Gay Characters and Themes in Shakespeare
The speaker for our MRS meeting June 23, 2024, will be Ian Luke Finley. His topic will be Gay Characters and Themes in Shakespeare. Ian agreed to design this program at the request of the Mary Renault Society, for which we are honored and grateful.
Ian has an extensive background in playwrighting and theater education. He was Head of Theatre at Research Triangle High School from 2012 to 2022. From 2004 to 2012 he was Director of Education and Resident Playwright at Burning Coal Theatre in Raleigh.
While at Burning Coal he wrote a series of plays based on the lives of people buried in Oakwood Cemetery. His play 1960 told the story of the integration of Raleigh's public schools. It was performed at the auditorium of the historic Murphey Elementary School, now Burning Coal's location. The Murphey School was the first school in the city to be integrated.
Ian was named Piedmont Laureate in 2012 by local arts councils.
Currently a software developer, Ian still teaches courses at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at NC State. He is co-teaching a course this month on Shakespeare's Henry V.
Ian grew up in Utah. He received a BFA from the University of Utah and an MFA from New York University.