On Thursday, December 5th, the Barter Players of Abingdon, Virginia, will bring the beloved Christmas song Frosty the Snowman to life for Lancaster students from PreK through 7th grade. In two separate shows (9:30 and 1:30), the six-member acting troupe will perform Frosty, a Musical Adventure, taking students for a heart-warming ride through snowy New York City, complete with dramatic chases through Central Park and a snowman dancing with a police officer.
The hour-long performances are being brought to the Lancaster Elementary School Theater in Kilmarnock as part of the Arts for Youth Program of the Rappahannock Foundation for the Arts (RFA). The play was written by Catherine Bush, the Barter Theatre’s playwright-in-residence, and singer/songwriter Dax Dupuy and was first produced in 2014. Since then, it has captivated audiences both young and young at heart.
Actors with the Barter Players create a dramatic scene in New York City during the troupe’s production of “Frosty, a Musical Adventure” December 5 at Lancaster Elementary School Theater.
A young orphan named Billy discovers magic in a stolen hat when he places it on a snowman’s head and that snowman comes to life! But can Frosty the snowman help Billy find his real family in time for Christmas? The school’s more than 600 students will join Billy and Frosty as they embark on an adventure filled with thrills and chills and the discovery that the real magic of the season is love.
“The Barter Players awaken students’ imaginations and focus on what brings out bravery in all of us,” said Jamie Tucker, RFA board president. “Students talk with the actors after the show, and engage with the material in the classroom. It is exciting, it’s live theater at its very best, and it’s unforgettable.”
The Barter Players tour the Eastern seaboard February and March and nationally October through December. April to December, they perform at their home, the renowned Barter Theatre in Abingdon, the nation’s longest running professional theater. The theater opened in 1933 during the Great Depression, when founder Robert Porterfield offered patrons admission by bartering food and livestock. The resident company performs dramas, southern comedies, and adaptations of classic novels. Its Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights has gained national attention by developing new plays not only for its stages but for regional theaters across the country.
The RFA would like to thank the River Counties Community Foundation, the Mason and Lula Cole Charitable Trust, the Tidewater Foundation, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts for their generous support for the Arts for Youth Program.
This performance of Frosty, a Musical Adventure is free and open to any homeschoolers who would like to attend. If interested, please call Donna McGrath at 804-438-5555 or email her at admin@rfaonstage.com.