2026 Season
SUMMER
ON SALE NOW
JUNE 9 – AUGUST 9 ON GILLIAM STAGE
Flawlessly blending a fantastic story with unforgettable music- it’s no wonder that Guys and Dolls is often called “the perfect musical.” The show follows the high stakes games of a motley crew of gamblers and the women who unexpectedly steal their hearts. This great American musical comedy features hits like “A Bushel and a Peck” and “Luck Be a Lady,” and tells a story of romance, adventure, second chances, and the transformative power of love. Don’t miss this quintessential golden age musical performed by the quintessential American theatre company.
MAY 23 – AUGUST 8 ON GILLIAM STAGE
While visiting Paris, Professor Robert Langdon is called to the Louvre Art Museum in the dead of night, where he unwittingly becomes the center of a murder investigation. When cryptologist Sophie Neveu arrives at the scene, she alerts Robert that, not only is he being asked to solve the crime, he is also the prime suspect. Soon they are in a race against time to clear Robert’s name and decipher a labyrinthine code before a shocking historical secret is lost forever. Based on Dan Brown’s thrilling international best-seller, this is one you don’t want to miss!
Content Advisories: (ML,V, O) – Mild language, violence, other. More information.
MAY 12 – AUGUST 8 AT BARTER’S SMITH THEATRE
In this delightful comedy, four very different Southern women, all strangers, are drawn together by an impromptu Happy Hour, and decide it’s high time to reclaim the excitement their lives once held. Over the next six months, with the help of several hilarious misadventures and the occasional liquid refreshment, these ladies discover that it’s never too late to make new old friends. A guaranteed good time for all!
FALL
ON SALE NOW
AUGUST 26 – NOVEMBER 1 ON GILLIAM STAGE
When the world stopped on Sept. 11, 2001, kindness soared in an isolated Canadian town. In Come From Away, a big-hearted musical based on a remarkable true story, 38 commercial flights from around the globe are diverted for days to tiny Gander, Newfoundland. Unfazed by the arrival of nearly 7,000 surprise guests, the residents provide light in a dark time, welcoming the stranded travelers with music, open doors, and hope.
Content Advisories: (ML, O) – Mild language, other. More information.
SEPTEMBER 10 – OCTOBER 31 ON GILLIAM STAGE
When your survival is at stake…will you be able to distinguish the monster from the man? Both terrifying and riotous, Kate Hamill’s imaginative adaptation is a thrilling take on the traditional Dracula story that will surprise at every turn. Hamill’s signature style upends this familiar tale of Victorian vampires, driving a stake through the heart of the familiar and giving us a play we can sink our teeth into. Perfect for the Halloween season!
Content Advisories: (V, S) – Violence, sexual situations. More information.
SEPTEMBER 17 – OCTOBER 31 AT BARTER’S SMITH THEATRE
Kings Mountain — the battle that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War and eventually led to American Independence. But how did we get there? Barter actors in a theatrical tour-de-force lead us through the events that surround that fateful day, giving us a glimpse into the world of Overmountain Men and the women who loved them, English kings and the soldiers who served them, and enslaved Americans who wondered what Liberty could possibly mean for them. Commissioned by VA250, this is an experience you don’t want to miss.
Content Advisories: (ML) – Mild language. More information.
HOLIDAY
ON SALE NOW
NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 27 ON GILLIAM STAGE
The hilarious tale of Buddy, an orphan baby who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and winds up being raised at the North Pole. When Buddy discovers that he is actually human, he embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. This modern-day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner “elf.”
NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 27 AT BARTER’S SMITH THEATRE
Certain events have left their mark on Eve Lawson. She has renounced her faith in Love and anything to do with America’s favorite winter holiday. Then, on December 24th, Eve’s car slides off an icy Kentucky road and she finds herself seeking shelter at the home of Simon Peter Whitaker, a woodcarver who wholeheartedly embraces the magic of the season. As the night unfolds, Simon and Eve, believer and skeptic, find themselves clashing time and time again as long-suppressed old wounds struggle to the surface, only to be healed by the Love that is Christmas.
Content Advisories: (ML, S) – Mild language, sexual situations. More information.
Premier Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Season Sponsors
Additional Supporters
Barter Theatre is supported, in part, by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
