In a packed theater hundreds of people watched “The Christmas Carol” during a December matinee. Back in September, after Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeast, it was a very different picture.
“In one weekend, we lost a couple of shows just to not having power. That was $50,000 in a single weekend that we lost,” said Katy Brown, producing artistic director at Barter Theatre.
This fall, businesses across the Appalachian region took a big hit after Helene, including the local arts and theater industry. Abingdon wasn’t very affected by flooding, though some of the theater’s staff who live in nearby Damascus were. As were many regular audience members from across the region, including Asheville.
“The people that came to us from the counties that FEMA said were the most hard-hit by Helene,” Brown said. “And you could watch their tickets just drop, you know? Because they had bigger fish to fry. They had really important things that they needed to be taking care of.”
Brown said their theater also draws on tourists who come to ride bikes on the Virginia Creeper Trail. But the floods washed half of the trail away, and it’s unclear when it will be rebuilt.
Audiences at the Barter have started to pick back up, especially for holiday shows, like "A Christmas Carol."
“I come with my grandmother every year,” said Mayne Versteegen, from Bristol. “I have been since I was little. It’s like a tradition.”
Brown is hopeful that the momentum of visitors to Abingdon will continue rebounding in the spring. If not, hotels and restaurants here could be facing a rough road ahead.
The Barter Theatre is performing A Christmas Carol through December 29.
