‘Blue,’ penned by Raleigh local, opens tonight at Burning Coal Theatre

January, 13, 2011 , by Jenn Finan

By Jenn Finan.

We watch a lot of drama written by dead people. Miller, Shakespeare, Williams. Geniuses, yes—but long gone.

Other popular playwrights come from places dotted around the globe. They may be alive, but they are not exactly close to home.

Polk Street’s Burning Coal Theatre, just on the edge of downtown, is opting for something decidedly more current and local. Its latest production, Blue, is the brainchild of Raleigh’s own Kelly Doyle.

For the actors, working directly with the creator makes a difference.

“With the playwright in the room, it raises the stakes,” said Kerrie Seymour, one of the stars of Blue. “It’s a very tangible sense of responsibility, which I love.”

The play opens tonight and ushers in Burning Coal’s new Thursday “Night Out” partnership with Market Restaurant. One drink is on the house after the show when you pay the special $13 admission.

Directed by Mark Sutch, Blue follows a couple exploring the tenuous confines of their relationship. As Louise and Adagio, Seymour and John Jimerson take on the absurdity of a partnership on the brink of disaster.

“It balances the dark with theatricality,” said Sutch, a theater instructor at Davidson College working on his second production for Burning Coal. Sutch said the script succeeds because it offers audiences “the circus and performance.”

Sutch contacted Seymour, a former peer from Trinity Rep Conservatory in Providence, R.I., where they each received Master’s degrees.

Seymour and Jimerson have been perfecting their on-stage relationship since mid-December.

“Coming from a more traditional background, I had to really push myself for bigger, bolder choices,” Seymour said. “Mark really pushed us to build from that realistic foundation.”

With a mood described as “unusual and dreamy” but rooted in realistic intricacies of a true affection, the play seeks to challenge and provoke.

“The role scared me so I knew I wanted to do it,” Seymour said.

Blue runs Thursdays through Saturdays, beginning tonight through Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, Jan. 16, 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. Market Restaurant is located at 938 North Blount Street, Raleigh. 919-754-0900. Burning Coal Theatre is located at the Murphey School, 224 Polk St., Raleigh. Tickets are $20, $15 for students, seniors and active military, $10 on Thursdays and $5 student rush tickets are available five minutes prior to performances per availability. Sunday, Jan. 16, at 2 p.m. is “Pay What You Can” day and is audio described for the hearing impaired. For more information and reservations, visit their website or call 919-834-4001.

See the Burning Coal Theatre page.