Production explores West Virginia's identity

West Virginia Words and Music is basically exactly what its name says: a play containing words – poetry and prose – and music – written and performed by West Virginians about their state.

The play was assembled from material submitted by people around the state. Director David Wohl says it was a challenge to narrow down the submissions to fit into just one play.

“It was very difficult, because there was a lot of really good stuff that was submitted that just didn’t fit into what we were doing, so I could have come up with completely different prose, and poems, and songs, and had a completely different show, and been …just different ... but just as good, certainly,” Wohl said.

In the material Wohl received, one subject loomed large.

“We had a lot of submissions about coal mining, and we tried to go in that direction a little bit,” he said.

An infamous West Virginia character also figured into a couple pieces.

“Mark Dafoe wrote a poem about Jack Whittaker, the lottery winner, and I said, boy I really want to use this, but I want a song that went with it and lo and behold, John Lilly sent me a song called the Jackpot, which is about Jack Whittaker,” he said. “Sometimes, it was just serendipity that things came together.”

But there’s more to West Virginia than coal and Jack Whittaker…other parts of the show are about growing up, moving here, overcoming stereotypes, and the beauty of the hills.

West Virginia Words and Music will be performed at the Clay Center Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and then May 28 through 30.