Meet The Candybox Revue | Atlanta’s Burlesque Ensemble

We had the good fortune of connecting with The Candybox Revue and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi The Candybox Revue, what do you attribute your success to?
We’re celebrating our 10 year anniversary as a collective this year. That’s a long time to be around in a niche art form! Over those years, we’ve always believed in and been driven by the power of our mission. It’s not just about putting on a show; it’s about why we do burlesque as a troupe.

Burlesque is a vital, vibrant, and powerful art. It is theatre! Burlesque is political, funny, dramatic, and gloriously entertaining. Through performances that celebrate everyday humor, theatrical narratives, highlight social justice movements, and uplift marginalized voices, The Candybox Revue redefines Burlesque entertainment by challenging society’s perception on what is worthy of being represented onstage. We adhere to the concept that burlesque isn’t defined by size, ability, color or age – it is an artform that is for everyone.

Why? Our commitment to showcasing artists of different backgrounds has helped us build a loyal following and become a beacon for inclusivity. Whether we’re talking about body, age, race and ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, our burlesque shows help people experience the power of burlesque to challenge norms, inspire change, and bring people together.

Beyond the stage, we’ve always been passionate about making a difference. We support local charities, advocate for social justice, and strive to create entertainment that matters, that educates, and that gives back.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We do burlesque! We’re the resident burlesque troupe at Atlanta’s burlesque and cabaret house, Metropolitan Studios in East Atlanta Village, including the original Burlesque Karaoke!

You may have seen us at Actor’s Express, Smith’s Olde Bar, in private events like weddings, or at corporate events like The Dogwood Festival or at the Porsche® Experience Center, and our “Twilight Tease” show at Atlanta Pride is always a hit! We have performed in festivals nationwide, including The Americana Burlesque and Sideshow Fest, The Smokey Mountain Burlesque Festival, The Nashville Burlesque Festival, The New Orleans Nerdlesque Festival, and The Show Me Burlesque Festival, to name a few. Off stage, we support local community events like the annual EAV Strut, donate performances to fundraisers, and partner with local businesses to help each other progress.

Burlesque is rooted in theatre and storytelling. Whether you call it activism or entertainment, we’re drawn to those roots, and that really defines what we do – and sets us apart from others. We always want our shows to be raw and real, but also to have that special Candybox high production quality because that leads to a great time for our audiences.

Our main stage shows typically have a narrative and messages incorporated into them and within the acts. Everything we put on stage undergoes peer reviews and many hours of rehearsal time to help ensure we’re putting our best pasties in front of audiences so they can trust that our events and performances are founded in empowerment and authenticity.

We’ve always understood that our art form carries inherent risks. It requires that you embrace the potential consequences of performing it, and understand that the rewards often outweigh the risks. Our audiences don’t necessarily know it but their responsiveness teaches us the importance of perseverance, courage, and a deep commitment to our art – and that makes us stronger, more resilient, and feeds our creativity.

With a history that is steeped in the male gaze and sex work, Burlesque has long been misunderstood and stigmatized, and performers often face social, legal, and personal challenges. Women and their bodies are ill-perceived, parodied, and disrespected in ways that are incredibly hurtful and harmful. In response, we peel back the layers of gender stereotypes and sexual objectification and use those things to confront norms. We have a number of repertoire acts that show our commitment to this.

What else sets us apart?

As an ensemble that has since produced an average of 35 shows annually, we are constantly on the move! Internally, we have gone from about 7 members when we started to 40 as of writing this. We were named Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta for Dance Performance in 2016, tying with The Atlanta Ballet. We were honored with the Reader’s Choice Best Burlesque Troupe from Creative Loafing in 2019

Being in an ensemble means your thinking focuses on a whole-show mentality and on a common goal: to present the best production possible. To help that thinking along, we create an experience where all Candybox members and guest performers collaborate as part of the process. Everyone has a voice in everything we do. This means we connect and are closer and trust one another in ways that one may not experience in solo performance. It creates a feeling that people are integral to the production and troupe – because they are.

Troupe maintenance alone requires a lot of day-to-day work by our leadership team, and that work often goes unseen. Then you have marketing, PR, accounting, bookings, rehearsals, troupe social activities, and more. It requires a hyper organized infrastructure and a “we’re all in this together” spirit! We’ve got both!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well first, we’d invite them to take in one of our shows! We’d also suggest checking out The Atlanta School of Burlesque, also located at Metropolitan Studios.

When we’re hungry we cannot get enough of Petit Chou on Memorial. Their brunch is *chef’s kiss* and the patio has large picnic tables with power sockets. We can brunch and work on the business of burlesque at the same time! We also LOVE Burger Win in EAV for quick and easy food after a show! And we’ve had the peach cobbler at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken. Delicious! In EAV, Holy Taco is one of our regular spots!

When we’re costuming and in show prep, Fine Fabrics and Chapel Beauty are go-tos!

When we host traveling performers, we take them on a murals tour starting in EAV and L5P, then over to Krog.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We’d like to shoutout to our founder, burlesque’s “High Priestess of the Slow Burn”, Ursula Undress. After the first class of The Atlanta School of Burlesque graduated in 2014, she sat us down in a circle and told us that the choreographies we were creating could be the basis for a collective. A troupe. The Candybox Revue. From there we held our first auditions and we hit the Atlanta stages with gusto!

Ursula’s unwavering vision, creativity, optimism, and compassionate spirit has been a mainstay in our repertoire and we’re eternally grateful for her.

Website: https://www.candyboxrevue.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candyboxrevue

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecandyboxrevue

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@candyboxrevue