Every fall, Burning Coal Theatre presents a series of short plays from Raleigh and Triangle playwrights as outdoor theatre. See below for more information.
Every October, Burning Coal Theatre partners with the historic Oakwood Cemetery to present a series of short plays based on the lives of people buried in the Oakwood Cemetery, their partners, neighbors, associates and nemeses’.
Playwrights from around the Triangle and sometimes beyond will craft these short plays that look at the comical, the tragic, the dastardly and the utterly heroic lives of those who came before and upon whose shoulders, for better and for worse, the Capital City was built.
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE
The 2021 Oakwood Cemetery Plays will take place October 1 – 3, 2021. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 6:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. In person tickets are available, as is a virtual viewing online. Chairs will be provided.
TICKETS are $20 (adults) and $10 (students) and are available at our online ticket sales (click here) for virtual and in-person tickets. In-person tickets can also be purchased at the ‘door’ to the cemetery.
LOCATION: 701 Oakwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27601. You may drive into the cemetery and you will find our ticket table 100 yards up the driveway.
*Outdoor events do not require proof of vaccination and will not be socially distanced, but will require face masks. See details by clicking here.
For additional information, please call 919.834.4001.
2021 Oakwood Plays
Chatting with J. D. Lewis
By Renèe Nixon
Chatting with J. D. Lewis follows the story of Taylor, a Senior at Shaw University. After struggling to write a school paper, she turns to the Oakwood Cemetery where she meets one of her idols. Together, they write Taylor’s paper and uncover some interesting history in the process. Content Warning: Death, Language
Point of No Return
By Brook North
When Deanne Woodward decides to go on a boat trip to celebrate her birthday, she never expected how the trip would end. Brook North’s Point of No Return follows this harrowing series of events and asks the question “what happens when you reach the Point of No Return?”. Content Warning: Death, Perilous Situations.
Radiant Edges of the Earth
By Tamara Kissane
Einer Rasmussen is a wild and adventurous teen who dreams of seeing the world. Rene Rasmussen is his older sister and worries about Einer’s rebellious nature. The siblings butt heads in Radiant Edges of the Earth by Tamara Kissane. Content Warning: Mentions of Death
Ellen Z. McGrew
By Courtney Pisano
Sam is working on a research project and stumbles into the North Carolina Department of Archives and History. There, they meet a fascinating woman who makes her experience of being a woman in WWII come alive in Courtney Pisano’s Ellen Z. McGrew. Content Warning: Mentions of War
Mary Ann Scherr: The Space Age
By Lydia Sbityakov
It’s 1969, the day after the moon landing and Mary Ann Scherr is at home working peacefully in her studio. Suddenly, she’s interrupted by her daughter and the doorbell. In Mary Ann Scherr: The Space Age, discover who’s at the door and the conversations that follow.
I Wasn’t Any Hero
By Ken Walsh
I Wasn’t Any Hero follows Bobby and Billy Crocker who are reunited in Oakwood Cemetery. The brothers discuss their contrasting views of life during WWII and what defines a good life. Author Ken Walsh proves family bonds can last more than any lifetime. Content Warning: Mentions of Death and War
Director – George Jack
Burning Coal Theatre Company is funded in part by the City of Raleigh based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission. Burning Coal Theatre Company is supported by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.
Burning Coal Theatre | (919) 834-4001 | info@burningcoal.org | 224 Polk St., Raleigh NC 27604
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