BETC PRESENTS THE REGIONAL PREMIERE OF ‘COAL COUNTRY’

Last season, the husband-and-wife cofounders of the Boulder-based Butterfly Effect Theatre of Colorado (BETC), Rebecca Remaly and Stephen Weitz, stepped down from the company they had led for nearly two decades. On July 1 of this year, the couple turned the business over to seasoned artists Mark Ragan and Jessica Robblee.

The duo’s first production will be BETC season opener Coal Country, a suspenseful play by Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank that was inspired by interviews with survivors of a mine explosion in West Virginia and set to the music of country-rock legend Steve Earle.

“It’s the first time it’s being done outside New York City, and we have an amazing cast,” Ragan told Boulder Weekly in August. “No [single] play completely defines us, but Coal Country will define our taste.”

This documentary-style performance piece examines the Upper Big Branch explosion of 2010, which killed 29 miners and destroyed a small West Virginia mining community. Robblee, who was drawn to the play’s language, directs the regional premiere.

“Coal Country lets you meet these miners and understand where they are coming from,” Robblee says. “It’s not just a string of interviews; the play is really well-structured so that you’re taking this journey with them. I especially love the character’s voices. They’re not how most people talk, but it’s powerful to hear these everyday people’s authentic experience of living through extraordinary circumstances.”

Coal Country features a seven-person cast and Joe Jung, the musician and musical director, who understudied Earle in the original NYC production of Coal Country at The Public and Cherry Lane Theater in New York.

“The music is not recorded exactly in the form that it was made, so even though you can purchase sheet music, that’s not what they ended up doing,” Robblee says.

“Joe is this carrier of information about the original process, which will be really special to have in the room ... I always think of theater as a place where you can open yourself up to new experiences, and I think this play is a great invitation to do that.”

SWEENEY TODD. The Unitiive Theatre, Sept. 29-Oct. 31, 800 S. Hover Road, Suite 30, Longmont

PLAYBACK IMPROV THEATER Sept. 30, 2023, Motus Theater - Louisville Center for the Arts, 801 Grant Ave.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY Oct. 6-15, The Spark, 4847 Pearl Street St., Unit B4, Boulder

THE REVOLUTIONISTS. Oct. 6-15, CU Boulder Theatre Department - University Theatre Building, 261 University of Colorado

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Oct. 13, Stories on Stage - Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER. Oct. 13-22, The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette

November

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (A LIVE RADIO PLAY). Oct. 26-Nov. 5, Upstart Crow - Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

COAL COUNTRY Oct. 26-Nov. 19, BETC - Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

FALSTAFF. Oct. 27-29, CU Boulder College of Music Eklund Opera ProgramMacky Auditorium Concert Hall, 1595 Pleasant St.

THE LEGACY OF BAKER STREET

Oct. 27-Nov. 11, Coal Creek Theater of Louisville - Louisville Center for the Arts, 801 Grant Ave.

THE LITTLE MERMAID. Oct. 27-29, Centerstage Theatre Company, 901 Front St., Louisville

SPOOKY CABARET Oct. 28, The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette

WORKING, A MUSICAL. Nov. 3-12, CU Boulder Theatre Department - University Theatre Building, 261 University of Colorado, Boulder

‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS WITH CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS Nov. 4-12, Longmont Theatre Company, 513 Main St.

MOMENT IN TIME. Nov. 9-11, Tobin & Gunst - Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL Nov. 9-12, CU Boulder Musical Theatre - Imig Music Building, 1020 18th St., Boulder

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN. Centerstage Theatre Company, Nov. 10-12, 901 Front St., Louisville

THE REDEMPTION OF GERTIE GREEN Nov. 11-12, The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette

TRANSFORMATIVE STORIES FROM TRANSGENDER AND NON-BINARY LEADERS. Nov. 12, Motus Theater - eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder

THE BELLE OF AMHERST. Nov. 22–26, BETC - Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

December

WE’RE STILL HERE: A NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL. Nov. 24-Dec. 3, Empathy Theater Project - Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

SOUND OF MUSIC Nov. 24-Dec. 23, The Unitiive Theatre, 800 S. Hover Road, Suite 30, Longmont

WINTER WONDERETTES. Nov. 24-Dec. 3, Longmont Theatre Company, 513 Main St., Longmont

SHREK JR. THE MUSICAL

Dec. 1-3, Centerstage Theatre Company, 901 Front St., Louisville

HOLLY, ALASKA! Dec. 7-31, BETCDairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

PLAYBACK IMPROV THEATER

Dec. 9, Motus Theater - Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder

YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS: THE RADIO PLAY. Dec. 14-16, Broomfield Community Players, 3 Community Park Road

HOLIDAZED AND CONFUSED Dec. 15-17, Theater Company of Lafayette, Mary Miller Theater, 300 E. Simpson St.