Remember the Coal

Remember the Coal, the acclaimed musical story of mining, uses original music, songs and narration to tell the story of coal mining in Britain, from child labour and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution up to the closure of the deep mining industry in 2015. It is a development of an earlier work written by Alan Wood and presented in conjunction with the Yew Tree Youth Theatre Company. This stage show raised a significant contribution to the funding of the "Oaks Memorial" sculpture in Barnsley town centre, commemorating the Oaks Colliery Disaster of 12th December 1866.
Using live music and song, “Remember the Coal” describes the development and changes that took place throughout that period, connected by a spoken narrative and a number of audio recordings to further enhance the journey. Whilst the story inevitably mentions the disasters and tragedies that accompanied mining, it also has lighter moments, and illustrates the wider changes that took place within both the mining and other industry and British society.
The story is narrated by John, with the songs written and performed by Alan, with the exception of one written by John.
Alan is a singer/songwriter from the Barnsley area., with a life-long interest in music, from playing in a brass band as a young teenager.
John is from South Wales, and has worked in the iron and steel industry all his life. (“The wife irons, while I steal”) He only came to music after retiring.