Triad Stage

Laurelyn joined old-time North Carolina troubadour Joan Newberry for a lovely performance of what we might call formal folk.

I'd come to learn this was reflective of her years writing for and singing with an innovative theater company in Greensboro called the Triad Stage.

She tells us, for example, about an original retelling of the epic Beowulf set in Appalachia, and her work on The Gathering, A Winter's Tale in Six Songs, garnered write-ups in some of the nation's biggest newspapers and magazines.

Along the way, Laurelyn's song Anna Lee, which she has recut for How Many Moons, was picked up by the late great Levon Helm for his Dirt Farmer album, and then his live Ramble at the Ryman album after that.

It shapes how, exactly.

So, yeah, there really were just one after another.

There were six shows at Triad Stage over about 10 years, which is a lot if you're in the theater world, like two years.

To write and put up that many shows in that amount of time is a lot.

[gentle music] Welcome to the Poetry Cafe, where we feed your mind, your body, and your soul from our Greensboro studios.

Here at the Triad Stage, we present weekly guests and live recordings.

Join us as we listen to new works, share great stories, and build community connects and changes the world here inside the Poetry Cafe.

And on this week's episode, we are going to break down how far we've come, where we started, where we've been, and where we are now from the hole-in-the-wall pool hall clubs all the way to radio syndication across the state of North Carolina to share the poems and the people and the love and the light here for you inside the one and only Poetry Cafe.

This is Meredith's twelfth season painting for Burning Coal Theater.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in scenic art from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Meredith has worked as the scenic charge artist at several theaters around North Carolina, including William Peace University, Half Pine Theater, Sweet T Shakespeare, Triad Stage, City Arts/Greensboro Children's Theater, the Winston-Salem Theater Alliance, ECU Losen Playhouse, along with several freelance jobs such as painting for the International Festival and painting custom pet portraits and works of art.

Coltrane, shop dog, paint assistant.

Coltrane will always be a part of the productions here at Burning Coal Theater.

Favorite film and TV credits include Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Nashville, Ashby and Gigi, and Nate.

Favorite theater credits, Evita, Good, All the King's Men, Burning Coal.

August Snow, Beautiful Star, Baby with the Bathwater, Suddenly Last Summer, Triad Stage, Twelfth Night, Coca Booth, and Is He Dead? Deep Dish.

Recently, Steven has directed the short films Jesus' Brother James and Do Harm, which earned nine laurels in film festivals around the United States.

[jazz music] Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of The Poetry Cafe, where we feed your mind, your body, and your soul.

From our Greensboro studios, here at the Triad Stage, we present weekly guests and live recordings.

Join us as we listen to new works, share great stories, and build community that connects and changes the world, here on The Poetry Cafe.

[jazz music] And today we have none other than the Polk Duo.