Most recently played Roman in Burning Coals US premiere of David Edgars The Prisoners Dilemma (Best Ensemble, Best Production, Indy Weekly, 2008). Also for Burning Coal; Edward Teller in The Lovesong of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Best Supporting Actor, Indy Weekly, 2007). New York City credits include Richard III, After That Platform & Its Quiet (The Village Voice), Region of Shadows, Love Games, An Exile on Jupiter, Captain Umbilicus, Lost, and If Columbus Does Not Figure in Your Travel Plans. Originally from Charlotte, NC, his regional credits include: Macbeth, You Cant Take It With You, All My Sons, King Lear, Harvey, The Merchant of Venice (Jack OBrien, dir.), As Is, Romance Language, The Fantastiks, Curse of the Starving Class, The Tempest (Adrian Hall, dir.) and The Crucible. A graduate from the UNC School of the Arts, he has acted in San Diego, New York, Moscow, and the southeast. James is a proud, new member of the 2009-10 Burning Coal Acting Company, an acting coach, and wannabe playwright.
is no stranger to drama, having been born and raised in Dirty Durham, North Carolina. He attended UNC-Wilmington, became a theatre major and graduated with his Bachelors degree in Fine Arts. His credits with Burning Coal include 1960!, Lessons Learned at Oakwood Cemetery, and Hair! He wishes to thank Burning Coal for the honor of adding him to the company.
at age 6
has been a member of Burning Coal since its first season, having appeared in PENTECOST, EINSTEIN'S DREAMS, HENRY IV, NIGHT AND DAY, TARTUFFE and TAMING OF THE SHREW. In recent years, he has appeared in Washington DC (Studio Theatre, Washington Stage Guild, Folger Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre and the Olney Theatre, as well as in St. Louis and in Phoenix AZ) In NC he has also appeared at Playmakers Rep, Theatre in the Park, Street Signs, Deep Dish Theatre, REP, Temple Theatre and Theatre Or. He is a proud member of Actors Equity. Training at UNC and Yale Drama School.
* Actors Equity
at age 12
was born in Cape Town, South Africa and now lives in Raleigh. She is a professional artist working primarily as a painter and is represented by Glance Gallery in Raleigh. Her studio is located at AntFarm, a cooperative studio warehouse located in the historic Boylan Heights neighborhood. For Burning Coal: Einsteins Dreams, Romeo and Juliet, A Dolls House, Travesties and The Dead. Poster Design for Pentecost, Einsteins Dream, Romeo and Juliet, A Question of Mercy and King Henrie IV.
BFA and MFA in Dramatic Art from UNC Chapel Hill. 1978-1981 Directed in the Visiting Artist Program in North Carolina. 1980, 1981 Production Stage Manager of UNTO THESE HILLS outdoor drama in Cherokee, NC. 1983 Resident in the North Carolina Artist in the Schools program. 1983-1986 Stage Managed 10 Equity Showcase productions in New York City. Former Board Member of Theatre in the Park in Raleigh and Piedmont Players in Salisbury, NC.
Acting Experience:
Burning Coal Theatre: THE LOVE SONG OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER - Rabi/General Groves/J. Edgar Hoover,INHERIT THE WIND - Mayor; Theatre in the Park: ROMEO AND JULIET - Mercutio, MACBETH - Thane of Ross, HENRY V - Duke of Exeter, THE TEMPEST - Gonzalo; Raleigh Little Theatre: FINIAN'S RAINBOW - Og, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK - Otto Frank, TARTUFFE, BORN AGAIN - Tartuffe; Bare Theatre: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - Shylock
For Burning Coal, Quilts of Gees Bend 2009/2010; 1960 2008/2009; Crowns 2007/2008. Other stage credits include Anatomy of a Woman Abused: A One-Woman Show by Jaisun McMillian, Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child by Regina McCrary and Save a Seat for Me by Spencer Jenkins.
A graduate of Indiana University, Me-Me holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Telecommunications and African-American studies and a minor in Theater and Drama.
Currently, she is the Media Spokeswoman for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. She also charms the weekend airwaves of The Light 103.9 FM as an on-air personality, is a professional make-up artist, and a television host for the North Carolina Education Lottery.
at age 17
is Burning Coal Theatre Company's founding artistic director. He has worked at Trinity Repertory Company (Providence), People's Light & Theatre Company (PA), New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Phoenix Theatre (SUNY/Purhchase), Wellfleet Harbor Actors' Theatre (Cape Cod), Columbia University, and Soho Rep, New Dramatists, Avalon Rep and MINT Theatre (NYC). Originally from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, he studied in New York with Uta Hagen, Nikos Psacharapolous and Julie Bovasso. For Burning Coal, he has directed Rat in the Skull, Pentecost, The Steward of Christendom, Winding the Ball, Night and Day, The Weir and Company. He recently directed Of Mice & Men at the Temple Theatre (see recent article in Steinbeck Review), See How They Run at Sandhill Rep and Twelfth Night for Apex High School. He co-wrote The Man Who Tried to Save the World with Floraine Kay, presented in Burning Coal's 2003/2004 season.
EDUCATION DIRECTOR
PLAYWRIGHT
ACTOR
is Director of Education for Burning Coal, heading its WillPower residency programs, its Summer Theatre Conservatories, its New York & London tours, and many other programs. He is author of 1960 (Burning Coal, 2009), Green Square, Suspense, Nightengale Song, and The Nature of the Nautilus (winner of the Kennedy Center's Jean Kennedy Smith Award), as well as Burning Coal's Oakwood cycle of plays.. As an actor, he has performed in Burning Coal's Twelfth Night, KidsWrite '08, Inherit the Wind, 1776, Pentecost, The Taming of the Shrew, Accidental Death of an Anarchist and James Joyce's 'The Dead.' He holds an MFA from the NYU Tisch School of Arts and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America
at age 6
is grateful to be a member of BCTC where she has performed in The Lovesong of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Taming of the Shrew, Safe House, James Joyce’s The Dead, and Juno and the Paycock; she also served as choreographer for Company. Other credits include work with Peace College, Temple Theatre, SART, Flat Rock Playhouse, Barter Theatre, Theatre of the American South, Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy and Cape Fear Regional Theatre. She currently resides in Wilmington with her husband, Bruce and two Belgian sheepdogs, Nikki and Caleb.
recently appeared in the film Lucky Strike, which was screened at the 48 Hour Film Festival in Nashville. For Burning Coal: Rat in the Skull, Love's Labours Lost, Pentecost, Winding the Ball, Einstein's Dreams, The Steward of Christendom, Romeo & Juliet, Night & Day, The Weir, A Dolls House, Company, Tartuffe, Man Who Tried to save the World, and Waiting for Godot (director). Other Credits include: Henry V, Uncle Vanya, Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Follies, Into the Woods, Terra Nova, A Few Good Men, Smoke on the Mountain, Thyestes (REP), Lebensraum (REP), Want's Unwished Work (Sacred Fools, Los Angeles).
at age 19
studied theatre at Northwestern University and received degrees from American University in Painting and Computer Science. For Burning Coal: Rat in the Skull, Loves Labours Lost, Winding the Ball, St. Nicholas, Night and Day, The Weir, Macbeth, Watership Down, A Doll House, The Mound Builders, Company, Road to Mecca, Travesties.
relocated to NC in 2007 from Rochester, NY. She has previously performed with the Celtic Theatre Company, NJ Plays in The Park, NJ Shakespeare Festival, Blackfriars Theatre, CenterStage and various other theatres throughout the region. Her acting endeavors have also extended into commercial, voice and film work. Tamara was most recently seen at Burning Coal as Lyubov in "The Cherry Orchard" and as Kelima in "Prisoner's Dilemma".
at age 11
For Burning Coal: The Dead, All the King's Men, Tartuffe, Juno & the Paycock. Other recent productions include Antigone at Peace College and several staged readings. Stephen will next be seen in Burning Coal's Lipstick Traces.
For Burning Coal: Oppie in The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Dali in Hysteria. Other regions: American Conservatory Theatre; Pennsylvania, San Francisco, and Idaho Shakespeare Festivals; and The Juvenal Players at Grand Arts in Kansas City. In New York City: Closer and Fortinbras at the Juilliard School; the highly acclaimed Bartleby the Scrivener and The Shanghai Gesture; and Innovative Theatre Award nominations for his work in The Country Wife and A Night Near the Sun. Member of Actors Equity Association since 2001 and of the New Jersey Repertory Theatre since 2007. Visit him online at
Credits include roles on Broadway (Agnes in Gypsy starring Tyne Daly, Minnie Fay in Hello,Dolly! starring Carol Channing), national tours (previously mentioned plus Tiger Lily in Peter Pan), off-broadway the New Group, ELT, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, regional theatre including Goodspeed, American Repertory Theatre, The Ordway, NC Theatre, over 100 television commercials and voiceovers, two films, and the voice of Bunny in Courage the Cowardly Dog (Cartoon Network). An ECU graduate, Lori taught acting classes in NYC and now teaches locally. For Burning Coal: Assistant Director, Pentecost and 1960.
STAGE MANAGER
PLAYWRIGHT
DIRECTOR
a local director, earned her BFA-Directing from Ohio University and her K-12 Theater certification from Meredith College. She teaches theatre at South Central High School in Winterville, NC. Credits include for Burning Coal: The Prisoners Dilemma (SM), Crowns (SM), Inherit the Wind (SM), The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer (SM). Delta Boys: Cowboy Mouth (Director). Chicago Credits include EP Theatre: Nocturne (SM), Grey (SM). Victory Gardens Theater: Hanging Fire (AD), The Romance of Magno Rubio (AD). Ohio University: Everygirl (Playwright, Director). She is co-program director for The Lab at Burning Coal and has been a company member since 2008. She is Co-Artistic Director of The Distillery which will be launching this fall with the world premiere of Johannah Maynards Flee This Place which will be featured in Burning Coals Wait Til You See This! Series.
ACTOR
TEATRO DIRECTOR
A long-time Raleigh resident, Jan Doub Morgan discovered the joys of live theatre as an undergraduate Spanish major at Wake Forest University. Post WFU, she worked as an actress with a bilingual touring company based in Santa Fe, NM, then studied at (and graduated from) the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NYC. In addition to her foreign language and theatre training, Jan holds an MFA in Literary Arts from Brown University. In the Triangle, she has worked with NCSU TheatreFest, University Players, Actors' Comedy Lab, Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy, Theatre Or, RLT, Second Avenue South, Delta Boys and other organizations. For Burning Coal, Jan has appeared in THE DEAD, HAMLET, and 1960 and was an assistant director/ Spanish language coach for WAY TO HEAVEN. As founder and director of TEATRO, Burning Coal's program of creative dramatics for second language learners, Jan hopes to contribute to the growth of multi-cultural theatre in the Triangle.
is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. She has appeared in Burning Coal's productions of Company and A Dolls House. Sherida has worked with Deep Dish Theater in Boy Gets Girl and A Lesson Before Dying as well as Raleigh Little Theater on A Dance on Widows Row and will appear in their upcoming production of Blue. She has also worked with Street Signs Theater as multiple characters in Twilight: Los Angeles. 1992. Sherida has also appeared in Crimes of the Heart , Flying West, Old Settler, Solomon, and A Raisin in the Sun through several local Universities and churches.
is thrilled to return to Burning Coal as a company member for the 2009/2010 season. Last season, she choreographed the American premiere of Prisoners Dilemma as well as 1960! at Burning Coal. New York Acting Credits include: Ensemble Studio Theater: Crackd, The Basement Valentine. John Houseman Studio: Patchwork. Threshold Theater Company: Geza-boy. New York University: Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet. Regional Theater Credits include: Crimes of the Heart, Hamlet. Choreography Credits include: New York University: Midsummer Nights Dream, Hamlet. The Calhoun School: King Lear, and Village Community School: Into the Woods, Once Upon a Mattress. Amy holds an MA from NYU and studied acting with Maggie Flanigan as well as Ron Stetson at The Neighborhood Playhouse. She is certified in theater arts and dance k-12.
at age 4
A building contractor by day, Greg finds time to act in a couple of shows a year to help keep the creative juices flowing. For Burning Coal: The Prisoner’s Dilemma, Main St./Fayetteville St., Pentacost, Elegies, Map of the World, 90 in 90, James Joyce’s The Dead, All the King’s Men and Tartuffe, along with numerous staged readings in the New Works Series. Also locally: The Curious Savage at Peace College; Witness with Justice Theatre Project; A Raisin in the Sun at St. Augustine’s College; Streetcar Named Desire, Wise Men of Chelm, Witch of Blackbird Pond, Ramona Quimby and Little Women at Raleigh Little Theater; as Claudius in Hamlet with Bare Theatre Co.; Dragon Lady with Chinchilla House Theatre; Ellen Foster, Women in Power, and Imaginary Invalid at Meredith College.
Burning Coals House Manager for Mainstage Productions since the opening of our Murphey School venue in February of 2008. She organizes all volunteers interested in joining a fantastic team of enthusiastic individuals who LOVE the theatre - whether it be ticket taking, ushering, concessions or helping out in any capacity... contact her at jump4joybug@bellsouth.net to add your name to the volunteer email list!
Burning Coal Credits include: 1960, Prisoners Dilemma, Elegies; An Oakwood Play, Lightning Rocks, Inherit the Wind. Other Credits include: Tommy, High School Musical II, Joseph & the Amazing Tech Dreamcoat and the Nutcracker for Carolina Ballet. Recent film credit as lead in Jesus/Maria, a 2009 short film. Tara is a member of NCTs dance and live on stage companies where she studies acting, voice & musical theatre. She is a freshman at Millbrook High School in Raleigh where she also is a member of their dance performance team.
has been a member of Burning Coal Theatre Company for 2 years, appearing as Tunu in Pentecost, Hermia in A Midsummer Nights Dream, Ophelia in Hamlet, and Viola in Twelfth Night. She has also worked as an ASM for their production of Inherit the Wind, Assistant Costumer for The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Assistant Dramaturg for Prisoner's Dilemma, and Dramaturg for Way to Heaven. When not at Burning Coal you can find her either volunteering or acting for Raleigh Ensemble Players, teaching at North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre, or working on drama therapy/outreach with Plays for Living. In the Raleigh area she has also performed with Deep Dish Theatre Company and Common Ground. Ashley holds a BFA in Theatre Arts Performance from Catawba College in Salisbury, NC and an MA in Acting from The E15 Acting School in London, England. She hopes to, within the next year to year and a half, finish her certification and become a Drama Therapist specializing in working with physical and developmentally disabled children.
For Burning Coal: Crowns (Mabel), Twelfth Night (Feste) 2008-2009 Burning Coal Theatre Company Member; North Carolina Theatre: Dreamgirls (Joanne), Ragtime (Sarah’s Friend), Big River (Alice); Hot Summer Nights: Personals (Woman Two); Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Charlaine/Nell); Playmakers Repertory: Violet (Lula); Raleigh Little Theatre: Smokey Joe’s Café (BJ), Archy and Mehitabel (Mehitabel/Cantey for Best Actress); Tours: Stanley Baird Group - South Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Guam, Kwajalein Islands, Hawaii (Armed Forces Entertainment); Recordings: Jazz Single: I Want 2 Love You (Traffic Jam/Saxony Records) available on iTunes; Education: JD, Boston College Law School; BA with Honors, Holy Cross College.
For Burning Coal: Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Much Ado. Emily is the Artistic Director of ArtsCenter Stage. For The ArtsCenter: Child's Christmas in Wales, 10 By 10 2007-2009; For Playmakers PRC2: 9 Parts of Desire; For Cornell University: The Body Project; For The Actors' Gang: Carnage (Asst. Director).
ACTOR
holds a BA in Vocal Performance from Northern Arizona University, where she studied under Paul Kiesgen. She has performed with the North Carolina Master Chorale, the Austin Chamber Music Center, the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Capitol Opera and City Ballet. She is currently a voice and theatre instructor at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh. For Burning Coal: Hamlet, (Player Queen/Music Director), Inherit the Wind (Music Director), The Prisoner’s Dilemma (Music Supervisor). In March of 2008 she conducted Oklahoma! for StageStruck Theatre in Goldsboro. Other performances include The Crucible, Handel’s Messiah, John Rutter’s Requiem and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
For Burning Coal: The Prisoners Dilemma, Inherit the Wind. Chapel Hill/ Carrboro credits include, for the ArtsCenter: A Childs Christmas in Wales.; for PlayMakers Summer Youth Conservatory: A Midsummer Nights Dream; The Music Man, Oliver! For Raleigh Little Theater: Peter Pan. Shaun is an 8th grade student at Perry Harrison School, where he plays baseball and alto saxophone. He is a member of the ArtsCenter's Youth Performing Arts Conservatory and is a tenor in the UUMC Youth Choir. Shaun enjoys snow skiing, reading and chess.
ACTOR
DIRECTOR
SOUND DESIGNER
PRODUCER
has been active in Triangle theatre productions for 20 years as an actor, director, sound designer and producer for 2nd Avenue South Theatre Company, affiliated with the Raleigh Cary Jewish Community Center. Al has been a Burning Coal member since 2006 and has appeared in 1776, Pentecost, 1960, Midsummer Nights Dream, Hamlet and Inherit the Wind.
is ecstatic to join the Burning Coal Theatre Company! Originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina; Delton currently lives in Durham. He has been seen in the BCT productions of: Crowns, KidsWrite 2008, Twelfth Night, KidsWrite 2009.
Delton has worked with numerous groups around the Triangle: Playmakers Repertory Theatre, New Traditions Theatre, North Carolina Central University, Walltown Childrens Theatre, and Long Leaf Opera.
Delton holds a BA and MA in Performance Studies from the UNC-Chapel Hill and an MBA from Pfeiffer University.
at age 5
Born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Jim moved to the Raleigh area from Washington, DC, along with his new bride, Mary Ann, in the fall of 1969 and they've very happily stayed for the past 38 years. Following retirement from the U.S. Federal Government in 1996, Jim enrolled in North Carolina State University (Class of 1999, History, Magna Cum Laude) where he first caught the “acting bug.” Since then he has appeared in over 20 local theatre productions. Most recently he’s been seen in The Grapes of Wrath, for the Justice Theatre Project, Gypsy for Meredith Presents Theatre, Einstein’s Dreams for Burning Coal, Moon over Buffalo for Raleigh Little Theatre, and The Butler Did It for NC State University Theatre. "I'm very pleased and grateful to have been asked to become a member of the 2007-2008 Burning Coal Theatre Company."
Acting credits include Oakwood Cemetery Living History, Pentecost, Taming of the Shrew, 12th Night (Burning Coal), The Cherry Orchard (Delta Boys), King Lear (Peace College). Stage Management credits include A New War, Miss Julie, 1776, Hysteria (Burning Coal), The Drawer Boy, Duck Variations & Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Souvenir, Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean, (Ghost & Spice); The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant (Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Partygirl Productions); Awake and Sing (2nd Avenue South Players). HR guru by day, theatre geek by night, Amanda is proud of her varied experience in Durham and Raleigh theatre.
Resident Dramaturg for Burning Coal Theatre Company. For Burning Coal: Director: Gee's Bend (upcoming), numerous staged readings; Asst. Director: Crowns, Hamlet, Julius Caesar. Other directing credits include Goodnight Desdemona/Good Morning Juliet, Pippin, The Shadow Box, How Water Speaks to Rock, Lovers & Executioners, The Jewish Wife, Cloud 9, Crimes of the Heart, On Golden Pond, The House of Yes, Laundry and Bourbon, and The Water Engine. Recipient of the 2001 Leighton Ballew Directing Award from the Southeastern Theatre Conference. MFA: University of North Carolina at Greensboro; BA: University of Mary Washington.