"Stories from the Farmington Mine Disaster" on Stage in September

Coal dust runs through the veins of the people of North Central West Virginia. Unfortunately, the history of the coal industry also includes tragedy -- Monongah in 1907, Farmington in 1968, Sago in 2006. These dark days are woven into the collective memories of a region.

"As the Sago Mine Disaster unfolded in 2006 near Buckhannon, I felt for the families waiting for news of their loved ones underground. I wondered what they might have talked about in the little country church where they waited for news. I wanted to know the real stories behind the facts," said Dr. Francene Kirk, Associate Professor of Communication and Theatre for the Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts.

Kirk talked with three students about these concepts. Samantha Huffman, Celi Oliveto and Jason Young, all of Fairmont, decided to explore and preserve the stories in their own backyard, the stories from the 1968 mining disaster at Consolidation Coal's Farmington No. 9 Mine. Seventy-eight miners were lost on that November day.

As part of Fairmont State's Undergraduate Research Program, the students studied with professional oral historians and began collecting interviews with Marion County residents who graciously shared their memories of that horrible day in 1968.

"Collecting oral history is like exchanging gifts. When people tell you stories, they are giving you a gift. Listening to stories is also a gift. I'm grateful that I got to meet the people I talked with and could record their stories. One of the people I talked with was Russell Bonasso, who recently passed away. I'm so glad we have some of his stories recorded," Celi Oliveto said.

The students also studied museum theatre with the Kentucky Historical Society and a Kentucky playwright. During workshop rehearsals, the students read scenes aloud, discussed them and revised them. FSU Theatre graduate Steve McElroy helped finalize the script. Their production, "Remembering #9: Stories from the Farmington Mine Disaster" took the Wallman Hall stage in May 2009.

"During our performances, we held talkback sessions with the audience and have used the feedback to further develop and revise the script," Kirk said.

The show includes audio and video clips, as well as photographs, many of which were provided by the people who were interviewed. Photographer Bob Campione, who covered the mine disaster as a photo journalist, is allowing the students to use his photos for their production.

A revised version of the production, which has been shortened by 30 minutes to 2 ½ hours including intermission, will premiere Friday, Sept. 25 in the Wallman Hall theatre. Performances will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25, 26, 29 and 30 and at 2 p.m. Sept. 27. Tickets are $5 for general admission. For advance tickets, call the Box Office at (304) 367-4240.

"We've stripped the piece of any realism, except for the acting. The cast will be all in black. We've fleshed out some characters and altered the timeline," Oliveto said. "All of the actors remain on stage during the entire production. Those who are not part of the action at center stage sit in chairs, bearing witness to the events as we bore witness to those we interviewed. This is what happened. You need to know."

Kirk said the show has been stripped down to elements everyone can understand: waiting, hoping, loss, recovery.

"Regardless of the time or place, you can empathize with these people," Kirk said.

The ending scene has been revised to weave the point of view of different composite characters into the reciting of "The Lord's Prayer." Some of the composite characters have been fleshed out, and some of the cast members have changed.

"This show has been absolutely the most rewarding thing I've ever done," Kirk said.

The story of the Farmington Mine Disaster is the story of a collective community. "Remembering No. 9" preserves those collective memories. Those who were lost are not forgotten. At the end of the show, the cast says all 78 names aloud.

Oliveto said she has learned a lot through working on the project for two years. She said that besides all the research that was done, she also had to learn to collaborate with other writers and theatre artists on a group project, which was at times challenging.

"I'm very glad to be able to do this project as an undergraduate student," Oliveto said. "I had to learn to let people help me. I'm so glad that Dr. Kirk dragged me into this project."

The script continues to be a work in progress and eventually will be further shortened to a run time of about an hour. "Remembering #9: Stories from the Farmington Mine Disaster" will be presented at an upcoming national theatre festival and will eventually tour the state's public schools - further spreading the stories.

The Undergraduate Research Program began at Fairmont State in 2005. It was designed to give students an opportunity to independently further their education with the guidance of a faculty mentor. At the conclusion of the project, the transcripts of the interviews will be housed in the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at FSU.