National tour for The Pitmen Painters

Posted by The Journal on Jan 15, 09 12:26 PM in News

Lee Hall's smash hit play The Pitmen Painters is to embark on a nine-week national tour. Autumn performances were confirmed yesterday in Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Norwich, Bath and Plymouth.

A return to the North East was not ruled out but a National Theatre spokesman said further announcements would only be made as negotiations with other venues were successfully concluded.

A scene from the Pitmen Painters

The Pitmen Painters tells of the Ashington men who, between the wars, took up painting under the eye of a Workers' Educational Association tutor.

They became known as the Ashington Group and were the talk of the art world.

The play was premiered in Newcastle at the end of 2007 to mark the reopening of Live Theatre following a major refurbishment.

It was quickly revived and was then taken up by the National Theatre in London.

Billed as a co-production between Live and the National, The Pitmen Painters was already a sell-out when it opened in London last year.

It has since been judged best play in the London Evening Standard Awards and best new play in the Theatrical Management Association Awards.

The play reopens on January 27 in the biggest of the National Theatre auditoriums, the Lyttelton, and runs until April 14.

It will return briefly to the Lyttelton in September before hitting the road.

Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, said yesterday: "The Pitmen Painters has thoroughly captured the imagination of our audiences and we are thrilled that the show will now be going on a UK tour."

Newcastle-born Lee Hall first came to prominence in 1997 with a radio play, Spoonface Steinberg.

This was followed by Billy Elliot, a film which became a hit stage musical. It is currently running in London's West End and on Broadway in New York.

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