“She ran the place and was still living here in her 80s,” Carla continues. “When she did die in her late 80s, Doc Russel got everything.” This was a result of a dispute among the other Schmeiser heirs, who had attempted to move Elmine off the land to cash in before she died.

“He owned all this land around here,” she says of Doc Russel, “Maybe 50 years ago, he sold a lot of his parcels out here to the university. And then we bought from the university.”

Carla recalls instant infatuation, “I walked into that house, and the minute I stepped through the front door I just went, 'Oh my gosh, I belong here'.” The Hunts bought the property in 1996. At the time of its purchase, they had no idea of its dramatic future.

Barnyard Theatre is the brainchild of Steven Schmidt. The 2002 Davis High graduate was friends with Ed Hunt, one of Carla's sons, and remembers casually mentioning his idea for a theater in a non-traditional setting.

“I said, 'Do you think your parents would be interested in doing theater in a barn?' Kind of joking.” Steven recalls, “There's no real chance anyone wants a theater in their barn. But he said, 'Yeah, I think, maybe.' Not only did they, but they were incredibly supportive.”