Barter Theatre Launches 2015-16 Season with THE ROAD TO APPOMATTOX Tonight

Abingdon, Va. -- Barter's biggest season yet kicks off tonight, February 5th with a limited run of The Road to Appomattox at Barter Stage II. The Road to Appomattox, penned by Barter Theatre's Playwright-in-Residence Catherine Bush, captures a couple's road trip as they retrace the route of General Robert E. Lee's final retreat.

"Perhaps the most defining moment during the greatest conflict in our nation's history does not come from the beginning, but the end," said Bush. "The North and the South were in a relationship (much like a marriage), but it wasn't going well. Had someone not made a difficult decision, the relationship could have ended, for good."

The Civil War scenes are historically accurate, but the focus is less on the battles, and more about the decisions and feelings of the "Man Inside the Marble," as Lee is often described. The couple follows Lee's footsteps as he retreats to Amelia Courthouse and then Appomattox, Va., where he surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. The couple must also decide what it means for them to surrender.

"Taking place at the exact locations, but 150 years apart in time, Bush brilliantly weaves together the story of Beau and Jenny Weeks, a husband and wife marching through their own problems toward an important decision about their future, and the story of General Robert E. Lee, as he faces perhaps the most important decision of his future, his army's future and future of a nation," said Richard Rose, Barter's producing artistic director.

Barter Resident Actor Rick McVey reprises his role as General Robert E. Lee, admittedly one of his favorite roles at Barter. "Playwright Catherine Bush helps us see that in the moment of what some might consider to be his greatest failure, Robert E. Lee succeeds in showing us who he really was and reveals a greatness that continues to echo throughout time," said Rick McVey. "Because of General Lee's sense of honor, the North and the South could unite again."

Just how difficult is it to play an icon? "When an actor portrays any character, the goal is to make that character so believable that the audience accepts the reality of what they see on stage. That's a daunting assignment no matter who the character may be. But when the character is an actual figure from history, the job becomes even more challenging because often audiences come to the theatre with an image of the historical character already formed," said McVey.

Hannah Ingram, Nicholas Piper, Justin Tyler Lewis and Sam McCalla round out the five-person cast. The Road to Appomattox takes a look at one of the great turning point in American history. For tickets and more information, call 276.628.3991 or visit bartertheatre.com.

Special Event: The Road to Appomattox performances on Friday, February 13, at 8:00pm and Saturday, February 14, at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, will feature a talk back with Civil War historian Michael Shaffer.

About Michael Shaffer - As a Civil War historian, newspaper columnist, and author of Washington County, Virginia in the Civil War, Shaffer remains a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, Historians of the Civil War Western Theater, and Georgia Association of Historians. He serves as president of the Civil War Round Table of Cobb County in Georgia, as a board member the River Line Historic Area, and as a Civil War consultant for the Friends of Camp McDonald. Shaffer belongs to the Atlanta Civil War Round Table, and holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees, with honor, in Military History - Civil War Studies. Shaffer also writes a monthly blog, and Twitter messages for the Georgia Economic Development Council, and frequently lectures to various groups. He currently teaches a Civil War course at Kennesaw State University's College of Continuing and Professional Education in Georgia.

BARTER THEATRE. With its unique beginnings during the Great Depression, Barter Theatre, one of this nation's oldest professional non-profit theatres, is located in beautiful historic Abingdon, Virginia. Barter Theatre is a theatre of firsts: one of this nation's first professional regional theatres, the first professional theatre to be designated a state theatre -- The State Theatre of Virginia and more. Today, Barter offers a variety of musicals, classics, comedies, dramas and new southern and Appalachian plays performed February -- December yearly on two stages: Barter Theatre and Barter Stage II. Barter Theatre continues to be one of the nation's most vibrant and exciting professional theatre experiences.

Pictured: Rick McVey is General Robert E. Lee in Barter Theatre's production "The Road to Appomattox."

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