there, he worked as a soda jerk at the Lum's Drugstore. Not hearing from the academy, he decided to give up on schooling and go on to New York City, the center of national theatre culture. He wrote his father to tell him he was dropping out of college and heading to New York. He spent the next few months working six days a week, saving as much money he could for his move. Although he was finally accepted to the academy, his father wrote telling him he had to return to college or come home. Porterfield continued to work as a soda jerk until he became ill and was advised by a Petersburg doctor to return home to convalesce. He rejoined his family at their new farm of "Twin Oaks", located on the outskirts of Glade Spring. His father's doctor examined him, saying he was strong as an ox. With his father's reluctant consent, Porterfield boarded a train to New York City. At the academy In the fall of 1926, Porterfield arrived at New York's Pennsylvania Station and went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Upon arrival, he was taken to the president's office, where he was asked to give a two-minute audition in front of a committee of faculty members. When he finished, the faculty members told him that "not one of us were able to understand a word you said. If you want to become an actor, you have to lose that southern accent and quickly." Living in a small apartment above a speakeasy on 85th Street and Riverside Drive, Porterfield studied for two years at the academy, immersing himself in what he described as "a necessary stage in my development as an actor." Barter Theatre After his father's death, Porterfield inherited "Twin Oaks", and he returned to Glade Spring in western Virginia. But his interest in theatre continued. During the Great Depression, in 1933 he created the Barter Theatre as a repertory company in nearby Abingdon, Virginia. He allowed residents to barter food for theatre admission during the lean years, which gave rise to what became the formal name. In establishing and running the repertory company, Porterfield gave opportunities to many young actors early in their careers, including Gregory Peck, Ernest Borgnine, Patricia Neal, Ned Beatty, Hume Cronyn, Gary Collins, and Larry Linville. His theatre participated in the Equity Membership Candidate Program (EMC) for the