The world premiere of Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s Coal Country will begin performances at the Public Theater's Anspacher Theater February 18. Blank, who co-wrote the show with her husband Jensen, directs.
The company is made up Mary Bacon as Patti, Amelia Campbell as Mindi, Michael Gaston as Stanley Goose, Ezra Knight as Roosevelt, Thomas Kopache as Gary, Michael Laurence as Tommy, Deirdre Madigan as Judy, and Melinda Tanner as Judge.
Featuring original music by Grammy winner Steve Earle, Coal Country is based on first-person accounts of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion, which killed 29 men in 2010. Using the stories of survivors and the victims' families, as well as a folk-inspired timbre, the piece explores the power of love and greed against the backdrop of West Virginia.
Coal Country features sets by Richard Hoover, costumes by Jessica Jahn, lighting by David Lander, and sound design by Darron L. West.
Performances are currently scheduled through March 29; opening night is set for March 3.