Ian Finley

Ian Finley

IAN FINLEY holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University, where he earned the Harry Kondoleon Award for playwriting. In addition to the works below, he is the author of THE NATURE OF THE NAUTILUS (winner of the Kennedy Center's Jean Kennedy Smith Award 2002) and the OUR HISTORIES series of plays for Burning Coal Theatre Company. For this body of work, he was named the 2012 Piedmont Laureate....
IAN FINLEY holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University, where he earned the Harry Kondoleon Award for playwriting. In addition to the works below, he is the author of THE NATURE OF THE NAUTILUS (winner of the Kennedy Center's Jean Kennedy Smith Award 2002) and the OUR HISTORIES series of plays for Burning Coal Theatre Company. For this body of work, he was named the 2012 Piedmont Laureate. He has taught at Southern Methodist University, as well for the OLLI programs at NC State University and Duke University. He currently serves as Chair of Fine Arts at Research Triangle High School.

Plays

  • And There Was War in Heaven by Ian Finley
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: religion, sexuality + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: religion, sexuality, LGBTQ, gay, American
    "On October 20th of this year, the world will come to an end. That's... that's what we believe."

    A young man comes to terms with his faith and his sexuality, during the week that his fundamentalist family believes the world will end.
  • The Greeks by Ian Finley
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    9–21
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Sophocles, Greek mythology + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, tragedy, translation, verse
    Keyword: Sophocles, Greek mythology, modern
    A modern adaptation of Sophocles' trilogy of Theban Plays (OEDIPUS REX, OEDIPUS AT COLONUS, ANTIGONE) as one three-act evening of theatre.
  • Native by Ian Finley
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Race, History + 1 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, political
    Keyword: Race, History, civil rights
    Written in collaboration with EbZb Productions, Native is the story of the fateful collaboration between Paul Green and Richard Wright during the adaptation of Wrights' NATIVE SON
  • Up From the Ground by Ian Finley
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: political
    ·
    Keyword: food, family + 1 more
    Genre: political
    Keyword: food, family, ecology
    Three threads, the chef, the family and the farmer, merge in the story of our food and our lives. Written for the 2012 Piedmont Laureate program.
  • Jude the Obscure, Parts 1 & 2 by Ian Finley
    Cast: 
    12
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Thomas Hardy, Victorian England
    Genre: adaptation, drama, musical, period, tragedy
    Keyword: Thomas Hardy, Victorian England
    An adaptation of Thomas Hardy's JUDE THE OBSCURE, with music by Jonthan Fitts and Bruce Benedict, lyrics by Jerome Davis
  • 1960 by Ian Finley
    Cast: 
    10–15
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: civil rights, Raleigh + 1 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, political
    Keyword: civil rights, Raleigh, History
    Written in collaboration with Burning Coal Theatre Company to be performed in the Murphey School Auditorium, the location of the vote to desegregate Raleigh's schools, 1960 is the story of the civil rights movement in one southern city.
  • Antigone by Ian Finley
    Cast: 
    6–14
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Antigone, Sophocles + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, tragedy, young audiences
    Keyword: Antigone, Sophocles, teenagers
    An adaptation of Sophocles' ANTIGONE, written for high school audiences. 50 minutes, fast paced, with a focus on the tension between teenagers who know right and wrong and the pragmatic, efficient adults who would rather "keep the trains running on time."
  • A Perfect Negroni by Ian Finley
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: drinking
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: drinking
    A perfect negroni is sweet, chilly, and bitter. So is the end of a marriage.
  • 11:50 by Ian Finley
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, holiday
    ·
    Keyword: New York City, new years + 2 more
    Genre: drama, holiday
    Keyword: New York City, new years, LGBTQ, gay
    Two couples ring in the new year as one relationship ends and another begins.
  • Suspense by Ian Finley
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Murder-mystery
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, melodrama, mystery/thriller, satire
    Keyword: Murder-mystery
    A 10-minute satire of all things Agatha Christie and Edward Gorey.