Raleigh dramatist Ian Finley, Director of Education for Burning Coal Theatre Company in Raleigh, is the 2012 Piedmont Laureate. Co-sponsored by the Alamance County Arts Council, City of Raleigh Arts Commission, Durham Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission and United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, the Piedmont Laureate Program’s mission is to “promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts throughout the Piedmont region.” He will receive an honorarium of $6,500 and serve for 1 year presenting public readings/workshops throughout the 4-county area.

Mr. Finley studied theatre at the University of Utah and received an MFA in Dramatic Writing from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. His play entitled The Nature of the Nautilus, dealing with the controversy of cochlear implants and commissioned for a group of deaf actors to perform in sign language, was awarded the 2002 Jean Kennedy Smith Award for a play dealing with themes of disability.

Ian Finley moved to Raleigh seven years ago, after graduate school. Working primarily with Burning Coal Theatre Company, he has brought more than 70 different stories from the area's history to life onstage through collaborations with Historic Oakwood Cemetery, the Mordecai House, Raleigh City Museum, the Town of Cary and other NC organizations, focusing on his belief that relevant, effective drama is necessarily connected to place. His historical plays, combining multiple stories within a tapestry structure and often performed in actual locations relevant to the narrative, are a unique addition to the area's cultural life.

For Ian's schedule/blog: www.piedmontlaureate.com