ETSU students named interns at Barter Theatre

JOHNSON CITY – Three East Tennessee State University students from the Department of Theatre and Dance have been selected as interns at Barter Theatre for the summer.

Seth Buckles

Seth Buckles of Elizabethton is a theatre major and is minoring in history. At Barter, he will work in the costume shop and with the wardrobe crew supporting eight shows a week. After graduation, Buckles wants to work in the professional theatre scene. 

Kailey Kyle

Kailey Kyle is a double major in both theater and psychology. She comes from Coeburn, Virginia. Over the summer, Kyle will be an acting intern with the Barter Players. She will have a role in “My Imaginary Pirate” and “Sleeping Beauty,” and she will understudy in “9 to 5” and “Always a Bridesmaid.” Kyle plans to attend graduate school for and later make a career of expressive arts therapy.

Lucy McGee

Lucy McGee is a double major in both theater and English. McGee hails from McMinnville. McGee will intern with the wardrobe crew at the Barter Theater. She will graduate at the same time she finishes her internship at Barter, and hopes to get a job in theater management with a theater in Tennessee.

 “Barter Theatre is nationally recognized, and the internship opportunities offered there are highly competitive,” said Karen Brewster, chair of Theatre and Dance at ETSU. “We are so fortunate to have Barter Theatre here in our community and we greatly appreciate the valuable learning experiences the theater provides to our students.”

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.