Burning Coal Will Host KidsWrite! Festival 2025

Since 2008, Burning Coal Theatre Company's KidsWrite! Festival has been a celebration of one-act plays written by 6th-12th graders residing in North Carolina.  Students submit their plays, and with a team of professional theatre makers, Burning Coal produces selected scripts. After reviewing this year's submissions, Burning Coal Theatre has announced the finalist scripts and directors for KidsWrite! 2025.

Seven plays have been selected to be presented at this year's festival. The plays include The Ballad of a Music Duo and Fairies by Caroline Zyla, Gumrunners by Riley Barricklow, Drew Bryan, Benjamin Chamblee, Thomas Dierks, Jack Mulley, and Grace Neuman, Orpheus, by Taite Capes, Phoebe Can't Know, by Valeria Torres, Ribbing, by Abby Zwahlen, Titanium Lovers by Sheila Awasthi, and What's In A Name by Noah Howard. 

About the Plays

The Ballad of a Music Duo and Fairies by Caroline Zyla (9th grade, homeschooled)

In an effort to overcome writer's block before the Bayside Music Contest, bandmates and friends, Cassie and Liam, go for a walk in the woods seeking inspiration. What they find exceeds their wildest fantasies and includes a little magic.

Gumrunners by Riley Barricklow, Drew Bryan, Benjamin Chamblee, Thomas Dierks, Jack Mulley, and Grace Neuman (8th grade, Franklin Academy)

There's been a ban on gum at the school and 2nd grade student, Vito, won't stand for it. With the help of his friends and classmates, he leads the charge fighting Superintendent Bryan for their right to chew or die trying. This deadpan comedy will surely entertain audiences who remember classic works by Monty Python, The Princess Bride, or even more modern movies like Good Boys.

Orpheus by Taite Capes (10th grade, Millbrook Magnet High School)

A take on the classic tale of Orpheus, a musician, and his wife, Eurydice, and his desperate attempt to rescue her from the Underworld. This play explores love and loss and their enduring power, as have predecessors like Orpheus Descending by Tennesse Williams, Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell, and Moulin Rouge! by Baz Luhrmann before it. 

Phoebe Can't Know (11th grade, Knightdale High School)

Evan and Phoebe have been friends since they were kids, but Evan's fondness for Phoebe has grown as they've grown up. Aaron likes Phoebe, too, but Aaron and Evan are friends. And Phoebe can't know. Or maybe she already does… 

This coming of age romance will remind viewers of heartfelt tales of love triangles such as Just Friends and Sixteen Candles. 

Ribbing by Abby Zwhalen (11th grade, Seaforth High School)

This love story between Sophie, a young woman at a crossroads between pursuing marriage with young Pastor Edward, or going off to the Amazon alone, is a reminder of how the stories of our lives are told and how we want to live our lives. For fans of classic literature like Little Women and works by Jane Austen.  

Titanium Lovers by Sheila Awasthi (11th grade, Millbrook Magnet School)

The year is 2080. Technology's takeover is closer than ever. Though he lives in an apartment complex inhabited by other residents, Adam lives in isolation as mandated for the safety and preservation of humanity, or what's left of it. He's only read about the sun, and has only learned about the Outside and Old Society from old news articles and authors like Virginia Wolfe and Mark Twain. His only companions are female, mail-ordered robots. It's about loneliness and the consequences of losing human connection. Audiences will be reminded of similar end of humanity stories told through such films as Ex Machina, Her, and I Am Legend.

What's In a Name by Noah Howard (9th grade, Willow Springs High School)

A ragtag group of musicians whose ages range from 13 to 85, are backstage at a music festival preparing for their first performance as a band. Unfortunately the band doesn't have a name and none of them can think of one. For fans of School of Rock and Almost Famous.

Raleigh Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL (Theatre Raleigh)

15.6% of votes

2. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Playmakers Reperatory Company)

12.6% of votes

3. TUCK EVERLASTING (Studio 1)

10% of votes

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