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.
Flat Rock Playhouse
The Flat Rock Playhouse, a professional equity theatre, was founded in 1952, when the Vagabond Players bought an eight-acre lot in Flat Rock, NC, and in 1961 the NC State General Assembly designated the Playhouse the Official State Theatre of North Carolina. Now with two locations in Flat Rock and Hendersonville, the Flat Rock Playhouse provides programming in the form of hit Broadway musicals, comedies, dramas, and theatre-for-youth. Through Studio 52, Flat Rock Playhouse provides quality education programs in theatre, musical theatre, and film. Recently, Flat Rock Playhouse presented the world premiere of the Broadway bound new musical Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz. Check out the Flat Rock Playhouse website for more information or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description and here for the videos.
Gilbert Theatre
The Gilbert Theater is a semi-professional, community-minded theatre company and conservatory serving Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the surrounding area. Robyne Parrish is the Artistic Director, now in her fourth season. We are a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation producing up to six plays and musicals per year, offerings in the summer Next Stage, as well as a full slate of theater-minded classes for students of all ages in our Gilbert Conservatory and Gilbert Glee initiatives. As a semi-professional theatre, we meld the traditions of volunteerism, camaraderie, and entertainment of community theater, with the artistic goals, education, and professional staff of regional theater. The mission of the Gilbert Theater is to produce creative, innovative plays and events to stir audiences and students of its conservatory to explore and contemplate the human condition through the talents of local and guest artists.The Gilbert continues to actively explore ways to engage with our diverse community in regards to the representation of culture, race, ethnicity, socio-economic class, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and disability on and off stage. We create more opportunities for actors and other artists who have been historically underrepresented on and off the stage. www.gilberttheater.com. Click here for cast list and play description. Bill Bowman and Robyne Parrish, the artistic director of Gilbert theatre present the theatre, click here !
Greensboro College
The Theatre Department at Greensboro College aims to provide a strong foundation in theatre, while allowing students to emphasize a particular area of theatre. Their coursework is integrated with production work, and participation is required on stage or back stage on all theatre productions. Greensboro College offers degrees in Acting, Arts Management, Costumes, Design/Tech, Musical Theatre, Stage Directing/Management, and Theatre Education. The department emphasizes student work: student designers and directors are utilized on student and faculty directed shows. In November, Greensboro College hosted the NCTC State Play Championships. For more information about the Department of Theatre at Greensboro College, visit their website: https://www.greensboro.edu/school-of-the-arts.php# or follow them on Facebook or Twitter or click here to watch their videos. Click here for the cast list and play description.
Honest Pint Theatre
David Henderson is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Honest Pint Theatre Company located in Raleigh. They believe Theatre has the power to illuminate, transform and heal; experiencing theatre is essential for communities to thrive; in surprising our audiences; Theatre should be intimate, engaging, emotionally powerful, and affordable to everyone; Theatre should be HONEST; Audiences should get what they pay for! This summer, Hamlet will be play. For more information about Theater program at The Honest Pint Theatre Company, visit their website at http://www.honestpinttheatre.org or follow them on Facebook. Click here for cast list and play description.
In/Visible Theatre
In/Visible Theatre of Boone explores unseen people, unheard voices, and unasked questions. Producing since 2012, In/Visible has sent shows to festivals in New Mexico, Maine, and Los Angeles, and their show Bumbershoot was named one of the “Best of the Fest” in the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival. 2016 is the second year in which An Appalachian Summer Festival at Appalachian State University has commissioned a new play from In/Visible Theatre. Our work is specific to the complexity that is Boone, North Carolina, a growing college town in central Appalachia. We think that creating high-quality, inclusive art makes our community a better place, and makes us better people, whether we are theatre artists, supporters, audiences, students, or friends. Think you might be interested in sitting in a room for a while with other thoughtful people also interested in beauty, truth, complexity, and the potential of art to improve the world? Come see us at www.invisibletheatrenc.org. Click here for cast list and play description and here for the videos !
The Justice Theatre Project
Since 2004, The Justice Theatre Project (JTP) has produced professional shows combined with discussion, outreach and advocacy. JTP turns no one away that is unable to purchase a ticket, while paying a wage to all of our professional staff, actors, and crew members. We produce three main stage productions each season that focus on a singular topic of social concern,and an annual holiday production of “Black Nativity” by Langston Hughes. Summer’s we provide youth summer theater camps in three locations, working with Passage Home at The Safety Club in downtown Raleigh, students in North Raleigh at The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi, and in Durham at the Emily K Center. All camps provide an extraordinary amount of scholarships, and a fair wage for the professional and support staff. www.TheJusticeTheaterProject.org. Click here for cast list and play description.
Louisburg College
Related by faith to The United Methodist Church, Louisburg College is committed to offering a supportive community, which nurtures young men and women intellectually, culturally, socially, physically, and spiritually. As a two-year residential institution, it provides a bridge for students to make a successful transition from high school to senior colleges and universities. The Drama Program at Louisburg College, after a period of dormancy, was re-instituted in the spring of 2012, with a student production of several 10-minute plays from the Actors Theatre of Louisville. Since then, the Norris Theatre has hosted several professional, community-based, and student productions, including Godspell, Tuesdays With Morrie, The Christmas Bus, The Miracle Worker, Home, John and Jen, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This spring, in addition to our reading for the Shakespeare Marathon, we will be presenting a new work by Walter Williamson, Victoria’s Boy, and also presenting our spring musical, Once Upon A Mattress. For more information on their program, check out their website at http://www.louisburg.edu. Click here for cast list and play description.
NC Central University
North Carolina Central University’s Department of Theatre and Dance has a long and vibrant history. First established in 1948, the department has since grown to provide an extensive education to their students. NCCU offers six different degrees in Theatre Studies, including Theatre Education, Technical Theatre, General Theatre, Performance, Theatre Administration, and Theatre Communications. The department also hosts visiting guest artists and pushes their students to gain professional experience through summer theatre programs and dinner theatres. Check out their upcoming production of Hurt Village in February. For more information about The Department of Theatre and Dance at NCCU, visit their website at http://www.nccu.edu/academics/sc/artsand sciences/theatredrama/index.cfm or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description and here for the videos !
North Carolina Wesleyan College
Chartered by the State of North Carolina on October 25, 1956. North Carolina Wesleyan College is a private four-year liberal arts college and a local and regional center for the performing, visual, and literary arts. The Dunn Center for the Performing Arts houses a large theater, a recital hall, two galleries, classrooms, and a spacious lobby (which is routinely used for receptions, banquets, and dinner theatre productions). The facility is also home to the NC Wesleyan Theatre Program which offers students a BA in Entertainment/Theatre, with a broad-based curriculum and production season. The Dunn Center supports an annual series of concerts and performances with season and individual tickets available through the Belk Box Office. . In addition to the residential campus in Rocky Mount, the College offers an adult degree program at ten satellite campus sites. Visit their website at http://www.ncwc.edu. Click her for cast list and play description. 
Neuse Little Theatre
Neuse Little Theatre has been a vital part of the cultural heritage in Smithfield since 1974, bringing such shows as Wizard of Oz, Grease, and Cinderella to Smithfield. This community theatre produces five plays each year. The next show The Night of the Iguana will be February 19 – 21 and 26-27, 2016. For more information about Neuse Little Theatre, check out their website at http://www.neuselittletheatre.org. Click here for cast list and play description.
PlayMakers Repertory Company
PlayMakers Repertory Company, led by new Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch, is the professional theatre in residence at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. PlayMakers presents a 6-play Mainstage Season in the 550-seat Paul Green Theatre, along with the 3-play PRC2 Series in the more intimate 265-seat Kenan Theatre, both located in UNC’s Center for Dramatic Art. PlayMakers stages reimagined classics as well as the best in contemporary theatre, including drama, comedy and musicals. The artists appearing onstage and working behind the scenes to make PlayMakers’ productions truly memorable and entertaining are nationally recognized talents. PlayMakers has been named “One of the Best Regional Theaters in America” by The Drama League of New York and “one of America’s leading theatre companies” by American Theatre magazine. INDY Week calls PlayMakers the “Best Live Theater Company in the Triangle.” The North Carolina Theatre Conference has honored PlayMakers as “Professional Theatre of the Year” and Triangle Business Journal named the company among the inaugural recipients of its Leaders in Diversity Award. For more information on PlayMakers, check out their website at http://www.playmakersrep.org/ or follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description and here for their videos !
Raleigh Charter School with Seed Art Share
Their team included teachers, artists, musicians, nutritionists, students, psychologists, social workers, parents, children, actors, professionals, and general lovers of people. They desired to love and serve people in the artistic, college, and inner city Raleigh community.
As artists; however, they recognized a greater need to support the creative neighborhood that is downtown Raleigh. The goal has never been to be just a venue or child-care facility. They want to support and serve the Raleigh arts community and their families through events, performances, and community partnerships. They want to bump heads with people from different backgrounds, disciplines, theologies, and lives. While many details are still up for more brainstorming, they want to do something big here. As a team, They are driven by hospitality, grace, and a desire to see people sharing space and resources. They hope to create an open environment to grow crafts and relationships. Click here for the cast list and play description and here for their video !
Raleigh Little Theatre
Established in 1936, Raleigh Little Theatre is one of the oldest community theatres in the country. They enjoy a unique variety of spaces, including the Sutton Theatre, the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre, the outdoor Stephenson Amphitheatre, and the beautiful Raleigh Rose Garden. Their mission is to use theatre to enrich, educate, entertain, and engage volunteers, students, and audiences of all ages. They do this by producing innovative and sought after theatre, and by providing a diverse and dynamic education program to both adults and youth. For more information about Raleigh Little Theatre, check out their website: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/index.html or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Click here for cast list and play description and here for their videos !
Stillwater Theatre Company
Stillwater Theatre Company, located in Raleigh, strives to create stirring, passionate and thought provoking theatre that will engage and inspire our audience. Stillwater Theatre’s primary tasks are to serve the community as a resource for new feminine artistic voices; to forge new relationships with future generations of artists and audiences through outreach and volunteer programs; to celebrate the creative artistic experience. While the essential mission will remain focused on providing classic and new dramas, they are committed in their residency with Meredith College to explore philosophical, cultural, and educational possibilities through the experience of theatre. Stillwater is focused on promoting women’s issues in theatre and providing an atmosphere where women can foster strong characters and stories. This experience will provide both the professional artist and student with opportunities that extend beyond their professional or academic endeavors. For more information about Stillwater Theatre, check out their website: http://stillwatertheatrecom.wix.com. 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 12th 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 !
Allan Maule is a North Carolina-based playwright and writer with 14 years of writing experience for the stage and digital media. On September 28th at 7 PM, Allan will lead a workshop on how to get started as a playwright. In this hour-long zoom, Allan will discuss his experience as a writer, staying creative in tough times, overcoming writer’s block, and how to get your work produced. This workshop is free to the public—we can’t wait to see you (virtually) there! Favorite productions of his plays include Tales and Fermentations (Seed Art Share), EverScape (NYC Fringe 2015 and Sonorous Road Theater), Two Late (Carrboro Arts Center 10×10 Festival), Imperfect Strangers (Sonorous Road Theater), and Framing the Shot (Sonorous Road Theater). Allan also worked as a video game writer and voice director on the MMORPG Fallen Earth and the Serious Games GE2050 and Uptick. Allan is a graduate of Duke University and holds a masters in performance studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Carey Blackburn is a theatre artist with a parallel career as an insurance navigator, prioritizing making healthcare and financial peace more accessible for fellow creatives. On Monday October 5, 2020 at 7 PM she will hold a workshop on ACA and SHOP enrollment. She is an independent agent licensed in NC for Accident and Heath or Sickness, and a CMS certified navigator for ACA for individuals and SHOP for small businesses. Recent performance credits: Lady M in The Scottish Play (Thunder Bay Theatre), Anna/u/s Ilse in Spring Awakening (Serenbe Playhouse), Sluefoot Sue in Mickey and Company (Tokyo Disneyland), Marian in Robin Hood (Florida Studio Theatre). She holds a BFA in Theatre Arts- Musical Theatre from East Carolina University. Insurance service site: www.careyblackburnagent.com
