A one-act play written by fine arts student Ellene Warner ’26 has been selected as a 2023 KidsWrite! finalist and will be staged and performed by Burning Coal Theatre Company later this spring.

The play, “In the Courtyard,” follows a detective interviewing two tenants of a recently deceased landlord who are also the main suspects in his death. With the interviews staged side-by-side, it quickly becomes clear that there’s more to the story for every person involved. 

While Ellene has been writing stories and poetry for years, this is the first time she’s written a play. She said she was inspired to stretch her skills by her recent involvement with Ravenscroft theater productions.

“After performing as the Witch in ‘Into the Woods Jr.’ last year, I signed up for the Ravenscroft Thespians troupe this year. I’ve always known that I love to write, but theater was fairly new to me. I had been considering combining the two for a while, so I asked [drama teacher Jason] Sharp about any local opportunities for playwriting,” she said. “He brought up Burning Coal’s Kidswrite! Festival. It was exciting. I’d never written a play before, so I was a little scared as well.”

Ellene said she named the play in homage to a short story, “In a Grove” by Ryonosuke Akutagawa, with a similar premise but made the story her own through several innovations.

“I’m a musician just as much as I am an actor or even a writer. There’s definitely music in a lot of writing. Poetry has a clear tempo with its careful arrangement of syllables, and even prose has certain beats — but the reader determines the pace, and any physical music has to be played by the reader themselves outside the page,” she said. “So when I was writing ‘In the Courtyard,’ I ended up weaving in a rhythmic element, which functions as a cornerstone of the plot. It started with the idea of a Greek choir, staged behind the actors, but I took inspiration from the Japanese setting of ‘In a Grove’ and thought of the percussion from Japanese Kabuki theater.”  

Bringing in friends to help her refine the dialogue — and better understand the ways actors interpret lines — was also helpful.

“I was always thinking: if I was cast as this character, how would I interpret this line? Would it make sense to me, or would I have to take time deciphering its purpose or tone? This process actually ended up changing the play somewhat,” she said. 

Ellene said she “could barely believe it” when she received the news that her work had been selected. 

“The process had been difficult but rewarding, so I decided to be proud of my work regardless of whether it was selected or not. I ended up having a lot of fun writing ‘In the Courtyard,’” she said. “It was challenging, however, more so than any kind of writing competition I’d done thus far. Which is why, when I got the news that my play was chosen, I was so excited! I’ve known about Burning Coal for a while, so it’s literally a dream of mine to have their actors perform my work.

“Even with all my planning, however, I still can’t predict where the actors at Burning Coal will take it,” she added.

Sharp, who works with Ravenscroft’s many talented thespians, said that this recognition is well-earned.

“Ellene has such a hunger for artistic challenges. I’m thrilled that her work is receiving the attention it deserves,” he said. “To have a student representing our program at this regional competition is a rare honor.”

The KidsWrite! Festival was created in 2004 to encourage writers in sixth through 12th grades in central North Carolina to explore the genre. “In the Courtyard” will be performed along with the other selected one-act plays on Saturday, May 27, and Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m. at the Murphey School Auditorium (224 Polk St. Raleigh). More information and tickets are available on Burning Coal’s website.