(Photo by Tiphaine Betscher)

DARK VANILLA JUNGLE by Philip Ridley

Burning Coal Theatre at the Camden Fringe Festival – August 10 – 14, 2016
Cockpit Theatre, London, England

Burning Coal Theatre Company of Raleigh, North Carolina returns to the Cockpit with Philip Ridley’s brutal 70 minute “Dark Vanilla Jungle”.  

A scalding play about a young woman trying to come to terms with a terrible breach of trust.

In November, 2014, Burning Coal brought over David Edgar’s roaring Iron Curtain Trilogy (4-stars, Michael Billington, Guardian).

The company returns with Philip Ridley’s quietly devastating masterpiece.

Wednesday 10th to Saturday 13th August – 9:00pm
Sunday 14th August – 8:30pm

All Tickets: £10 at http://tickets.thecockpit.org.uk/Sales/Shows/Dark-Vanilla-Jungle#book

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID:
http://viewsfromthegods.co.uk/dark-vanilla-jungle.shtml

http://www.ayoungertheatre.com/review-dark-vanilla-jungle-the-cockpit/

http://www.londoncitynights.com/2016/08/dark-vanilla-jungle-at-cockpit-thje.html?m=1

http://everything-theatre.co.uk/2016/08/dark-vanilla-jungle-the-cockpit-review.html 

https://youtu.be/aNCtUp9pfsw

 The Raleigh Boychoir 

It started with just 20 boys and a $50 donation from the Woman’s Club of Raleigh. But humble beginnings never daunted The Raleigh Boychoir’s vision.  Thomas E. Sibley founded the choir in 1968 to give boys with unchanged voices a chance to learn and perform some of the world’s greatest choral music. Sibley believed a choir could help boys develop talent and character – traits that would serve them for a lifetime. Sibley, who worked as music coordinator for the Raleigh public schools as well as organist and choir master at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Raleigh, directed The Raleigh Boychoir for 40 years. He retired in 2008. 

In 1989, the choir purchased its first permanent rehearsal facility, which is still used today. Located on Ridge Road, the building had previously been used as a church and a home. The Raleigh Boychoir made extensive renovations to the facility in 2011 to make it more accessible, functional and visually appealing. The renovations also made the facility a perfect rental choice for small choral or instrumental groups, music teachers, book clubs and the like. 

Today, The Raleigh Boychoir holds fast to many of the same traditions that were established more than 40 years ago. Yet the choir continues to evolve and grow with each generation of boys it serves. Highly regarded in the arts community, The Raleigh Boychoir maintains the same vibrancy, professionalism and quality that have set it apart since its beginnings in 1968.

Estimated run time: 1.5 hours.

Burning Coal Theatre Company celebrates 20 years with a panel discussion featuring three community leaders and long-time company supporters. Together, they will explore the company’s origins, early history and the wonderful history of our home, the Murphey School Auditorium, the first Raleigh school to be integrated. We invite all of our old flames to reminisce about our shared achievements, and to welcome newcomers into the Burning Coal Theatre Company family.

The discussion will be held at the Murphey Theatre, Saturday October 15th from 6pm-6:50 pm, prior to that evenings showing of Skylight by David Hare. Ticket holders for any performance of Skylight are invited free of charge! Reserve your tickets online or call 919-834-4001.

The panel will include SIMMIE KASTNER, GREG PAUL and ALEC DONALDSON.

Panelists:

Alec Donaldson is a corporate and securities lawyer with Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton in Raleigh. He has known Jerome Davis and has attended Burning Coal productions since the Theatre’s first year of operations. He joined the Burning Coal Board of Directors in January 2014.He has appeared in two Burning Coal productions, Sunday in the Park with George and Spoonface Steinberg, and will appear in its upcoming Written on the Heart.He has loved theater since he saw his first production at age 5. He attended UNC Chapel Hill where he was a member of Playmakers Theater.He has served on the Board of Directors of both the City of Raleigh Arts Commission and the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.

Simmie Kastner is a Leader of Quality Assurance for Fidelity National Financial and Institutional Wealth Services products.She studied theatre at Northwestern University and received degrees from American University in Painting and Computer Science.She has worked on several productions at Burning Coal, including Rat in the Skull, Love’s Labours Lost, Winding the Ball, St. Nicholas, Night and Day, The Weir, Macbeth, Watership Down, A Doll House, The Mound Builders, Company, Road to Mecca, and Travesties.

Greg Paul has performed in 20 Burning Coal productions, most recently in the Iron Curtain Trilogy in London. Greg served on the Burning Coal Board of Directors, including two terms as Chair. His company, Greg Paul Builders, renovated the Murphey School Auditorium in 2007.

We look forward to the opportunity of celebrating Burning Coal’s and the community’s shared accomplishments and visions for the future. We hope to see you there!

BCT 20^th Anniversary Kickoff

Rode Hard the Band will rock the Murphey School on Sunday, September 18, from 2 to 4 pm. as Burning Coal celebrates the start of its 20th anniversary season. Come for great music in a great venue and celebrate with us! Tickets are free to 2016/2017 season subscribers or $10 general admission.  All proceeds will go to Burning Coal’s roof-replacement fund. Click here to subscribe. Or call the theatre at 919-834-4001 to purchase tickets to the kickoff. 

Rode Hard the Band is so named because its members are, as they say, “men of a certain age.” Read more about them here.

Formed about five years ago, the group came together from friendships among members. Attorney Richard Nordan and Jim Jenkins of The News & Observer starting playing bluegrass together on Sunday afternoons, and soon attorneys Duncan McMillan and Steve Petersen joined them.

Then came attorney Wade Smith and John Crumpler, a venture capitalist, and Judge Mike Payne and Podiatrist Bruce Fawcett. Tommy Goldsmith, retired editor of The News & Observer, plays and previously was a professional musician in Nashville. (And has always been a cousin of McMillan and Jenkins.)

 Randy Woodson, then the new chancellor at NC State University, signed on after Jenkins invited him upon finding out he played guitar. Ron McFarlane came aboard after meeting Woodson and Jenkins through his wife, Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane. The Rev. John Fawcett, son of Bruce Fawcett, plays multiple instruments with the band, and Joe Newberry, a Raleigh-based professional musician and songwriter who regularly appears on “Prairie Home Companion,” plays with the group periodically.

Newest members are Harry Tueting and his wife, Debbie Dunn. Harry is the owner of Harry’s Guitar Shop and Debbie is in charge of entertainment venues with the town of Garner and is a professional singer.

The group plays every Sunday afternoon at Jenkins’ apartment. The friendship among members is the most important part of the group, by all accounts. When he leaves every Sunday, Bruce Fawcett turns to the members with his hand over his heart and says, “I love you guys.” The feeling among all is mutual.

Burning Coal Theatre Company and the NC Museum of History will present a marathon reading of each of William Shakespeare’s 38 plays next April to mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death. Each play will be read by a different theatre company from North Carolina. The nonstop readings will take five days and will begin at noon on April 23, 2016 until about 6 am on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at the museum, 5 East Edenton Street in downtown Raleigh. The event will be open to the public. Each reading also will be live streamed at https://nsp.performedia.com/rh/ncmh16/session/a1?output=frame and recorded for later viewing thanks to a grant from our friends at Red Hat (read more here). Burning Coal, the professional theatre company based in Raleigh, will produce the marathon. Participating companies are listed below. For additional information, please contact Burning Coal Artistic Director Jerome Davis at 919.834.4001

HONORING WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Unquestionably the English language’s most influential playwright and arguably the greatest writer who ever lived, Shakespeare wrote an astonishing number of dramatic and poetic works during his lifetime. In addition to hosting the Shakespeare marathon, the NC Museum of History will display the First Folio of Shakespeare’s great tragedy Hamlet May 7-30, 2016. The First Folio was published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death. It is widely regarded as the best version of the play in existence. The exhibit is part of The Folger Shakespeare Library’s 2016 tour of its First Folio collection, titled First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare! For additional information, visitwww.ncmuseumofhistory.org.
There are other events in the world for this anniversary, and it’s here !

ABOUT THE NC MUSEUM OF HISTORY

The Division of State History Museums collects and preserves artifacts and other historical materials relating to the history and heritage of North Carolina in a local, regional, national and international context to assist people in understanding how the past influences the present. The division interprets history through exhibitions, educational programs, and publications available to the visitor on site or through distance-learning technologies.
For information about wheelchair accessibility for the visiting companies, please click here.

ABOUT BURNING COAL THEATRE COMPANY

Burning Coal Theatre Company is an intimate, professional theatre located in downtown Raleigh. Currently in its 19th season, Burning Coal has grown over the years to become one of the most influential and respected professional theatres in the southeastern United States. Its mission calls for the creation of art that is literate, visceral, affecting. In November 2014, Burning Coal toured David Edgar’s Iron Curtain Trilogy with its company of 38 mostly North Carolina-based artists to London’s Cockpit Theatre for a three-week run, garnering a four-star review from The Guardian’s Michael Billington, considered the dean of London theatre critics. Burning Coal has also toured to New York City, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, and cities across North Carolina. Its education program, Fuse, is among the most active and respected in the state. 

Marathon Schedule

4/23/16 ∙ noon ∙ Henry VI, Part 1 ∙ Flat Rock Playhouse  ∙ Watch play
4/23/16 ∙ 3 pm ∙ Henry VI, Part 2 ∙ Davidson College Theatre Dept.  ∙ Watch play
4/23/16 ∙ 6 pm ∙ Henry VI, Part 3 ∙ TBA  ∙ Watch play
4/23/16 ∙ 9 pm ∙ Richard III ∙ Broughton High School  ∙ Watch play
4/24/16 ∙ midnight ∙ The Comedy of Errors ∙ Gilbert Theatre  ∙ Watch play
4/24/16 ∙ 3 am ∙ Titus Andronicus ∙ Raleigh Little Theatre ∙ Watch play
4/24/16 ∙ 6 am ∙ The Taming of the Shrew ∙ TBA ∙ Watch play
4/24/16 ∙ 9 am ∙ Two Gentlemen of Verona ∙ Raleigh Charter School with Seed Art Share ∙ Watch play
4/24/16 ∙ noon ∙ Love’s Labours Lost ∙ North Carolina Wesleyan College ∙ Watch play
4/24/16 ∙ 3 pm ∙ Romeo & Juliet ∙ Greensboro College ∙ Watch play
4/24/16 ∙ 6 pm ∙ Richard II ∙ In/Visible Theatre ∙ Watch play
4/24/16 ∙ 9 pm ∙ A Midsummer Night’s Dream ∙ Appalachian State University ∙ Watch play
4/25/16 ∙ midnight ∙ King John ∙ Theatre in the Park ∙ Watch play
4/25/16 ∙ 3 am ∙ The Merchant of Venice ∙ The Justice Theatre Project ∙ Watch play
4/25/16 ∙ 6 am ∙ Henry IV, Part 1 ∙ Neuse Little Theatre ∙ Watch play
4/25/16 ∙ 9 am ∙ Henry IV, Part 2 ∙ Barton College ∙ Watch play
4/25/16 ∙ noon ∙ Much Ado About Nothing ∙ Abbey Players of Belmont Abbey College ∙ Watch play
4/25/16 ∙ 3 pm ∙ Henry V ∙ Chickspeare ∙ Watch play
4/25/16 ∙ 6 pm ∙ Julius Caesar ∙ Duke University:  Duke Players ∙ Watch play
4/25/16 ∙ 9 pm ∙ As You Like It ∙ TBA ∙ Watch play
4/26/16 ∙ midnight ∙ Twelfth Night ∙ Bare Theatre ∙ Watch play
4/26/16 ∙ 3 am ∙ Hamlet ∙ Dram Tree Shakespeare Co. ∙ Watch play
4/26/16 ∙ 6 am ∙ The Merry Wives of Windsor ∙ Sweet Tea Shakespeare & Fayetteville State ∙ Watch play
4/26/16 ∙ 9 am ∙ Troilus and Cressida ∙ Honest Pint Theatre ∙ Watch play
4/26/16 ∙ noon ∙ All’s Well That Ends Well ∙ Ensemble Stage ∙ Watch play
4/26/16 ∙ 3 pm ∙ Measure for Measure ∙ Louisburg College ∙ Watch play
4/26/16 ∙ 6 pm ∙ Othello ∙ The Blue Masque at Catawba College ∙ Watch play
4/26/16 ∙ 9 pm ∙ King Lear ∙ PlayMakers Repertory Company ∙ Watch play
4/27/16 ∙ midnight – Macbeth ∙ William Peace University ∙ Watch play
4/27/16 ∙ 3 am ∙ Antony and Cleopatra ∙ Duke University: Antic Shakespeare ∙ Watch play
4/27/16 ∙ 6 am ∙ Coriolanus ∙ Burning Coal Theatre Company ∙ Watch play
4/27/16 ∙ 9 am ∙ Timon of Athens ∙ UNC-Pembroke ∙ Watch play
4/27/16 ∙ noon ∙ Pericles, Prince of Tyre ∙ Brunswick Little Theatre ∙ Watch play
4/27/16 ∙ 3 pm ∙ Cymbeline ∙ NC Central University ∙ Watch play
4/27/16 ∙ 6 pm ∙ The Winter’s Tale ∙ Studio 1 ∙ Watch play
4/27/16 ∙ 9 pm ∙ The Tempest ∙ Twin City Stage ∙ Watch play
4/28/16 ∙ midnight ∙ Henry VIII ∙ Warehouse Performance Center ∙ Watch play
4/28/16 ∙ 3 am ∙ The Two Noble Kinsmen ∙ Stillwater Theatre Company ∙ Watch play

Participating Theatres

Abbey Players of Belmont Abbey College

The Abbey Players of Belmont Abbey College were founded in 1883, and have been an integral part of campus life for over a century. At present, the theatre produces six shows a year, representing a wide repertoire of drama, comedy and musicals. Recent notable productions have included Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen, Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night, Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, Anne Nelson’s The Guys and Kaufman and Ferber’s The Royal Family. In addition, the Players present The Abbey Shakespeare Series, an ongoing project dedicated to producing each of William Shakespeare’s plays. Check out their website at http://belmontabbeycollege.edu/ about/overview/performing-arts/abbey-players/. Click here for cast list and play description and here for the video !

Appalachian State

The Department of Theatre at Appalachian State University offers a BA in Theatre, with concentrations in General Theatre, Performance, Design/Tech, and Theatre Education. Appalachian offers study abroad opportunities in England, France, and Italy, and regularly participates in NCTC, SETC, KCACTF, and USITT. The Theatre Department also hosts a wide range of student clubs, including the Appalachian Musical Theatre Club and the Women’s Theatre Troupe. Be sure to catch their spring production of the Tony Award Winning play Clybourne Park, by Bruce Norris, in February of 2016. To learn more about the Theatre program at Appalachian, check out their website at http://theatreanddance. appstate.edu/ Or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description. 

Bare Theatre

the past 10 years, Bare Theatre has performed an impressive 21 of Shakespeare’s plays. They work to give audiences a clear, articulate and passionate experience of theatre with little other than a room, audience, the actors, and the text. They present audiences with fresh and exciting interpretations of classic plays (particularly those of Shakespeare) as well as innovative new works. Recently, they presented a critically acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. Check out Bare Theatre’s website at www.baretheatre.org and follow them on Facebook, twitter, and instagram: @BareTheatre. Click here for cast list and play description and here for the videos !

Barton College

The theatre program at Barton College combines the benefits of a focused, profession-oriented program with a broad, nurturing, liberal arts experience. Their BA program offers concentrations in design, management, and performance. Barton College produces four main stage productions a year, as well as student and faculty produced shows. Their premiere performance facility is the Kennedy Family Theatre, built in 2009, which offers a state-of-the-art venue to teach the dramatic arts. Their production of Peter Pan: The Musical ran in November, 2015. For more information on Barton College’s Theatre Program, visit their website at https://www.barton.edu/academics/programs/ theatre/ or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description.

Broughton High School

Located in the heart of Raleigh, NC, near North Carolina State University, Needham B. Broughton is the oldest of 27 high schools in the Wake County Public School System. In 1929, Broughton began a tradition of excellence that continues today.
As Wake County’s only Global Studies Magnet Program high school, Broughton offers innovative global learning experiences that inspire students to be thoughtful, reflective, service-minded citizens who enjoy learning and contribute effectively within the local-to-global community. Broughton students engage with global themes embedded within the curriculum of all courses, and they have the opportunity participate in expanded options for global elective courses organized through project-based units. Click here for cast list and play description and click here for videos !

Brunswick Little Theatre

Brunswick Little Theatre, located in Southport, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create an awareness and appreciation of the performing arts in the greater Brunswick County area and to produce quality theatre while educating the residents of Brunswick County in the various aspects of the performing arts, including the technical aspects of theatre. In addition, Brunswick Little Theatre includes The Stagestruck Players, a children’s production company, and the Let’s PLAY! Children’s Theater Workshops. For more information about Theater program at Brunswick Little Theatre, visit their website at http://www.brunswicklittletheatre.com/ . Click here for cast list and play description.

Burning Coal Theatre Company

Burning Coal is a small professional theatre company and an incorporated, non-profit organization. Burning Coal produces literate, visceral, affecting theatre that is experienced, not simply seen. They emphasize works that are felt and experienced viscerally. Using the best local, national and international artists available, they produce explosive re-examinations of overlooked classics, modern and contemporary plays that address issues and themes poignant in their community. Housed in the historic Murphey School Auditorium in Raleigh, Burning Coal focuses on plays with a global perspective.  In November, 2014 they presented the world premiere of David Edgar’s Iron Curtain Trilogy, then took it (and a company of 38) to London’s Cockpit Theatre for a three week run.  The Trilogy garnered a 4-star review from the dean of London theatre critics, Michael Billington (Guardian). In the spring of 2016, Burning Coal will present two US premieres, Blue Sky by Clare Bayley in collaboration with (and performed at) CAM/Raleigh January 28 – February 14, 2016 and Lee Hall’s Spoonface Steinberg April 7 – April 24. For more information about Burning Coal, check out their website at burningcoal.org. Click here for cast list and play description and here for their videos !

Catawba College’s The Blue Masque

Catawba College, located in Salisbury, NC, is ranked as #17 for “Best College Theatre” according to the Princeton Review. Their program offers a BA in Theatre Arts, Musical Theatre, and Theatre Education, a BFA in Theatre Arts and Musical Theatre, and a BS in Theatre Arts Administration. Catawba hosts several professional artists each semester to provide masters classes and seminars, as well as study abroad opportunities in places such as England, Costa Rica, Japan, Estonia, or Italy. Go and see their spring production of Eurydice, running in February. For more information on Catawba College’s Theatre program, visit their website at http://catawba.edu/academics/ schools/performing-arts/theatre-arts/overview/ Or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description.

Chickspeare

Chickspeare is an all-female Shakespeare Company that started performing shows in 1998 at (the now defunct) Johnson Brewery in Charlotte, NC. While over the years they have become best known for their Shakespeare “abridging/fast-forwarding/rewinding” brewery shows, they have also produced numerous full length productions including MacBeth, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Julius Ceasar, and Winter’s Tale. Currently Chickspeare performs their ChicksBEER Series throughout the year at NoDa Brewing Company in Charlotte, NC. As an all-female Shakespeare Company, Chickspeare has been breaking gender barriers, giving women the opportunity to explore characters not otherwise available to them in most modern productions of Shakespeare. Chickspeare’s shows engage the audience and provide a creative, provocative environment for female actors to explore and experience Shakespeare’s plays. This desire to break down gender barriers for women in Shakespeare fuels the next stage of Chickspeare’s future. While the company continues to be a vehicle for women and girls to explore their performance of Shakespeare’s roles, the company plans to promote the development of new plays, providing the voices of female playwrights the opportunity to create new work based on Shakespeare’s plays. To learn more about Chickspeare, read about them in Shakespeare and Gender in Practice by Terri Power. A part of the Shakespeare in Practice series, it explores theoretical and practical approaches to performing gender in contemporary Shakespeare productions. Check out their website at http://chickspeare.com/ chickspeare-history/ or follow them on Facebook or Twitter (@chickspeare). Click here for cast list and play description or here for the videos !

Davidson College

Davidson serves its students by teaching and creating theatre as a discipline in the context of a traditional liberal arts institution. All Davidson students are encouraged to audition for our plays and partake in our classes regardless of major. The Theatre Department is committed to one core value — our students’ intellectual and artistic growth.  We believe the theatre is a unique portal that can open the minds of our students to new ways of thinking.  The theatre is a place where we can ponder our mortality and celebrate our humanity. Check out their website at http://www.davidson.edu/the-arts/theatre.Click here for cast list and play description.

Dram Tree Shakespeare Co.

The Dram Tree Shakespeare Company, located in Wilmington, NC, is a not-for-profit, semi-professional theatre dedicated to providing professional quality productions of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Through an approach that utilizes a combination of tradition and innovation, Dram Tree strives to produce Shakespeare that is both accessible and affecting. Dram Tree also seeks to preserve the value of live Shakespearean performance for future generations through their educational programming. In September, Dram Tree produced “The Scottish Play” as their debut full-length production. Keep an eye on their website for their next production in the spring!  For more information about the Dram Tree Shakespeare Company, check out their website: http://dramtreeshakes.org/ index.html or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description.

Duke University: Antic Shakespeare

Antic Shakespeare is located in Durham. Their mission is to be a completely Shakespeare-centered organization dedicated to bringing together actors, directors, designers, and dramaturges of all backgrounds and academic majors to foster an interest in the playwright’s works, within the Duke community and beyond. Antic Shakespeare aims to keep Shakespeare relevant to members and audiences while breathing life into the performance and innovative exploration of his works. Members of Antic Shakespeare intend to collaborate with various experts and professional Shakespearean troupes to better fulfill the purpose of the organization. For more information about Antic Shakespeare, check out their website at https://duke.collegiate link.net/organization/anticshakespeare. Click here for cast list and play description.

Duke University: Duke Players

Duke Players is the student organization in the Department of Theater Studies. Its members support the Department’s productions by running auditions and working on production crews, promoting participation in theater by all Duke students, and by representing the interests of students who are involved in Theater Studies. Duke Players also produces one lab production each semester in addition to the Orientation Show it produces to acquaint incoming freshmen with the riches of theater at Duke. its next performance will be Duke Player Lab Theater (title tba) in Brody Theater from March 31 through April 2. To learn more about Theater program at Duke university, check out its website: https://theaterstudies.duke.edu/theater-previews or stay connected on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description.

Ensemble Stage

Ensemble Stage is located in Blowing Rock, NC. Their mission is to culturally enrich the lives of the residents of The High Country and its visitors by providing a broad range of live theatrical presentations of the highest possible quality at an affordable price; to inspire, challenge and nurture the imagination and social skills of youths and adults through theatre based educational programs; and to be an active part of the cultural and economic growth of their community through collaboration with residents, local businesses and other not for profit organizations. Recently, they performed their radio play, “The Wolf Man” adapted from the 1941 feature film.  For more information about Ensemble Stage, check them out on Facebook and on their website: www.ensemblestage.com or follow them on twitter @EnsembleStag. Click here for cast list and play description.

Studio 1

Studio 1 is a community-minded, non-profit theatre that serves Burlington and all of Alamance County. They strive to make a positive impact on their community by providing quality, unique performing arts programming and classes. This season, Studio 1 is offering a wide variety of programming, from Shakespeare’s classic Twelfth Night to An Evening of Original Works. Studio 1 also offers a wide variety of classes for youth and adults, including dance, voice, and make-up master classes. The recently completed performances of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in November and The Diary of Anne Frank in December.   For more information about Studio 1, check out their website: http://www.studio1online.org/#!2015-16-season/c1cia or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here to watch the video created by Studio for the Shakespeare Marathon !nClick here for cast list and play description. 

Sweet Tea Shakespeare and Fayetteville State

Sweet Tea Shakespeare seeks to celebrate the wonder of Shakespeare by providing simple, elemental, magical theatre experiences in an atmosphere of beauty and community.Sweet Tea Shakespeare imagines, enacts, and embraces theatre in the spirit of Shakespeare and early modern performance as it seeks to employ the ingenuity and drive behind Shakespeare’s own company through productions, workshops, training, music, and community engagement. 

The goals of Sweet Tea Shakespeare are to vitalize the performance of Shakespeare and other drama for the diverse communities of Southeast North Carolina and the Sandhills by presenting inspiring, accessible, literate, experiential theatrical performance; to foster community and fellowship around the enterprise of theatre in outdoor and other beautiful spaces; to provide exceptional avenues for artists and audiences of all backerounds to take part in recovering the joys of Shakespeare and live performance.

Sweet Tea Shakespeare is a function of Fayetteville State University and enjoys support from FSU Friends of the Arts and FSU Foundation, Inc. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.sweetteashakespeare.com or click here for watching their video presentation. Click here for the cast list and the play description.

Theatre in the Park

Theatre In The Park, located in the northern end of Raleigh’s scenic Pullen Park, is internationally acclaimed for its outstanding theatrical achievements, with more than 40,000 people attending our programming last year alone. The mission of Theatre In The Park is to provide a quality theatre experience to a diverse audience base in Raleigh and the surrounding areas. Further, to offer the public an opportunity to see and participate in high quality dramatic classes and productions. Theatre In The Park’s mission also includes involving the community in the creation and development of live theatre to nurture a general appreciation and respect for the arts. Their next show The Underpants will be from February 5 through February 21. For more information about Theater program, check out their website http://theatreinthepark.com or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description. 

Twin City Stage

Founded as The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem in 1935, Twin City Stage has a long and vibrant history of providing high quality theatre in the Piedmont Triad.  With an inimitable band of volunteers, the theatre company produces several plays and musicals each year to the delight of its patrons.  It also offers classes and summer camps to kids pre-K through 12^th grade, ensuring that live theatre will continue to thrive for generations to come. Click here for cast list and play description. And if you want a great presentation of Twin City Stage, click here.

UNC Pembroke

Their theatre department offers intensive courses for students wanting professional careers in theatre arts. They boast a world- class professional and academic faculty with decades of experience in professional Theatre/Film/Television acting, theatre directing, and theatre design. Their beautiful theatre, “the Givens Performing Arts Center “was recently ranked among the 25 most amazing performing arts centers in the nation. Their Showcase Studio Theatre is a wonderfully intimate black box space, designed specifically for students to create their own projects; a space where students can act, direct, and design their own shows with their own budgets, funded and mentored by the Theatre Arts Department. Visit their website at http://www.uncp.edu/academics/colleges-schools-departments/ departments/english-theatre-and-foreign-languages/programs/theatre. Click here for cast list and play description.

Warehouse Performance Center

The Warehouse provides the Lake Norman area with professional level theatre in an intimate setting. They are partnered with Studio C Cinema, and utilize their space to provide their community with quality theatre and film. Since they began their work in 2010, The Warehouse has showcased eclectic, entertaining theatre with professionally trained, committed artists, including the Tony Award Winning Red, by John Logan. Their intimate environment provides a unique show experience – performers and audiences up close and personal with little separation. Their most recent production was Empty Plate in the Cafe Du Grand Boeuf, by Michael Hollinger.  For more information about The Warehouse Performance Center, visit their website: http://www.warehousepac.com or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description. Please click here for the videos !

William Peace University

The William Peace Theatre Company, located in Raleigh, NC, empowers students to pursue careers in the fine arts as independent, self-assessing artists who lead and serve by live theatre as a courageous, authentic and collaborative act. The program offers both a BA in Theatre and a BFA in Musical theatre through their intense, specialized, and synchronized curriculum. Students benefit from the “Broadway Comes to Peace” concerts, which bring Broadway performing artists to Peace every year to provide master classes, as well as many study abroad opportunities. Peace recently presented The Music Man, and will present Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in March. For more information on their program, check out their website at http://www.peace.edu/about_ wpu/ae/william-peace-theatre/2015-16-theatre-season or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description and click here for the videos !

Burning Coal Theatre Company is very happy to announce that Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, has agreed to fund the live streaming and video recording of the upcoming Shakespeare Marathon.  Live Streaming Link can be found here:  https://nsp.performedia.com/rh/ncmh16/session/a1?output=frame

The Red Hat technology grant will fund the contracting of Performedia, Inc. of Washington, DC,  to live stream and record the entire 5 ½ day marathon reading of all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays April 23 – 28, 2016 at the North Carolina Museum of History. The marathon commemorates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

“Red Hat is proud to support the Shakespeare Marathon,” said John Adams, senior director of Global Brand Strategy and Management, Red Hat. “Encouraging community-powered collaboration and building a vital cultural commons resonates with our open source values, and helping Burning Coal with this project seemed a natural fit.”

Admission to the marathon is free with a suggested donation of $5 at the door. The Museum of History, the co-presenter of the marathon, is located at 5 East Edenton Street in Raleigh. The readings will take place in the Daniels Auditorium on the first floor of the museum. For a list of the 38 participating theatre companies, the plays they will be reading, and each theatre’s starting time, please visit www.burningcoal.org/shakespeare-marathon. 

For additional information, please call 919.834.4001.

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Burning Coal Theatre Company is one of Raleigh’s professional theatre companies.  Burning Coal is an incorporated, non-profit [501 (c) (3)] organization. Burning Coal’s mission is to produce literate, visceral, affecting theatre that is experienced, not simply seen. Burning Coal produces explosive reexaminations of overlooked classic and modern plays, as well as new plays, whose themes and issues are of immediate concern to our audience, using the best local, national and international artists available. We work toward a theatre of high-energy performances and minimalist production values. The emphasis is on literate works that are felt and experienced viscerally, unlike more traditional linear plays, at which audiences are most often asked to observe without participating. Race and gender non-specific casting is an integral component of our perspective, as well as an international viewpoint.

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Burning Coal welcomes back Ed Stephenson and the Paco Band to our MusiCoal 2014 series. The performance will take place Sunday evening, June 22nd at 7 pm at Burning Coal’s Murphey School, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh.  Tickets are $10 and are available at the door. The concert will feature internationally-acclaimed guitarist Ed Stephenson with The Paco Band along with special guest, flamenco dancer Sarah Shelton.

Paco Band Bios

Estimated run time: 2 hours.

Internationally regarded musicologist Dr. James A. Grymes of Charlotte, NC will speak on Saturday, April 12^th at 6 pm about his soon to be published book Violins of Hope.  Tickets are $5 at the door or FREE for anyone holding a ticket to any performance of Burning Coal’s The Diary of Anne Frank (April 3 – 27).  The talk will take place at Burning Coal’s theatre, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh, NC.  For details, please call 919.834.4001.

James A. Grymes is an internationally respected musicologist, a critically acclaimed author, and a dynamic speaker who has addressed audiences at settings ranging from prestigious academic conferences to significant public venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. Dr. Grymes is Professor of Musicology and Interim Chair of the Department of Music at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 

A leading authority on the Hungarian musician Ernst von Dohnányi, a forgotten hero of the Holocaust resistance who was later falsely accused of Nazi war crimes, Dr. Grymes is currently writing a book titled Violins of Hope.  A stirring testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of music, Violins of Hope tells the remarkable stories of violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust and the Israeli violinmaker dedicated to bringing these inspirational instruments back to life.  Violins of Hope will be published by HarperCollins in August 2014.

Actress, playwright, and political activist Eve Ensler was talking with a friend who was going through menopause in the 1990s when she was first struck by the way women spoke about their bodies, which she believed was a reflection of how they felt about themselves and their gender. Ensler was inspired to write a series of essays on women, their bodies, and the language they used to communicate about themselves which she adapted into a performance piece she called The Vagina Monologues. Opening at a tiny off-off-Broadway theater, The Vagina Monologues soon became a hit in New York City which spread around the world, becoming an international phenomenon. 

Estimated run time: 2 hours.