To provide quality entertainment in a rural setting

A History of the Barn Swallow Theatre (by Ada Barr)

What began as a conversation between friends regarding a community theatre culminated in Barn Swallow Theatre in 1985.

• One morning, at an after-church coffee, Ada Barr and Marjorie Federowski were talking and wondering if a community theatre could be established in Cass County.
• A couple of months later Ada and Marj, along with Marge and Johnny Rodebush and Rachel Federowski, attended a performance at Enchanted Hills Playhouse in Syracuse, Indiana. On the way home, the idea of a local theatre was again discussed.
• Johnny Rodebush, who was a Cass County Commissioner, said, "What about those two old barns behind the county services building on Hospital Street?"
• On June 12, 1983, Marj Federowski, who was on the Cass County Board of Social Services, presented the idea to the board, and Johnny presented it to the Cass County Board of Commissioners.
• In July of 1983, the articles of incorporation were drawn up by Robert Craig, a local attorney. There was a gathering of local people, and Carrie LaPorte was elected the first president.

After the articles of incorporation, the first Board of Governors was created in 1985. They were: Johnny Rodebush, John Gore, Pam Boepple, Armindo Mesko, Dr. Tom Rea, Marj Federowski, and Ada Barr, a local Ross Beatty High School English and Theatre teacher. In 1988, two more governors were added: Karen Current and Barbara Weeks. The first lease for the barn was written by Margeret Chiara, the Cass County Prosecuting Attorney at the time. Our most ardent supporter was Marian Ritter, who encouraged, cajoled, and helped expedite our process.

• Our first production was "A Spoon River Anthology" by Edgar Lee Masters, adapted by Charles Aidman. It was directed by Ada Barr and Karen Current.
• The show was performed "in the round," on the barn floor with four bales of hay placed by the four large posts marking the perimeter of the stage area.
• It was a large cast of Cass County people, with some from Elkhart, Niles, and South Bend. In performing "Spoon River," which is about the residents of a small community, we discovered the miracle of "community." We felt that we WERE "Spoon River," with all of it's small-town triumphs, tragedies, and humor.

We also discovered that the old barn was full of magic. Train whistles, the chirping of crickets and moonlight filtering in through the siding of the barn added to the ambiance and created the spell that was Barn Swallow. We accommodated the many barn swallows (birds) in the basement of the barn, and one time we worked around a busy barn swallow mother bird, which twittered and screeched at us. She and her babies left and we tried to bird-proof the upstairs of the barn. Other little critters, mice, a rat here and there, cats, and raccoons were sometimes visitors and left their calling cards.

• We had purchased the chairs from a church in Niles, and before the play took place, knee high dirty hay, a dead fox, and many spider webs and old bird nests were cleared out and the barn was washed down.
• Community people of all trades and talents worked side by side to clean, install seats, electricity and to build dressing rooms in the old grain bins. Ralph Labar, in particular, contributed much to the electrification of the barn.
• Sid Ritter, Gene Montgomery, Dick Beckwith and others helped build staircases to the loft and decks on the back and side of the barn.

.....But this was only the beginning. Much followed.....

Since 1985, the Barn Swallow Theatre has offered quality plays, musicals, and children's performances in a rural setting to southwestern Michigan and northern Indiana. The tragic loss of the theatre by fire in 2004, brought the realization of the theatre's value to the community, by making it a better place to live, raise a family, learn, work, and develop artistic and commercial enterprises. The resolve that the "show must go on" was accomplished in borrowed summer venues, but we have longed for a place to call our own.

• After numerous plans for different sites failed to come to fruition, despite the generosity of many in the community, in November of 2010, BST was approached with an opportunity to purchase a building in Edwardsburg. The structure -- belonging to Hope United Methodist Church and at one time one of their former homes -- was reviewed by BST's building committee and it quickly became apparent that it was the best option to come the theatre's way since the loss of the barn.
• With a tight deadline to close on the sale approaching, a furious fundraising effort was undertaken that culminated with the purchase of the building on February 28, 2011.
• The new location having been acquired, BST now begins to look towards the future... we have converted the former sanctuary into a performance space; In addition, one of the first projects undertaken was to add a handicap accessible bathroom to the building's upper floor. Lighting and sound system renovations have been installed as well as the addition of air conditioning units in 2015.

There are always ongoing projects and events being planned to improve the theatre and your performance experience.