In 2008, the Burning Coal Theatre Company debuted its new performance space in a $1.2 million auditorium at the historic Murphy in downtown Raleigh. Now it aims to raise funds to retire its debt for the Murphey School renovations in this special performance that honors Robert McMillan, dean of the Wake County criminal bar. Actors from Burning Coal Theatre Company bring to the stage a few stories of this witness to Raleigh's transformation from Southern town to urban center. The $50 partially tax-deductible tickets include barbecue from Clyde Cooper's, another Raleigh institution. The event begins at 6 p.m., and repeats June 17, at The Murphey School, 224 Polk St., Raleigh. —Zack Smith