"Coal" to return to the stage Aug. 11

Jul. 23—"Coal," produced by The Aracoma Story Inc., will return to the stage Aug. 11 in Chief Logan State Park.

An award-winning, two-act drama, "Coal" is inspired by true events.

Written by Oceana native Joyce Robertson, the play focuses on coal miner Jake Coleman and his family in 1921 Logan and the Battle of Blair Mountain.

"I wrote this play in 2015, but I have revised it several times," Robertson said.

"Initially, it took me about three months to write it, but I have actually continued to work on it for several years, constantly revising it, hoping to improve it," she said when the play was first produced in 2021.

"The story came about when I read something about the Blair Mountain Battle centennial coming up in 2021, and I thought that since that happened 100 years ago, there weren't any plays or, for that matter, books about it.

"I love history and historical fiction. My father was a union coal miner, who ran a cutting machine for Island Creek Coal Company for many years.

"Of course, he wasn't even born in 1921, but to honor him, I have dedicated this play to Bill Taylor, my father," she explained.

The play earned the John McCabe Memorial Script Award, or second place, in the 2019 West Virginia Writers Contest in the stage play category.

First produced in 2021, "Coal" also earned great reviews along with eight Broadway World Regional Awards for Best Play, Best Director (Joyce Robertson), Best Performer (Emily Ferrel), Best Supporting Performer (Dawn Hopson), Best Scenic Design (Bruce Baisden), Best Costume Design (Janie Adkins), Best Sound Design (Katherine Johnson), and Best Lighting Design (David Spurlock).

"Louise Mosrie is a singer/songwriter that recorded 'The Battle of Blair Mountain' and graciously permits us to use the song in the show," Robertson noted.

With a cast of more than 30 people, "the play will feature drama, emotion, history, explosions and gun fire," she said.

"It's a story of a family in 1921, in Logan, and how they lived and were affected by the mine wars.

"Step into the poignant world of 'Coal,' where personal struggles, dreams, and the indomitable human spirit converge on the stage," she said.

"... Inspired by true events, this historical drama will touch the hearts of many who have ancestors who helped shape the industry of coal mining in West Virginia," she emphasized.

In 1921, Logan County coal miners were non-union and worked long hours in dangerous conditions, bought their own mining tools, lived in houses owned by the coal companies, and were paid per-mined-ton in the coal companies' script, which could only be spent at the company-owned stores.

In August 1921, thousands of union miners marched toward Logan and Mingo counties in an effort to rescue miners who had been jailed for trying to organize non-union miners.

The miners had to fight strike-busters that included the companies' own Baldwin-Felts detectives, Logan County Sheriff Don Chafin and his deputies, as well as federal troops summoned by then-Gov. Ephraim F. Morgan (1869-1950) on Blair Mountain, near the Boone and Logan County border.

The play centers on the Coleman family, and "their constant suffering, immeasurable determination, and unending courage and strength," Robertson explained.

Robertson and her husband, Jack, have lived in Logan County for nearly 50 years.

She is a member of The Aracoma Story Board of Directors.

"I've said many times that I feel that The Aracoma Story, and our amphitheater, is the jewel in the crown of Chief Logan State Park and the whole county," she said in a previous interview.

"The Aracoma Story is community theater that relies heavily on volunteers, grants and donations, and we produce quality entertainment on a budget."

Numerous talented and hard-working people come together to sell tickets, build sets, make costumes, promote shows and present dramas and musicals, Robertson noted, including such past productions as Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," "Deadly Divide — The Hatfield & McCoy Story," "The Aracoma Story," and "Mamie," which was also written by Robertson.

All beginning at 8:30 p.m., additional performances are scheduled Aug. 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 in Chief Logan State Park's Liz Spurlock Amphitheater.

For tickets or more information, phone 304-752-0253.