Actress takes on two roles in Quintessence Theatre Group productions

Quintessence Theatre Group in Mt. Airy has extended its Reclamation Repertory --which includes Pearl Cleage’s “Flyin’ West” and Alexander Dumas’ tragic romance “Camille” – through July 3 at the historic Sedgwick Theatre.

Cleage’s play is set in the all-Black western settlement of Nicodemus, Nebraska, and the Black female pioneers who stake their claims in the face of sexism, violence, and the constant threat of white speculators who try to break up the home they’ve made for themselves.

Dumas’ “Camille” is the story of the ill-fated romance of Marguerite Gautier, a beautiful and brazen young courtesan of Paris, and Armand Duval, her passionate aristocratic lover.

Taking part in both plays is Fredericksburg, Virginia native Billie Wyatt. In Cleage’s play, Wyatt is seen as Minnie Dove Charles, a young girl who is married to Frank, 15 years her senior.

“Minnie has two sisters living in Nicodemus – Sophie and Fannie,” Wyatt explains. “She is the headstrong baby sister whose husband introduces a danger into the household.”

In the classical Dumas play, written in 1848, Wyatt takes the role of Camille, also known as the lady of the camellias. the ill-fated heroine doomed to die from tuberculosis.

When Wyatt was growing up she was’t sure what her options for the future might be. “But when I was seven, I was in my first play. It was called ‘Once on This Island.’ I think that first experience was enough to make me know what I wanted to do.”

So after high school, Wyatt headed off to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy Studio Conservatory. She graduated with high hopes for her future, but it wasn’t long before COVID hit and filled the empty stages with unemployed actors.

‘”But I was one of the lucky ones,” Wyatt says. “I was fortunate enough to survive the pandemic at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, performing outside their main building. A group of us built a stage and began performing a selection of works on a platform titled ‘Pandemic Playhouse.”

Over time, Wyatt also amassed a number of regional credits, including “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” Ken Ludwig’s “The Three Musketeers,” Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and more.

Other credits include the Oxford Shakespeare workshop’s “All’s Well That Ends Well” and others. “So much work was lost during the pandemic, which is why now when opportunities come along, it makes them that much more enjoyable.

“This is my first time at Quintessence and I’m enjoying every moment of it,” Wyatt continues. “And when this is done, I do have some other things lined up, but there’ll still be that uncertainty and lots of auditioning to do.”

And while she admits she loves doing Shakespeare, she does say she’s also open to other kinds of roles, claiming “I love the theater – and all forms of acting.”

And for the future, she emphasizes that no matter what she does, she’d love to serve as an example of what’s possible for other women of color.

“In the beginning, I didn’t realize that there was so much possible for me to do out there. So my goal is to impact others of color and make them believe they can do anything they want to do. By watching me I hope they can see that for themselves,” she said.

For more information on the shows, visit quintessencetheatre.org.