Audible Theater's presentation of The Public Theater's production of Coal Country officially opens March 10 at Off-Broadway's Cherry Lane Theatre. The current run of the docu-play, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen with original music by Steve Earle, began previews March 4.
Directed by Blank, the piece shines a light on the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine explosion in Raleigh County, West Virginia.
The ensemble cast includes Mary Bacon, Amelia Campbell, Kym Gomes, Ezra Knight, Thomas Kopache, Michael Laurence, Deirdre Madigan, and Carl Palmer. Earle, a three-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, performs his original score live, with select performances featuring Joe Jung.
The Cherry Lane run reunites the work's entire original creative team from The Public, with scenic design by Richard Hoover, costume design by Jessica Jahn, lighting design by David Lander, sound design by Darron L West, and movement by Adesola Osakalumi. Janelle Caso serves as production stage manager, with Andy Jones and Dylan Pager of Baseline Theatrical providing general management.
The Public Theater's world premiere production opened March 3, 2020, shutting down due to COVID-19 just seven days later. Audible released a recording of the play featuring a majority of its original cast last year.
