Cooperative Living September 2015 - 34

FROM WAREHOUSE TO ARTS
CENTER
In the summer, The Prizery puts
on three theater productions of its
own with the help of young actors
chosen from theater schools around
the country and trained under Artistic
Director Chris Jones. During the rest
of the year, the theater hosts touring
companies providing one-night productions.
" We try to maintain a balance
between what people want and
what they may not know they like, "
Streeter says with a smile.
Streeter's job has been a dream
come true. She studied music and theater
in college, but spent the last 13
years in South Boston as a school
therapist. While she volunteered at
The Prizery for many years, it was
only last December that she came on
board as a full-time employee.
While Streeter shows me around
the building, I can't help but admit
that my favorite spot is the costume
design studio where Ginny Bogart,
with the help of some college students,
designs and sews costumes for
every single locally produced act on
The Prizery's stage. Bogart has been
designing costumes since 2001 and
has costumed 55 shows.
Today she is putting together attire
for the Munchkins in The Wizard of
Oz, and I look through the racks of
colorful, filmy, whimsical costumes,
imagining Bogart must have one of
the more delightful jobs in the world.
Bogart chuckles at this notion of
mine. " Summer theater is very stressful, "
she says. " We literally put three
huge shows together in five weeks'
time. "
Bogart points out that 95 percent
of the costumes for this summer's productions
have never been on stage
previously. Bogart doesn't make everything,
however. Local residents donate
old clothes, too, that she often repurposes
for the stage. " People get excited
when they see something they've
donated on the stage, " she remarks.
The Prizery is also home to an
exhibit on the Crossing of the Dan,
which records the history of Gen.
Nathaniel Greene's orders to move
troops out of North Carolina (while
tempting Lord Cornwallis' army to
follow and get further and further
32
The interior of The
Prizery Theater (left),
where local and touring
productions are
staged throughout
the year. Costumedesigner
Ginny
Bogart (below), with
the help of college
students, designs and
sews costumes for
each of the locally
produced acts staged
at The Prizery.
away from its supply lines). On Feb.
14, 1781, a portion of Greene's army
crossed the river at Boyd's Ferry. A
short walking trail to a monument
commemorating the event stands on
the riverbanks below South Boston, as
does a replica " ferry " from the 18th
century. Greene's strategic retreat ultimately
saved the American army while
depleting Cornwallis of nearly 50 percent
of his troops.
IF YOU GO...
If you visit South Boston, get your
bearings at the South Boston
Halifax County Visitor Center
(1180 Bill Tuck Highway, 434-5722543,
www.gohalifaxva.com). If you're
a race fan, be sure to take in some
action at the South Boston
Speedway (1188 James D. Hagood
Highway, 434-572-4947, www.south
bostonspeedway.com), a NASCAR
short track on which more than a few
racing legends have trained. In fact,
Halifax County is home stomping
ground for Jeff and Ward Burton.
Racing season runs April through
September.
Be sure to take in a show at The
Prizery (700 Bruce St., 434-5728339,
www.prizery.com) while you're in
town, too, and tour the first-level exhibits
on Halifax County's tobacco heritage
and its hosting of the American Tobacco
Festival from 1935 to 1941. The event
often drew as many as 100,000 people
to South Boston. Get even more insight
on local history at The South BostonHalifax
County Museum (1540
Wilborn Ave., 434-572-9200, www.sbhc
museum.org).
Take a short side trip north on Route
501, and grab lunch at the Pack House
Café (121 South Main Street, 434-4766744)
in Halifax. They serve up succulent
sandwiches, wraps, and salads, including
a pretty divine chicken salad with cranberries
and almonds. And be sure to sample
their homemade tortilla chips with spicy
house-made dipping sauce. Or if you're in
town for dinner, check out the Molasses
Grill (63 South Main Street, 434-4766265,
www.molassesgrill.com), which
serves upscale southern cuisine like bourbon-and-molasses-grilled
pork tenderloin
and cornmeal-encrusted chicken.
Spend the night at The Berry Hill
Resort and Conference Center
(3105 River Road, 434-517-7000,
www.berryhillresort.com), a former plantation
and National Historic Landmark
turned into a luxury resort just outside
South Boston. Dine in the former mansion
house, and spend the night sleeping in a
reproduction canopy bed. Guests at the
resort can enjoy an on-site spa as well as
swimming and tennis.
Cooperative Living/September 2015
http://www.sbhc http://www.museum.org http://www.gohalifaxva.com http://www.south http://www.bostonspeedway.com http://www.molassesgrill.com http://www.prizery.com http://www.berryhillresort.com
Cooperative Living September 2015

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