Who We Are
Our Mission
Firebox Theatre Company shares meaningful stories for the community while developing a culture of professional artists in Wake Forest, NC.
Why Firebox?
Trains connect, bring in the new and carry us to discoverable places. A firebox is the container in which fuel was burned to create energy in a steam engine. As a theatre company, our energy is generated by the art we make and the stories we share. Stories and experiences fuel us all. Come into the Firebox with us and be energized.
Since the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad Depot was built in the 1840’s to the Seaboard Airline to CSX, the Wake Forest train has had quite a presence in the town’s history.
Photo from the Wake Forest University Archives
Meet The Founders
Cora Hemphill
Cora, a Wake Forest native, has been working as a professional actor, director and teaching artist in Houston, TX for several years. She received her degree in Theatre Performance from Greensboro College. Cora has performed with AD Players at The George, the Houston Grand Opera at The Wortham Center, Unity Theatre, Queensbury Theatre, Miller Outdoor Theatre and she has toured throughout Houston with Books Alive!, a children’s theatre aimed at literacy. In addition to performing, Cora was also the Education Development and Outreach manager for Unity Theatre in Brenham, TX. She has a passion for community engagement. Cora is excited to produce meaningful work and contribute to growing a community of professional artists in her beloved hometown of Wake Forest.
Tim Artz
Tim received his BA from Point Park College and his MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. He spent the next 23 years as a professional actor in the New York City area working professionally in film/theatre/television. Television credits include working many times for the Law & Order family, Person of Interest, New York Undercover, and Nurse Jackie, along with recurring roles on two soap operas One Life to Live and Guiding Light. Films include The Manchurian Candidate directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington, and Borough of Kings with Olympia Dukakis and Philip Bosco. Theatre credits include numerous New York City productions as well as working at numerous regional theatres throughout the US. Favorite roles include Stanley Kowalski in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Bloody Five in ‘A Mans a Man’, Odis ‘Beef’ Midzusky in The Big Doolie, and recently Blore, in Triad Stage’s production of ‘And Then There Were None.’ In addition to his acting career, he has been an instructor of acting and theatre-related courses at East Carolina University, Greensboro College, and Fayetteville Technical University. He currently teaches an acting course at Wake Tech Community College. Tim and his family moved to Wake Forest in 2015.
