The Round Barn's History
The Joseph Stein proscenium stage is dedicated to the author of Plain and Fancy, in its 19th year, that plays in repertory with a nine month season of Broadway classic musicals. Plan to see two musicals during your visit to the historic farm, in as little as one day!
Indiana’s only resident repertory musical theatre company is a national destination for musical theatre lovers. Through the magic of live musicals in The Round Barn Theatre you will discover a most convenient, casual, informal, family-friendly, up close, and easy-to- reserve-seats theatre.
You will find the air fresh, the seats comfortable (to most,) and the rustic patina and homey, historical, and country flavor relaxing. You’ll meet the actors following each show and at receptions, previews, readings, and second stage productions. It’s simply delightful! And every musical is filled with stories of life, love, irony, tolerance, understanding, and peace among all men and women; it can’t get better than that. Less than twice the price of a movie!!
Of all of the preservation and restoration projects which Amish Acres has undertaken since its founding in 1968, the relocation of this round barn, which was donated by B.J. and Shelley Schrome, and its conversion into a state of the art theatre which seats 375 patrons in orchestra, mezzanine and balcony seating, is by far the most ambitious, and with its self supporting dome and graceful cupola, perhaps the crowning glory of the historic farm.
This state of the art theatrical facility surrounds the framework and structure of the 1911 Frank Aker round barn which was dismantled nearby by Amish carpenters and has now been suspended from a thirty-two ton tubular steel frame. The original 60-foot diameter barn measures 60-feet to the cupola's self-supporting cedar shingle roof. The proscenium stage is to be housed in the original hand-hewed timber straw shed which was added to the round barn early in its history.
Frank Aker, the barn's builder, wrote, "The contractor set up jigs in the barnyard. Green timbers were cut and fitted into the jigs. When they were properly seasoned, they were put into place by the use of scaffolds, boom poles, ropes, pulleys and horses, plus hard labor put the barn together." With an attached lobby, Steinway grand piano, Strand theatre lighting from England, the new Theatre at Amish Acres will at the same time be the newest, and perhaps one of the oldest, theatres of performing arts in Indiana.
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