Andrew Durand, Lizzy McAlpine and More to Join COAL: A NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL Concept EP

JOY MACHINE RECORDS will release Coal: A New American Musical (Official Concept EP) in digital and streaming formats on Friday, December 11. The show features book, music and lyrics by Nicholas Connors. The six-track recording includes highlights from the folk and bluegrass-infused score, with performances by Jane Bruce (Jagged Little Pill), Tony Award nominee Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw), Jordan Fisher (Hamilton), Vincent Jamal Hooper (The Lion King), Lizzy McAlpine (Floyd Collins), Paul Alexander Nolan (The Lost Boys), Solea Pfeiffer (Evita), Nathan Salstone (Sweeney Todd), and Nathaniel Stampley (The Color Purple).

The musical’s first single “Delilah” – featuring stage and screen star Jordan Fisher – will be released on Friday, November 20. The EP is produced by Fred Lassen and Nicholas Connors, with Lassen serving as music director. Pre-order or pre-save the Coal EP HERE. Pre-order or pre-save the EP the single “Delilah” HERE.

Deep in the heart of Appalachia, a young coal miner fights for his shot at the American Dream while the world around him devolves into chaos and the 1921 West Virginia Coal Wars. Coal: A New American Musical tells a heartfelt and hauntingly relevant story about America and human resilience, complete with humor, romance, and larger-than-life folk heroes.

A workshop and concert presentation of Coal: A New American Musical was presented in Saratoga Springs, NY as part of The Orchard Project’s 2026 Summer Arts Festival. For Coal, Connors was also selected for a Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellowship and the Lortel Theatre’s 121 Project, which supported work sessions with an all-star Broadway cast. The musical held residencies at New York Stage & Film and the Goodspeed Johnny Mercer Grove and was a finalist for the NAMT Festival and Signature Theatre’s Sigworks Lab. Connors is also a recent finalist for the Jonathan Larson Grant, Fred Ebb Award, and Ed Kleban Prize.

Coal: A New American Musical (Official Concept EP) – Track Listing

1. A Logan County Coal Mine (feat. Jane Bruce, Andrew Durand, Vincent Jamal Hooper, Nathan Salstone, and Nathaniel Stampley)

2. Mighty Fine (feat. Andrew Durand and Lizzy McAlpine)

3. The Ballad of Smilin’ Sid (feat. Vincent Jamal Hooper)

4. Summer Song (feat. Nathan Salstone and Nathaniel Stampley)

5. Delilah (feat. Jordan Fisher)

6. Grow (feat. Paul Alexander Nolan and Solea Pfeiffer)