Details

Abstract / Summary

Coal miners are trapped underground after a methane explosion in DERBY MINE 4, a reflective new drama about the mining life during the coal industry’s decline. Mining coal is a family tradition for each character in the play, and it addresses safety concerns relevant to a mine disaster near Harlan, Kentucky, in 2006 that left five miners dead. In the play however miners have survived the blast unhurt and huddle in a safe room devising an escape, playing games and singing to pass the time. But tempers flare as differences inherent in the group’s diversity test the unity they need to survive. Becky, a white trainee, questions the black team leader’s ability while fending off sexual advances from Dan, also white, who suffers early-stage black lung and is annoyed he has to babysit the new hire. Lee is rare as an African-American coal miner, painfully conscious of the racism his black predecessors endured in the pits but a company man butting heads with Proctor, an old white union organizer blaming management for the disaster that threatens their lives. Desperate circumstances make them function as a team nonetheless, crawling miles together in the dark to avoid rescue drills they fear will cause a further collapse.

Field of Interest

Theatre

Copyright Message

Copyright © 2016 Larry Muhammad

Content Type

Play

Duration

0 sec

Format

Text

Sub Genre

Drama

Original Publication Date

2016

Page Count

45

Playwright

Larry Muhammad

Publication Year

2016

Subject

Theatre, Music & Performing Arts, Black Theater, American Theater, Race relations, Coal miners, Teatro Afroamericano, Teatro Afro-Americano, Teatro Norte-Americano, Teatro Norteamericano, Becky, Dan, Proctor, Lee

Keywords and Translated Subjects

Teatro Afroamericano, Teatro Afro-Americano, Teatro Norte-Americano, Teatro Norteamericano