Paradise Mine

When a methane gas explosion kills 151 coal miners in a small Illinois town, the residents find themselves splashed across the front page of every newspaper in the country. Three days after the fatal explosion, three miners are still missing and rescue efforts are underway amid the turmoil of reports of a failed Federal Safety Inspection, rumors of possible cover-ups and Communist espionage, and visits from heavy-hitting politicians, union labor leaders, government agents, and newspaper reporters. An award-winner in the Writer's Digest International Play Competition, the action in this two-act play captures a microcosm of small-town intrigues, lives, and loves while dealing with the problem of mine safety issues which still plague the country today. Note: This fictional play is based on the Centralia and West Frankfort, Illinois coal mine disasters in the mid 20th century which hit the headlines again with the mining disaster in Montcoal, West Virginia in April, 2010. Some things never seem to change. . .