Members of the New Play Exchange can download the play for free.
Blood and Coal Dust
A ten minute drama for 2m
Two miners, trapped by a cave-in one of them started, confront their fears and reveal their secrets as they await rescue.
Time: 1907
Setting: A coal mine.
Characters:
CARL - Greenhorn, longs to get away from the mines
THOMAS - Experienced, has survived a previous mining disaster
Blood and Coal Dust was part of the
49th Annual Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival,
on August 15th, 2024, at The Vineyard's Dimson Theatre in New York City.
In the play, two miners are trapped after an explosion caused their tunnel to collapse behind them. One of them's a new guy, desperate to take any action; the other an experienced miner, the survivor of a previous mining disaster... and with the dreadful knowledge of what happened last time when stress and panic overtook them.
Blood and Coal Dust started out in a workshop in the Loft Ensemble Theatre's Writer's Group. I had led a writing exercise where we selected a narrative painting, and wrote for ten minutes based on the ideas sparked by the image. After the others had chosen their pictures, I was left with one of a man on a stretcher carried out of a mine to a crowd of waiting people... a mine rescue, seen from inside the mine, looking out. The next week, I hadn't done any further work on my current full length WIP, and I didn't want to turn up empty handed - so I took my exercise piece and finished it up!
I am thrilled to announce that Blood and Coal Dust, directed by Will Steinberger, was part of the prestigious Samuel French OOB Festival, on August 15th, 2024 at The Vineyard's Dimson Theatre in New York City.
L to R: Will Steinberger (Director), Arthur M. Jolly (playwright), Chad Anthony Miller (Thomas) and Patrick Voss Davis (Carl).
This one is available for production from the playright, or can be downloaded from the New Play Exchange.