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3 <br /> Mr. Finley moved to Raleigh seven years ago, after graduate school. Working <br /> primarily with Burning Coal Theatre Company, he has brought more than 70 different <br /> stories from the area's history to life on stage through collaborations with Historic <br /> Oakwood Cemetery, the Mordecai House, Raleigh City museum, the Town of Cary and other <br /> North Carolina organizations, focusing on his realization that relevant, effective drama is <br /> necessarily connected to place. His historical plays, combining multiple stories within a <br /> tapestry structure and often performed in actual locations relevant to the narrative, are a <br /> unique addition to the area's cultural life. <br /> "As a teacher, I have encountered diverse attitudes towards great literature: that it <br /> is a luxury to enjoy, a chore to endure, or an obstacle to fear," says Mr. Finley. "It is none of <br /> these. Instead, it is a fundamental tool. It is the crowbar we use to escape the prison of the <br /> self and understand others. It is the hammer that builds up communities and the bridges <br /> between them. It is the light that gives us direction and hope. Literature is not for "someone <br /> else." It can, and must, empower all of us, no matter our background or current position. <br /> This is the belief that motivates me, and which I hope to promote as Piedmont Laureate." <br /> Currently, Mr. Finley is Director of Education for Burning Coal, heading its <br /> WillPower residency programs, its Summer Theatre Conservatories, and many other <br /> programs. <br /> Applications for the Piedmont Laureate position were received from a four-county <br /> area.A selection committee, comprised of Allison Bergman (assistant director, University <br /> Theatre, NCSU), Howard Craft (Durham playwright and poet), Mark Perry (Dramatic Art <br /> Department lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill) and Catherine Rodgers (theatre director, <br /> Meredith College) as well as sponsoring agency representatives, reviewed all the <br /> applications and made recommendations. <br /> For more information about the Piedmont Laureate program, visit <br /> www.piedmontlaureate.com; contact Belva Parker, arts program coordinator of the City of <br /> Raleigh Arts Commission, at belva.parker@raleighnc.gov or 996-3610; or call any of the <br /> other sponsor agencies of the program. <br />