, a play in three acts by Albert Maltz, premiered in March 1935 at the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York. The production was sponsored by the Theatre Union, a group of young leftist dramatists united by the slogan “Theatre is a weapon” and committed to staging politically engaged drama written from the point of view of the working class (Rabkin 45).
Black Pit explores a grim crisis of conscience in a blacklisted miner, Joe Kovarsky, who succumbs to crushing economic pressures. In exchange for a job in the mines and medical care for his pregnant wife, he becomes an informer for his coal company bosses. Maltz’s portrayal of appalling conditions in the West Virginia coal camps—based on first-hand observations made during a 1934 research trip through Appalachia—sent potent
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Citation: Chura, Patrick. "Black Pit". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41719, accessed 21 February 2025.]
