On a sunny spring Monday in 2010, at West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch coal mine, an explosion buried 29 men under hundreds of feet of rock and rubble. The disaster shook the world, and laid down a community in grief. Through first-person remembrances from family members, friends, and the few survivors, Coal Country paints a portrait of the miners, the town that raised them, and the industry that failed them. As in their previous acclaimed play, The Exonerated, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s reporting brings reality to the stage. This production, presented by the Public Theater in the winter of 2020, was closed early due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now Audible Theater brings the Public’s production back to the stage. Also returning is the country musician (and three-time Grammy winner) Steve Earle, who amplifies the Appalachian atmosphere with original songs. —C.J.F.
The Arts Intel Report
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
Coal Country
When
Mar 4 – Apr 17, 2022