The Pitmen Painters set to make North West Debut

Following the start of The
Lowry‘s Summer season, tickets are now on sale for Lee Hall’s
award-winning play The
Pitmen Painters, making its North West debut this Autumn, following
sell-out seasons at Live Theatre Newcastle and the National Theatre.

Inspired by William
Feaver’s book, the play brings to life the story of the Ashington Group –
miners from Northumberland who became celebrated painters. The
Pitmen Painters is a humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art,
class and politics.

In 1934, a group of Ashington miners hired a professor to teach an art
appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the
pitmen began to paint. Within a few years the most avant-garde artists became
their friends and their work was acquired by prestigious collections; but every
day they worked, as before, down the mine.

Lee
Hall wrote the screenplay for Billy
Elliot and adapted it for the West End in 2005, winning an Olivier
Award for Best New Musical, which opened on Broadway in November 2008. His plays
also include Spoonface Steinberg (Ambassadors), Cooking with
Elvis (Live Theatre, Assembly Rooms and West End), and an adaptation of
Herman Heijerman’s The Good Hope for the NT.

A co-production between Live Theatre, Newcastle and the National Theatre, the
production is directed by Max Roberts and designed by Gary McCann, with lighting
by Douglas Kuhrt and sound by Martin Hodgson.

The
Pitmen Painters runs at the
Lowry from 27 -31 October, 2009.