BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — West Virginia playwright J.C. Lacek has penned a play about the struggles of state residents during the “decade of excess,” and it opens this week at the Raleigh Playhouse and Theatre.

West Virginia Collective produced the play, which tells the story of the ups and downs of the Callahan family in coal country in the mid-eighties.

The director of the play, WV Collective President Jason Lockart, said on Monday, October 30, 2023, that “A West Virginia Story” incorporates video to give audiences a hybrid stage experience.

“West Virginia families persevered in all kinds of difficult times,” Lockart said. “And it’s full of amazing local actors, a lot of which have never been on stage before, and we’ve got an amazing local crew, and we’ve been working really hard for about two months to put this together.”

The show opens November 1, 2023, and is scheduled for eight shows through mid-November. Tickets are available on the WV Collective website.