Lady Camilla Bats Her Lashes

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

Corey Davis (most recently seen in Theatre IV's Stuart Little as well as Home for the Holidays at Barksdale Theatre and the fabulous cabarets at the Empire Theatre...and as Lauren in the world premiere of Bill C. Davis' Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project) portrays (among others) Lady Camilla, one of the Ladies in Waiting that flirt with the Duke in Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter.

Hometown: Richmond, VA baby!

Audition song: open to suggestions

Special skills: backwards alphabet the say can I

Favorite word: facetious (the only word in the English language with all 5 vowels in their correct order)

First show ever saw: ever, Secret Garden - in NY, Footloose

If you could go back in time and catch one show (Broadway or otherwise) what would it be?: As a child, my family had Peter Pan on tape, starring Mary Martin. I would love to go back to my childhood and get to see that in real life

Favorite show tune: "Could I Leave You?" from Follies or "When I Look at You" from Scarlet Pimpernel

Least favorite word: moist....eww

Favorite play: Curious Savage

Favorite musical: RENT, I know that's stereotypical, but it's amazing

Most played song on your iPod (or CD player): at the moment, anything from Alison Krauss or Antigone Rising

Last book you read: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister [BC NOTE: by Gregory Maguire, who also wrote Wicked]

Sound or noise you love: my husbands voice....hehe

Must-see TV show: Lost and Project Runway, though my favorite of all time is Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman! (I know, I know)

Sound or noise you hate: pink pencil erasers...it makes my teeth hurt

Worst job you ever had: Selling cookies at the mall

First stage kiss: Senior year of high school as Rosemary in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Worst costume ever: In my eighth grade chorus, we had these hideous outfits - big glittery gold tops with sequins and poofy sleeves with pants straight from an M.C. Hammer video

What turns you on (creatively, spiritually, emotionally)?: kindness

Another Fantastic Cabaret at the Empire Theatre

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

I am often accused of not sharing information early enough, so even though there are a lot of exciting things going on next Friday for First Friday at the Empire, I wanted to start getting the word out about the cabaret that will be playing in the lobby FOR FREE (which seemed to be the big question last time: "How much is the cover?"). FREE ENTERTAINMENT; How cool is that?

We featured an incredibly well-received cabaret for First Friday in September; so well-received, in fact, that we are featuring another next week, with several returning faces/voices and several new ones as well.

This time around Corey Davis (most recently of Stuart Little at Theatre IV and Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project, also to be seen in the upcoming Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter at Theatre IV),

Billy Christopher Maupin (seen in Mr. Marmalade and Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project and earlier this year in Smoke on the Mountain at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern),

Audrey Snyder (Stuart Little with Theatre IV, Frankenstein Lives! at the Carpenter Science Theatre, Where's Charley? at Barksdale Theatre),

and Chloe Williams (Barksdale Theatre's smash hit production of Mame) will return to the stage.

And the vibrant new voices of Taylor Baltimore (currently rehearsing as Petra in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music with Live Arts in Charlottesville),

Catherine Dudley (who just closed as Snowbell in Stuart Little),

Jacquie O'Connor (recently seen in The Full Monty and Scapino! at Barksdale, as well as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse),

and Jonathan Spivey (Barksdale's Cyrano de Bergerac, numerous performances at the University of Richmond, and a stunning Lady #3 in Paul Deiss' adaptation of The Magic Flute with Theatre IV) will join them.

The upcoming cabaret will feature songs from Cabaret, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Side Show, South Pacific, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and more!

So come check out all the exciting things happening, grab a drink at the cash bar and check out a fine cabaret. Life is, after all, a cabaret, ol' chum. So...(yeah...you're singing it...)

Friday, November 2, starting at 7:30PM at the historic Empire Theatre in Downtown Richmond!

(Pictured at right, from September's cabaret are Robin Harris-Jones, Billy Christopher Maupin, Russell Rowland, Janine Sears, Andrea Ross, Audrey Snyder, Corey Davis, Chloe Williams, and Keydron Dunn.)

(NOTE: Headshots appear in order of mention and not necessarily adjacent to name.)

First Fridays at the Empire!

I just wanted to let you guys all know… if you’re not coming downtown on the first Friday of every month- you’re missing out! Every event the streets are swarming with people and the energy is amazing. The restaurants are packed, the art galleries are filled to max capacity, the music is spilling out into the streets from numerous storefronts and we, here at the Empire Theatre, are proud to show off our beautiful and historic building. Some months our lobby presents live music from awesome bands around the Richmond area, and some months we have a video montage of several of our past productions playing on a large screen in the lobby. Every month there is a gallery display of some kind- photography, artwork, sculpture, costume display, etc…, but there is always a ton to be seen. The bar is ready to serve and the theatre space itself is ready to be admired. So come on down and join us every first Friday night and see what you’ve been missing! The theatre beckons…

(This Friday also come check out a cabaret featuring Keydron Dunn, Russell Rowland, Billy Christopher Maupin, Andrea Corbin, Audrey Snyder, Robin Harris-Jones, Janine Sears, Corey Davis, and Chloe Williams.)
-Catherine Dudley