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On a warm June evening, friends and family convene in downtown Murfreesboro for a night of local entertainment. They are not at the popular Wall Street or Bluesboro bars, although music is a large part of this show. It is Vaudeboro 2006, a three-day event held at the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Center for the Arts, located on West College Street.
"Vaudeboro is an annual variety show that was started in 2004," George W. Manus, Jr., director of the show, explained. "It serves as a fundraiser and all proceeds are donated to the Center for the Arts."
The Center hosts anything from dramatic plays to musical theater throughout the year, such as "The Bald Soprano" and "Pippin." Vaudeboro, now in its third consecutive year, is much like a family reunion for those involved with the Center. For MTSU student Kaylin Davis, Vaudeboro is not just a reunion, but a family affair.
"My sister Emily actually got us involved," Davis, a sophomore childhood education major, revealed. "She was the first one. I started going to the Center for the Arts during my junior year of high school; my dad and I were in "Pippin" together."
Her whole family soon became a regular part of the Center's cast. Davis's father, Gary, has appeared in "almost everything" and mother Lisa will be starring in July's "Sordid Lives." During this year's Vaudeboro, the Davis family participated in various skits, songs and dance performances with one another. Kaylin also pulls double-duty, serving as choreographer and performer.
"Kaylin has been the choreographer for Vaudeboro since the beginning," Manus said. "She does a fantastic job of it."
Originally from Little Rock, Ark., Davis has spent most of her life involved with live performance. Her talents are primarily in dance, considering she has taken tap, jazz, ballet and ballet classes for 14 years.
"Ever since I was little I would always move around when there was music," Davis happily reminisced. "My grandfather, either because he was tired of seeing me dance all the time or because he thought it would be good for me, signed me up for dance classes at Joel's House of Dance in Arkansas."
About seven years ago, Davis's father was promoted and moved to Nashville. The family settled in Murfreesboro and Davis resumed her lessons at the Barfield School of Dance on Barfield Road in Murfreesboro. Giggling, Davis mentioned she had also taken belly dancing for about a year and emphasizes the class is "so much fun!" Her family has supported her endeavors, attending every recital and performance.
"They always made sure I was involved," Davis said proudly. "In high school, I was on the dance team and they would come to almost every single game, even if all we would do is stand on the sidelines."
One Vaudeboro act co-starred Davis and her father, Gary. While he sang "Ice Castles," the theme from the 1970s figure-skating movie of the same name, she danced around the stage. Davis resembled a figure skater as she twirled delicately while visually interpreting the lyrics for the audience. Her father would often look at her and smile proudly during the performance. The movements were so precise, it was surprising when Davis admitted the entire dance was improvised.
"I do that a lot," she said. "One of my funniest memories was last year at a dance recital. We all had solos for the opening number. I didn't really like the dance very much, so it wasn't really ingrained in my memory. As soon as the music started, I blanked out! So I started making things up and it worked out."
Davis also performed several times with her younger sister Emily during Vaudeboro, including a duet on "Loathing," from the musical "Wicked." The sisters, joined by friend Shannon Murphy, also performed a lyrical interpretation of Coldplay's "Clocks." Davis said the director, Manus, usually pairs the family members together since it's probably easier, especially since the Vaudeboro schedule is not as strict as other shows.
"Vaudeboro is pretty much independent shows-little skits or songs-that you do on your own," Davis explained. "First, [Manus] and Denis Pessar, who is the musical director, hold auditions; you sing your song and then they'll talk about whether it's a good song or not. Usually it is a yes, no matter what."
Approximately a week before Vaudeboro opens, the cast meets for rehearsals. Davis mentioned she begins choreographing each act at that time although she does not choreograph every show for the Center. Davis began choreography shows just recently, but her experience and abilities have become invaluable to the Center.
"The first show I did with [Manus] was choreographed by Richard Brauter," she recalled. "He is very good and does the choreography for Siegel High School. He couldn't do a show and because of my dance experience, [Manus] asked me to do 'Monkey Business.'"
She described the show as monks dancing to "what sounded like arcade music." Davis must have done an excellent job because since then she has been Manus's "right hand girl."
"'Monkey Business' was a cast of five non-dancing guys," Manus said. "Kaylin worked miracles with them. She had very elaborate choreography for this show."
As audiences left the show, he continued, they praised Davis's choreography.
"Not only is she an excellent dancer," Manus declared, "but she is also an excellent teacher."
Davis keeps busy when she is not performing for the Center for the Arts. In addition to entering her sophomore year of college, she is involved with MTSU's theater company and its corresponding classes. Outside of school, she slings coffee at the Books-a-Million cafe and occasionally paints. Davis is confident in her future career plans, which include her interest in the arts.
"I plan on getting a job teaching elementary school, hopefully second or third grade," she said. "I will definitely get my master's degree. I also plan to definitely stay involved with the Center in some way."
She urges those curious in the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Center for the Arts to get involved.
"It's fun, you always meet new people and during shows you become very close," Davis said. "It gives you a chance to shine. Don't be afraid to do it, there's always a spot for everybody. You should do what you do best and try."
The Center for the Arts has various plays throughout the year. There is no doubt Davis will be present, Manus said.
"If she is not personally involved with the show, she is there as support," Manus said. "She stays involved in big and small ways."
Whether it is backstage, on stage or in the audience, Davis fully supports her biological family and her theater family in presenting art to the local community. Look for her in the audience of "Sordid Lives" as she will proudly commend her family with smiles and applause.
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