BIO
Emily Thornton is an actor, vocalist, musician, and improvisor who lives in the heart of Chicago. Since moving to Chicago in 2018, Emily Thornton has made a name for herself through her talent, adaptability, and kind heart, and she is looking forward to taking on new challenges.
Emily's first performance experiences stem from her early love and pursuit of musical performance. From the time she was in grade school, she has studied various instruments, including the violin, guitar, piano, and ukulele. She also earned her masters degree in Voice Performance from CCPA at Roosevelt University. She enjoys all styles of music and has participated in numerous competitions, such as the 2019 Classical Singers National Singing Competition, where she reached the semi-finals in the Emerging Professionals division.
However, her truest love has always been performing on stage. Whether performing in operas and musical theatre shows, or performing improv with her friends, being on stage in some capacity has always been the goal. Emily has had starring opportunities like the role of “Cupid” in Henry Purcell’s Opera, King Arthur, or Sally Bowles in an award winning production of Cabaret. However, her favorite and most rewarding experience came in 2023, when she wrote, directed, and produced her first solo cabaret show, “Emily Thornton: The Best or Nothing at All."
In addition to performing musically and on stage, Emily is now pursuing an acting career in TV and film. She has been accepting acting opportunities, such as her recent starring role in the dramatic short film, Spiral, written and directed by Don Frias. She has also been working hard on mastering her skills through advanced acting and master classes at local Chicago studios such as Acting Studio Chicago and Black Box Theatre.
When Emily is not on stage or screen, you can find her either teaching music to preschool students in the mornings or teaching private music lessons to children and adults in the evenings. In her free time, she spends time hosting music jams at her house, watching the Bravo franchises, and admiring the dogs on Instagram that she can't have.
Emily is prepared and eager for any new and exciting opportunities that come her way and she continues to strive for greatness through her hard work, kind heart, humility, and natural talent. She hopes to be able to help see others’ visions come to life by applying her talents and willingness to take direction in whatever role she is offered.