COAL is a new musical set during the 1921 West Virginia Coal Mine Wars, as the United Mine Workers push to unionize Southern West Virginia. The story follows miners at the Heron Creek coal mine as they are swept into the largest armed insurrection in US History after the Civil War. This musical is a tale of working folk and the difficulties of the American Dream, set during a dark chapter of U.S history. But it is also a celebration of a fascinating melting pot culture that existed in the coal fields, complete with humor, romance, and larger-than-life folk heroes.

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For COAL, Nicholas received a Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellowship, a residency at New York Stage & Film, and was a Finalist for the Ed Kleban Prize and Fred Ebb Award. COAL was also featured in the 2023 NAMT Festival Songwriters Showcase.