By Miranda Baines, Gazette Virginian
“There’s no place like home,” in the words of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.”
The Halifax County Little Theatre finally has found a place to call home, after being part of the community since 1955. The all-volunteer organization has purchased the former Seymour Interiors building at 1717 Seymour Drive in South Boston.
“We’ve been around a long time. After a while, you need a place to call home,” said Lori Ashwell, first vice president of the HCLT’s board of directors. “When the Seymour Interiors Building became available, it was the perfect location for us. We decided to take a leap of faith and purchase it.”
The HCLT’s plan is to use one side of the approximate 4,000-square-foot building as a costume shop and the other side as a rehearsal/meeting space, with a workshop area in the back, Ashwell related.
A one-of-a-kind find in the HCLT’s newly purchased building has prompted the organization to bring back “The Wizard of Oz” after first bringing the production to Halifax County 30 years ago. The revived “Wizard of Oz” production is slated for fall 2023.
“When we started going through items that were left in the Seymour Interiors Building, sitting out was a framed portrait of the original cast of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ directed by Vicky Thomasson, in 1992,” Ashwell related. “Vicky just came back on the HCLT board after a hiatus. That’s a sign.”
Ashwell said she looks forward to seeing the community come out and support the HCLT for “The Wizard of Oz” production after seeing the community show “tremendous support” for the theatre’s production of “Junie B. Jones the Musical Jr.” earlier this year. Kelly Ahmed will direct the show.
Along with “The Wizard of Oz,” a production of “Matilda” is on the roster for HCLT next year, with Shane Brogden as the director. Productions of “Matilda” are set for the last two weekends in March, and auditions for the show will be held in the late fall. The cast of characters will be comprised of both children and adults.
With the HCLT operating at full steam again after a short pause during COVID-19, the newly purchased building will be vital to the theatre group’s operations. Having all the theatre group’s costumes, props and other essential items in one place rather than having them stored in different places will help the HCLT operate seamlessly, Ashwell said.
Typically, Ashwell said the HCLT rents The Prizery for show rehearsals, but The Prizery sometimes has prior bookings, and having its own space will allow the HCLT to schedule rehearsals “quicker and easier.” The HCLT still will put on its productions at The Prizery.
Along with working closely with The Prizery and the town of South Boston over the years to make its community productions a success, Ashwell said the HCLT also has received support from community members in multiple ways, from attending productions to making donations to offering the HCLT storage space for its costumes and props.
“We have been very fortunate to have the community support us,” Ashwell stated. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without the community.”
With its purchase of the Seymour Drive building, the HCLT is calling on the community for support one more time. The HCLT will have a yard sale later in the fall, date and time to be announced, to help offset costs associated with the building, such as upkeep and renovations.
“It needs a lot of work, but we’re really invested in getting this property up and running,” Ashwell affirmed.
Aside from working on fixing up their new home, Ashwell said members of the HCLT have been staying busy working on school productions and teaching theatre camps in the summer. Along with Ashwell, other officers on the HCLT’s board of directors are Jessica Hayes, president; Taryn Garland, second vice president; Nicole Hendricks, secretary, and Michelle Duffer; treasurer.