Jerome Davis News

Burning Coal Theatre Company is proud to present Talley's Folly by Lanford Wilson, a story about how, despite all odds, love can bring the most unlikely people together.

Burning Coal Theatre Company is proud to present Camelot by Lerner and Loewe, the classic musical adaptation of TH White's The Once and Future King. 

There are 90 shows at Capital Fringe this summer, and a vast majority of them are from local artists. But there's a handful of individuals coming from outside the District to present their work, among them Raleigh's Burning Coal Theatre Company. They'll be bringing an encore of Iphigenia in Splott by Gary Owen, a solo show inspired by the story of Iphigenia.

BorderLight International Theatre + Fringe Festival and Burning Coal Theatre Company will present Peter Pan and Wendy in Cleveland this summer. The original adaptation, created by director Lillian White in collaboration with the ensemble, is based on J.M. Barrie's beloved novel and premiered in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2017. Showtimes are July 26th at 7:30 pm and July 27th at 1:30 pm and 7:00 pm at the Old Stone Church (Memorial Hall) in Cleveland's Public Square. Tickets can be purchased for the individual shows for $12, or with a "Binge-on-Fringe!" discount pass of four ($40) or eight ($70) tickets. BorderLight International Theatre + Fringe Festival is a new festival of contemporary theatre featuring 100 theatrical performances by companies from around the world. The festival takes place in indoor and outdoor venues from Public Square to Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland, July 24-27, 2019. Further information can be found at www.borderlightcle.org

In 1973, tennis champion Arthur Ashe traveled to Johannesburg to compete in the South African Open amidst the oppression of an apartheid-based government. He had applied for a visa to play in the tournament three times prior but was denied. His presence at the 1973 event sparked some outrage but was the catalyst for change, not only for Ashe as an activist but also for the South African people. This story is the impetus for Hannah Benitez's new play, ASHE IN JOHANNESBURG. Burning Coal Theater commissioned Benitez to write the play, and it is a compelling story to tell. However, the show, which opened this weekend, needs further development before it achieves the same level of polish and flair as other historical dramas like David Hare's STUFF HAPPENS, which opened Burning Coal's current season.

What makes a good play? A musical can hook you with a snappy showstopper, but a play, on the other hand, is all about the language, rhythm, and story. And some of the best contemporary plays I've seen of late are more character-driven than plot-driven and an exploration into the daily life of the everyman, muddling through just like the rest of us, trying to find himself or reconcile with his inner demons. I suppose it is the fine art of storytelling, as well as the astute observation of the ordinary while skating between the supernatural and the mundane, that makes Burning Coal's current production of Conor McPherson's THE WEIR so engrossing.

The Burning Coal Theatre Company is proud to present Conor McPherson's The Weir, the story of what happens on a seemingly quiet evening in a rural Irish pub when the local boys are visited by a stranger. Directed by Jerome Davis, The Weir will play at Burning Coal's Murphey School Auditorium in downtown Raleigh from November 29th through December 16th. There will be a "pay what you can day" on Sunday December 2nd.   Performances are November 29, 30 and December 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 & 15 at 7:30 pm and December 2, 9 & 16th at 2 pm.  Tickets are available now for $25, with a senior discount (65+) at $20, a student, teachers, and active military discount at $15 and student rush tickets for $5 (if available) at curtain. Those interested can secure their tickets online at burningcoal.org or by calling the box office at 919.834.4001.

The Burning Coal Theatre Company has announced its upcoming 2018-2019 season consisting of four plays that will take audiences to all corners of the globe.

Burning Coal Theatre Company is proud to announce our 2018 Second Stage Series, Wait Til You See This. The plays will run in repertory June 7 - 24, 2018 at Burning Coal's Murphey School Auditorium, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh, NC 27604. 

Can't wait for Hamilton to come to Durham next fall? This weekend, Raleigh theater lovers can enjoy the music of Hamilton at Burning Coal Theatre's songfest, Hamiltunes. Burning Coal's Artistic Director Jerome Davis sat down with me to discuss Hamiltunes, Oakwood history, and the theatre's upcoming season.

All's fair in love and politics. Maybe that's not the correct saying, but it accurately describes David Hare's SKYLIGHT. Currently playing at Mad Cow Theatre, this play focuses on the complexities of the heart. It is dramatic and thought-provoking enough to leave audiences thinking about the plot days after.

Mad Cow Theatre is delighted to announce the cast of David Hare's Skylight, a play about the state of the nation and matters of the heart, as two former lovers with differing political views are reunited years after their affair, begins performances in the Zehngebot-Stonerock Theatre June 22, 2017 as the eighth production of Mad Cow Theatre's Season 20.  

RLT's Women and War series explores the changing role of women in modern warfare. "Downrange: Voices from the Homefront" and "Grounded" close out the series on Memorial Day weekend, running in repertory from Friday night through Sunday evening.

Raleigh Little Theatre presents "Women and War", a three-play series as part of the Season of Discovery, which will run throughout the month of May. This series includes three plays - 'A Piece of My Heart,' 'Downrange: Voices from the Homefront' and 'Grounded' as well as a workshop for military families dedicated to creating personal narratives. All three plays will be presented in the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre.

Burning Coal Theatre Company will present David Edgar's Written on the Heart, a drama about the creation of the King James Bible. The play will run December 1-3, 8-10 and 15-17, 2016 at 7:30 pm and December 4, 11 and 18th at 2 pmat Burning Coal's Murphey School Auditorium, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh, NC 27604. 

Burning Coal Theatre Company will open its 20th season in Raleigh, North Carolina with David Hare's Skylight, a love story about a brashly swaggering, politically conservative middle-aged businessman in the hotels and restaurants trade who stumbles back into the life of a progressive-minded, younger woman with whom he had a tempestuous affair years  before.  The play will run Thursdays through Saturdays, Oct. 6-9, 13-15 and 20-22, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, October 9, 16, and 23, 2016 at 2 p.m. Performances will take place at Burning Coal's Murphey School Auditorium, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh, NC 27604.

Burning Coal Theatre Company will present a staged reading of Jason Odell Williams' new play CHURCH & STATE Wednesday, May 25th at 7 pm at the Murphey School auditorium, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh, NC.  The reading is free with a suggested $5 donation at the door. No reservations needed. For additional information, call 919.834.4001 or visit us at www.burningcoal.org.

Burning Coal Theatre Company's Director of Education, Jorie Slodki, will be teaching a class in Stand-Up Comedy April 18 - May 23, 2016.  Classes will run Mondays from 7 to 10 pm at Burning Coal Theatre, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh. Participants will spend six weeks learning about joke structure,  finding authentic topics, and honing their material. By the end of class, participants will have a ten-minute stand-up comedy act. The class culminates in a performance on the evening of May 23 for family and friends as well as a panel of critics who will provide advice.  Participants will be expected to write outside of class. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.  The cost is $155, payable on or prior to the first day of class.