Banshee - A Musical Play

n the early 1900s and today in the coal mining country of West Virginia. The women folk who made homes with and for theses coal miners were strong and resilient in the face of many political and environmental trials they faced. I wanted to write this play to document how my family helped fight wars, dig coal, and raise generations of families to develop and protect this country. I also wanted to talk about what some of their descendants face today. I created original bluegrass musical pieces (some I co-wrote with my songwriting partner Robert Taube) as well as including some traditional tunes I grew up with. I also added a Greek Chorus of Banshee Ghosts called the Monongalians. (Ghosts of Appalachian women whose people came here from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England) The Monongalians walk us through the story of a particular family and their women's journey in life and death.