine Bush have had great success with Barter’s AFPP through their festival-winning plays, which include “First Baptist of Ivy Gap;” “Wise Women” and “My River, My Valley” (by Osborne) as well as “The Other Side of the Mountain,” “Comin’ Up a Storm” and “Where Trouble Sleeps” (by Bush). Each play received a full production by Barter and has gone on to enjoy successful productions at various theatres around the country.

2012 Staged Readings

Hear 8 new plays read by Barter actors and give feedback to help in the playwriting process. 

Reading #1: Friday, July 6, 1:00 p.m.

Reading #2: Friday, July 6, 4:00 p.m.

Reading #3: Monday, July 9, 1:00 p.m.

Reading #4: Monday, July 9, 4:00 p.m.

Reading #5: Tuesday, July 10, 1:00 p.m.

Reading #6: Tuesday, July 10, 4:00 p.m.

Reading #7: Friday, July 13, 1:00 p.m.

Reading #8: Friday, July 13, 4:00 p.m.

*Admission to staged reading is free.

2012 Mini-Production: Walking Across Egypt

July 31–August 11

In 2012, the mini-production is awarded to Catherine Bush’s Walking Across Egypt – a second adaptation of a Clyde Edgerton novel, the first being Where Trouble Sleeps.

“Because of the great success of the world-premiere of ‘Where Trouble Sleeps,’ we are all excited about the further collaboration of Bush with Edgerton,” added Rose.

Walking Across Egypt tells the story of an aging woman who discovers that there is still plenty for her to do while she’s alive. It’s a heartfelt tale with lots of laughs and surprises as two worlds meet: one of devout faith, delicious cornbread and fine Southern manners and one of car theft, prison breaks and juvenile delinquency; and two people find out just how badly they need each other.“Walking Across Egypt” has been selected to receive further development as a mini-production for the  2012 AFPP.

The top honor of the 2011 festival goes to

October, Before I Was Born, by Lori Matthews which is slated for a full production from Septmeber 27–November 17, 2012.

“I have never seen our audience so united in their excitement and their admiration for a new play emerging from the AFPP in the 11 years that we have been holding staged readings as I did for October, Before I Was Born ” said Richard Rose. “Lori Matthews has truly written a play which has already touched the hearts and minds of our audience.”

It’s 1960, in Kingsport, TN, when a family learns that there has been an explosion at Tennessee Eastman Company. Martha, Anne and Houston are stranded at the family’s rural farmhouse with limited access to information about the disaster and whether or not their loved ones have survived the blast. Watch as this fast paced emotional rollercoaster follows the family’s attempts to cope with the unknown – ultimately igniting a different kind of explosion.

"October, Before I Was Born is a heart-pounding, suspenseful play I am excited to produce in 2012,” said Rose.

Second place in 2011 was awarded to The Wind Farmer by Dan O’Neil. The play takes place on the windiest farm in the world as a rookie energy developer goes head to head with a farmer in an effort to get the rights to his land. By the next morning, everything – the future of both the field rep and the farmer’s daughter, as well as that of the wind farm and perhaps the world – hangs in the balance of a dead man’s signature.

The Wind Farmer will be produced from October 11–Novermber 11, 2012 as the second play in Barter’s Shaping of America Series. This series, also lead by Piper, asks the questions, “who are we as a nation,” “where did we come from” and “how did we get here?” It’s the stories that aren’t found in history books.

The Wind Farmer is a wonderfully theatrical piece that goes right to the heart of what we hope to accomplish with our Shaping of America series – finding unique stories that shed light on who we are as a country,” said Piper. ”’The Wind Farmer’ takes a surprising look at our country's exploitation of land, love and energy.”

For more information on submitting plays, please contact Festival Director Nicholas Piper at (276) 619-3316 or visit the play submission page.