Into the Fire at Burning Coal Theatre

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, director, Susan Gross, and the playwrights of this year's KidsWrite Festival as they talk about where their inspiration comes from and the amazing lineup of new productions that will soon be brought to life on the Burning Coal Theatre stage! 

Jerome Davis talks with Byron Jennings II, Natalie Reder, and Daniel Ryder, about what inspired their performance careers, musical theatre, Stephen Sondheim, and Merrily We Roll Along. Don't miss experiencing these talented artists in our current production of Merrily We Roll Along!

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, in a conversation with the talented director, actor, and writer, Lonny Price who was the original Charley in Merrily We Roll Along. Tune in as Lonny talks about his life, career, and working with giants in the theatre world, such as Stephen Sondheim and Athol Fugard. 

Artistic director, Jerome Davis, talks with the esteemed theatre critic, Frank Rich! A fascinating discussion about his life, Stephen Sondheim, and Merrily We Roll Along.  

Artistic director, Jerome Davis, talks with Jarred Pearce who stars as Chaka in BEING CHAKA, created by TÉA Artistry. Now showing at Burning Coal Theatre until March 30th 2025.

This is an audio recording of the program for Being Chaka, created by TÉA Artistry; written by Tara Amber, Chuk Obasi, and Nalini Sharma. Being Chaka runs at Burning Coal Theatre March 13 - 30, 2025. For more information and tickets, visit our website at https://burningcoal.org/being-chaka/

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, and the directors of BEING CHAKA, Vieve Price and Chuk Obasi, for a captivating discussion about their careers and BEING CHAKA created by TÉA Artistry. 

Artistic director, Jerome Davis, talks with Monica Hoh and Ali Goins who will be making their Burning Coal Theatre debuts in our upcoming play, PAINT ME THIS HOUSE OF LOVE by Chelsea Woolley! Don't miss Monica and Ali's heartfelt performance as Cecelia and her estranged father, Jules.  PAINT ME THIS HOUSE OF LOVE runs January 30th - February 16th at Burning Coal Theatre! 

Artistic director, Jerome Davis, talks with Montreal-based actor and director, Mike Payette about his life, the arts, and PAINT ME THIS HOUSE OF LOVE. Mike is the artistic director of the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, Canada, where our upcoming play, PAINT ME THIS HOUSE OF LOVE by Chelsea Woolley, premiered. 

Artistic director, Jerome Davis, talks with the talented Chelsea Woolley, a playwright and arts educator native to Toronto. She is the author of several plays, including Paint Me this House of Love which will have its U.S. Premiere at Burning Coal Theatre on January 30th - February 16th, 2025.  Come experience PAINT ME THIS HOUSE OF LOVE at Burning Coal Theatre. Tickets available here: https://burningcoal.org/paint-me-this-house-of-love/

Jerome Davis talks with Steven Roten, director of THE RAINMAKER, long time Burning Coal actor, and educator at Meredith College.  Come see The Rainmaker: 

This is the audio recording of the digital program for Burning Coal Theatre's production of The Rainmaker, by N. Richard Nash.

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, and scholar and author, Matthew Booker, for an insightful dive into the historical and environmental context of our upcoming play, THE RAINMAKER.    The Rainmaker runs at Burning Coal Theatre from Dec. 5th-22nd, 2024. Get your tickets here: https://burningcoal.org/the-rainmaker/    

Join Artistic Director, Jerome Davis, and Dublin-based playwright, Colin Murphy, for a dive into his play, Haughey/Gregory, currently showing at Burning Coal!    Don't miss this hilarious and brilliantly HOPEFUL play about a moment in time when the least expected thing happened, and the world changed for the better.

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, and the talented Flora Bare (director of Haughey/Gregory) as they discuss her background, physical theatre, and our upcoming production of Haughey/Gregory.    Don't miss this hilarious and brilliantly HOPEFUL play about a moment in time when the least expected thing happened, and the world changed for the better.  Limited Dates: Oct 14th-23rd, Mon-Wed Evenings @ 7:30pm  Tickets: $20 ($10 for students).  Available: https://burningcoal.org/haughey-gregory/ #BurningCoalTheatre #wakearts  #raleighnc #bonus #USPremiere #Ireland

This is an audio recording of the program for Copenhagen, by Michael Frayn. Presented by Burning Coal Theatre, October 10 - 27, 2024.

Join Artistic Director, Jerome Davis, for a captivating discussion with Conall Morrison - the ORIGINAL director of HAUGHEY/GREGORY when it played in Dublin presented by the company Fishamble.   Come experience HAUGHEY/GREGORY!

Join Artistic Director, Jerome Davis, and THE Michael Frayn in an insightful discussion about our upcoming production of COPENHAGEN by Michael Frayn!  You don't want to miss this!

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, physicist Dr. Marc Kastner, and the cast of our upcoming production, COPENHAGEN, for an insightful conversation about the science behind Copenhagen.  Don't miss your chance to see COPENHAGEN: October 10 – 27, 2024 Get your tickets today: https://burningcoal.org/copenhagen/

Join the two creative minds behind Burning Coal Theatre's A HOUSE (after Ibsen's Ghosts), artistic director Jerome Davis and the multi-talented Baltimore-based (but Raleigh native) writer/actor Lucius Robinson.  Don't miss your chance to see A HOUSE:  June 21st @ 7:30PM and June 22nd @ 4:30PM.   Get your tickets today: https://burningcoal.org/second-stage/ 

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, as he talks with the talented Dani Coan about her production EX-BOYFRIENDS, now showing at Burning Coal Theatre.  Don't miss your chance to see Ex-Boyfriends: June 12th at 7:30 pm; June 15th at 4:30 pm; June 22nd at 2 pm; June 23rd at 4:30 pm.  Get your tickets today: https://burningcoal.org/second-stage/ 

Introducing the talented young writers of Burning Coal Theatre's upcoming KidsWrite Festival 2024 productions! Come experience these amazing new works, only at Burning Coal Theatre May 24-25. Get your tickets here: https://burningcoal.org/kidswrite-festival/

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, as he talks with KidsWrite directors, Susan Gross and Johannah Edwards, about their lives, original works they've created (such as Susan's Ruby and Johannah' Flee This Place), and Burning Coal Theatre's upcoming KidsWrite Festival. Come see amazing new works by young writers at Burning Coal's KidsWrite Festival 2024! Get your tickets here: https://burningcoal.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0S3u000008BAEpEAO      

Join artistic director, Jerome Davis, as he talks with the talented Alec Donaldson about his life, his involvement in the Arts, law, serving on boards, and of course, Stephen Sondheim and A Little Night Music. Don't miss Alec Donaldson's portrayal of Lindquist in Burning Coal Theatre's last production of the season, A Little Night Music! Get your tickets here: https://burningcoal.org/a-little-night-music/

As we near our final mainstage show for the season, A Little Night Music, artistic director Jerome Davis talks with the talented Margaret-Ellen Christensen about her life, career, her time in New York, and the great Stephen Sondheim.  Come experience Margaret-Ellen Christensen as Petra in A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler.

Join Burning Coal Theatre's Artistic Director, Jerome Davis, in a lovely discussion with the director of HYMN, marcus d. harvey as they talk about marcus's life, background, and take a deeper dive into the more serious themes in HYMN. Now showing at Burning Coal Theatre Jan. 25 – Feb. 11, 2024.  https://burningcoal.org/hymn-2/.  

Award-winning playwright and actress, Lolita Chakrabarti, whose extensive career encompasses television, film, and stage (such as her adaptations of LIFE OF PI, INVISIBLE CITIES, and HAMNET), talks with Burning Coal Artistic Director Jerome Davis about her life, career, her play RED VELVET, and HYMN which will show at Burning Coal Theatre January, 25th - February, 11th.  

Byron Jennings, who has appeared with Burning Coal in ART by Yasmina Reza, STUFF HAPPENS by David Hare (playing Colin Powell), UNTIL THE FLOOD by Dael Orlandersmith and THE PRISONER'S DILEMMA by David Edgar, talks with Burning Coal Artistic Director Jerome Davis about their recent triumph with Tom Stoppard's ARCADIA, his upcoming role in HYMN by Lolita Chakrabarti and their mutual love for Stephen Sondheim, among other things.

Audio described program for Burning Coal's 2023 production of ARCADIA by Tom Stoppard.

In this episode, Ayal Prouser and Elliott Ghittelsohn of TIME FLIES CIRCUS discuss directing the Summer Theatre Conservatory at Burning Coal and their new adult workshop. Registration for the adult circus workshop open here! Ayal founded Time Flies in Brooklyn, NY with his partner, Claire, after traveling the world as a circus performer. He has since taught thousands of students in the wondrous arts of aerial silks, trapeze, and juggling. Elliott is also a world-renowned performer and a specialized contortionist. Have you ever seen a cat mid-air? Click here for tickets to the 2023 STC production of CATS. 

An audio recording of the program for OR as read by Jalen Bynum, including additional descriptions of costume and set. At the end is a history of Burning Coal Theatre and our space the Murphey School Auditorium provided by Artistic Director Jerome Davis. Time Stamps: 0:00 - Welcome 0:07 - About the Play 0:46 - About the Production(Directors Note from Charles Machalicky) 2:37 - Thank you to STC Sponsors and BCTC Sponsors 3:00 - Creative Team and Crew 3:33 - Thank you to BCTC Volunteers 3:45 - Or Set Description 4:31 - Actor/Costume Description 6:09 - Dedication/Acknowledgements 6:26 - History of Burning Coal and the Murphey School Auditorium  

In this episode, Laurel Ullman breaks down her performance as Aphra Behn in this year's Second Stage production of Or, (co-produced by Switchyard Theatre Company).

An audio recording of the program for RUBY as read by Jalen Bynum, including additional descriptions of costume and set. At the end is a history of Burning Coal Theatre and our space the Murphey School Auditorium provided by Artistic Director Jerome Davis. Time Stamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:18 - About the Production 0:30 - Content Warning 0:44 - Bio for Susan Gross 2:54 - Program Note by Susan Gross 3:55 - Sponsor Recognition 4:10 - Creative Team / Crew List 4:55 - Volunteer Thanks 5:12 - Set and Costume Description 6:37 - Special Thanks from Susan Gross 7:16 - Dedication 7:39 - History of Burning Coal and the Murphey School Auditorium

In this episode, performer and writer Susan Gross discusses her inspirations, upbringing, and the personal backstory of her one-woman show RUBY with guest interviewer Nathalie Ray. 0:18 Welcome, Susan! 1:02 The Origins of Susan 3:50 Christopher Durang's Influence 6:45: Ruby's Message 8:53: Early Productions of Ruby 10:57: Susan's Future Projects 12:02 Susan the Character vs. Susan the Person 13:10 Advice for Aspiring One-Person Shows 15:21 Will Ruby Return? 16:24 Conclusion  

In this episode sit down with the collection of young playwrights, whose one-acts were selected for the 2023 KidsWrite! Festival, as they give us a peek into their pieces. Our group of middle and high school writers will share their artistic inspirations, delve into their writing process and give insight into who they are hoping to become as artists.   Disclaimer: The order of writers in this podcast does not indicate the order of pieces for the performance. Continue to check Burning Coals website for the updated Kidswrite lineup, as well as additional information and tickets.   0:40 - Jerry Introduction 1:15 - Act 1 of Kids Write Introduction 1:20 - Introduction of IN THE COURTYARD by Ellene Warner and LOST WITHIN ONE'S MIND by Dana Anger 1:40 - IN THE COURTYARD by Ellene Warner & her creative process 3:22 - LOST WITHIN ONE'S MIND by Dana Anger & her creative process 5:00 - What inspired their pieces of writing 9:55 - What does Dana Anger see in her future? 12:35 - What does Ellene Warner see in her future? 14:20 - Will they stay in North Carolina? 15:00 - End of First Act Interview 15:30 - Act 2 of Kids Write Introduction 15:45 - Introduction of WHO DID IT? by Neil Joshi; GOING UP by Caleb van Doornewaard; THE WILD DREAM by Anna Bryan, Audrey Fagin, Katie Haynes, Mackenzie Kuntz, Jasmine Rigda (Absent: Sadie Hancox, Daniel Sanders) 17:28 - THE WILD DREAM by Anna Bryan, Audrey Fagin, Katie Haynes, Mackenzie Kuntz, Jasmine Rigda// What is it about & How did it come about? 19:55 - The most difficult moment and highlight moment for the team. 21:01- WHO DID IT? by Neil Joshi Synopsis 21:48 - Inspiration for Neil Joshi's Play 22:20 - GOING UP by Caleb van Doornewaard Synopsis 23:40 - What is enticing about comedy writing? 24:50 - THE WILD DREAM team and their inspiration as artists 27:30 - Caleb van Doornewaard's artistic inspiration 27:50 - Neil Joshi artistic inspiration 28:20 - The rehearsal and editing process for Kidswrite 31:00 - End of Act 2 Interview 31:53 - Act 3 Introduction 32:00 - DAMN CIGARETTES! by Izzy Richman ; VELIOUS by Addison Florio ; OVERDUE by Nina Ridley Clayton and Director Alice Nicole Acuff 32:43 - Play synopsis of all three pieces 34:30 - Inspiration for the pieces 36:18 - What happens after you are inspired, how do you get from beginning to end of writing? 37:55 - Alice Nicole Acuff's experience working with young writers 39:17 - Addison Florio on assistant directing as a writer 40:25 - Izzy Richman ; Have you ever had your own play produced before? What was the experience like? 42:32 - Nina Ridley Clayton's experience with her work being performed. 43:15 - Alice Nicole Acuff's advice for writers 44:38 - Closing of entire episode  

An audio recording of the program for THE CHERRY ORCHARD and additional descriptions of costume and set by Abbi Colborn.

In this episode local English teacher Madison Doss discusses Chekov's background and his influential writing style. Intro: 00: 12 About Madison: 1:08 Madison's introduction to Theatre: 7:57 Is Chekhov's Writing of Interest to Young People?: 13:1 0 Chekov's Plays, Comedies?: 19:11 The society we live in now compared to the one Chekhov wrote in: 23:53 Why Madison teaches:  28:36 Outro: 30:51

In this episode, Lynda Clark gives her advice to aspiring actors, opens up about her past roles in theatre and film, and reveals which roles she still wants to play. Time Stamps: Intro: 00: 12 Welcome, Lynda!: 00:25 About Lynda: 1:23 Lynda's Nerves: 10:24 Developing the show: 12:38 Lynda's work in Film and TV: 18:31 Why is live theatre captivating?:  20:40 Specificity in choices: 21:31 Artists Lynda draws inspiration from: 25:05 Lynda's desires going forward: 27: 40 Playing Lear as Woman?: 30:35 Playing Love: 31:37 Performing the Cherry Orchard in the local dialect: 34:59 Goodbyes: 40:02 Outro: 40:41  Interested in starting your own podcast? Use link https://www.podbean.com/coal for 1 month of free hosting on Podbean! We've been using it a couple years now, and can  vouch it as user-friendly, practical, and great for beginners and advanced podcasters alike.

In this episode Artistic Director Jerome Davis interviews Janet Cowell. Janet is the CEO of the Dix Park Conservancy, as well as a former City Councilor (Raleigh), State Treasurer, and State Senator. She discusses her unique personal background and the importance of thoughtful urban development, a thematic tie-in to Burning Coal's THE CHERRY ORCHARD.   Timestamps: Intro: 00: 12 About Janet: 1:30 Janet's time in Asia: 3:24 Why Raleigh?: 4:19 Janet's time in public office:  5:18 Why Janet ran for office: 6:20 The History and future of Dix Park: 10:47 The Mission of the Conservancy:   13:24 Raleigh's Growth: 16:28 Goodbyes: 20:53

In this episode, Artistic Director Jerome Davis interviews the inimitable actor and sound designer Juan Isler. Juan discusses how he got into theatre, being a founder of TORN, and his role in Burning Coal's production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD. Time Stamps: Intro: 00:13 Who is Lopakin? 1:20 Juan's Past Projects: 2:25 Randy's Return to Directing 4:27 Juan's Early Days and start in theatre 6:27 Juan's First Audition 12:15 Juan's Political activism 16:25 Belonging in Theatre 20:24 Thoughts on The Cherry Orchard 26:30 Goodbyes 30:25 Interested in starting your own podcast? Use link https://www.podbean.com/coal for 1 month of free hosting on Podbean! We've been using it a couple years now, and can  vouch it as user-friendly, practical, and great for beginners and advanced podcasters alike.

On this episode, Dr. Richard Bergl from the North Carolina Zoo discusses elephant poaching and animal conservation efforts. This discussion is in connection to our production of MLIMA'S TALE by Lynn Nottage.   Interested in starting your own podcast? Use link https://www.podbean.com/coal for 1 month of free hosting on Podbean! We've been using it a couple years now, and can  vouch it as user-friendly, practical, and great for beginners and advanced podcasters alike.

This audio described program was organized and read by Abbi Colborn. Click here to view the digital visual program.   Time Stamps: Artistic Director Statement, a poem for Mlima: 1:00 About the Play: 2:52 Designers and Crew: 3:08 Set Description: 3:39 Actor Descriptions: 4:19 Bios: 7:30 About Burning Coal, read by Jerome Davis: 17:47 About the Murphey School Auditorium, read by Jerome Davis: 18:50

On this episode, Willie Hinton discusses choreography for Mlima's Tale and his history as a dancer and educator. Learn more about Burning Coal's production of Mlima's Tale at https://burningcoal.org/mlimas-tale/.   Interested in starting your own podcast? Use link https://www.podbean.com/coal for 1 month of free hosting on Podbean! We've been using it a couple years now, and can  vouch it as user-friendly, practical, and great for beginners and advanced podcasters alike.

In this episode, stage manager Jeremy Vance talks SILENT SKY as well his past Burning Coal productions, A GREAT BIG WOOLLY MAMMOTH THAWING FROM THE ICE and I AND YOU.

In this episode, Artistic Director Jerome Davis talks to Dana Bouquin about the impact of Henrietta Leavitt in real life. Join us for SILENT SKY to experience Henrietta's journey. Time Stamps: Intro, 0:00 Dana's work 1:13 Librarian or Astrophysicist? 3:10 Dana's Background 4:10 What is astrophysics? 6:43 Women's history in STEM 9:37 Henrietta Levitt and her impact on Astrophysics 10:40  Henrietta's Role at Harvard College Observatory 14:45 Glass Plate Photography 16:27 The relationship between Arts and Sciences 19:!7 What's next in Astrophysics? 22:19 Why is Astronomy important? 24:15 Wrap up  25:50

Sean Moran, Collections Manager of Paleontology and Geology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, talks to us about the real-world background of A GREAT BIG WOOLLY MAMMOTH THAWING FROM THE ICE.

Lucy Jane Atkinson talks about her role as director for the world premiere of A GREAT BIG WOOLLY MAMMOTH THAWING FROM THE ICE.   Time Stamps: Intro, 0:00 Lucy's Recent Projects 0:48 How she gets it done 5:26 On working with Tatty 7:28 Working on new v. Old works 9:32 Lucy's process working with actors  10:57 Working with Playwrights 19:50 Working on Great Big Woolly Mammoth 25:40 Outro 29:27

On this episode, artistic director of the London theatre The Cockpit discusses Burning Coal's upcoming London production of TALLEY'S FOLLY. Time Stamps: Introduction, 0:00 What is the cockpit? 0:56 What's the community? 2:04 When did Dave join the cockpit? 4:20 Cockpit's building history: 4:40 Dave's Childhood 5:55 Dave's intro to theatre 12:20 Young people and theatergoing today 18:12 About New York voices: 22:37 How does Talley's Folley fit at cock pit? 24:40 Outro 29:29

On this episode, actor Jennifer Suchanec discusses WHAT IF IF ONLY & AIR and her Burning Coal past.

RECORDED WITH AN AUDIENCE AT SO & SO BOOKS Artistic Director Jerome Davis sits down with three of the five playwrights selected for this year's KidsWrite Festival! Graham Woods (Vince Gumshoes: Boom Service!), Isabel Richman (Fill In The Blank), and Millie Soler (Funny Business) talk about their playwrighting inspirations and backgrounds.   The 2022 KIDSWRITE FESTIVAL will livestream for free on Twitch.tv/burningcoaltheatre  on May 27 & 28 at 7pm. This year's selected plays are: THE PHONE WORKS BOTH WAYS - Bella Nesbeth TALIA ON THE PATH OF SHADOWS - Quinn Gilbert VINCE GUMSHOES: BOOM SERVICE! - Graham Woods FILL IN THE BLANK - Isabel Richman FUNNY BUSINESS - by Ms. Huffman's Class; Nevaeh Aravena, Calvin Bennett, Anais Cruz, Carla Hilal, Molly Huffman, Connor Keene, Kendal Morgan, Faith Obaigbena, Aryia Roberts, Josie Robertson, Millie Soler, Arwen Wylie

On this episode, we're joined by Doug Lively and Alan Rich, both NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Solar System Ambassadors, who provide context and insight for our upcoming production of THE LIFE OF GALILEO.