''The Pitmen Painters'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

by Lee Hall based on the

Ashington Group The Ashington Group was a small society of artists from Ashington, Northumberland, composed largely of mine workers. They met regularly between 1934 and 1983 to encourage their progress. Although most of the men had no formal artistic training, the ...

of painters. Following a sellout run at both the

Live Theatre Live Theatre, formerly Live Theatre Company, is a new writing theatre and company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As well as producing and presenting new plays many of which go on to tour nationally and internationally, it seeks out an ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

in 2007 and its transfer to the Royal National Theatre, it returned to the National for a limited season before heading out on a UK Tour. A

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

br>production
opened on 30 September 2010 following previews from 14 September 2010 at the

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, formerly the Biltmore Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 261 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the neo-Renai ...

and played a limited run until 12 December 2010; it featured the original cast. ''The Pitmen Painters'' opened in London's West End in October 2011 at the Duchess Theatre. The Canadian premiere of ''The Pitmen Painters'' ran in February 2012 at Theatre Aquarius in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

Background

Hall learnt about the group from a '' Guardian'' article by

Martin Wainwright Martin Wainwright MBE is a British journalist and author. He left ''The Guardian'' after 37 years at the end of March 2013.Martin Wainwrigh"The Northerner - into 2013" ''The Guardian'' (blog), 31 December 2012 Early life He was born in Leeds, ...

.Pitmen Painters get royal seal of approval
/ref> This encouraged him to buy the book "Pitmen Painters: The Ashington Group 1934-1984" by

William Feaver William Feaver (born 1 December 1942) is a British art critic, curator, artist and lecturer. From 1975–1998 he was the chief art critic of the Observer, and from 1994 a visiting professor at Nottingham Trent University. His book ''The Pitmen P ...

about the group, on which the play is loosely based.

Other productions

A February 2014 production by United Players at the Jericho Theatre in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

sold out many of its performances. A Spanish adaption "Mineros" has been performed at the Metropolitan Theater in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Cast

* Christopher Connel * Michael Hodgson * Ian Kelly * Brian Lonsdale *

Lisa McGrillis Lisa McGrillis (born 3 September 1982, Cheltenham, England) is a British actress. Early life and education McGrillis grew up in Scotby, near Carlisle in Cumbria with her mother, a special needs teacher, and her father, an accountant. She studie ...

* Deka Walmsley * David Whitaker * Phillippa Wilson

Creative team

* Director – Max Roberts * Designer – Gary McCann * Lighting Designer – Douglas Kuhrt * Sound Designer – Martin Hodgson

References

External links

National Theatre Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitmen Painters 2007 plays English plays Plays based on books Plays based on real people Broadway plays Northumberland in fiction Plays set in England Plays by Lee Hall (playwright)