The Pitmen Painters, opening at Oldham Coliseum on February 5, is the moving tale of a group of ordinary men who achieved extraordinary things.
The Ashington Group were Northumberland miners who, in 1934, employed Robert Lyon, master of Painting at Kings College Newcastle, to teach an evening class in Art Appreciation. Lectures on the Old Masters from a posh academic were lost on the pitmen and so instead Lyon taught them to paint, with amazing results.
Lee Hall’s story tells of the hopes, dreams, determination and the camaraderie of these miners.
Oldham’s production will be directed by artistic director and CEO, Kevin Shaw.
The cast features: Jim Barclay, who played the title role in 1980s children’s football drama Jossy’s Giants (BBC) and worked for three years as a member of The National Theatre; Helen Kay and Simeon Truby, who run Urban Stage Theatre School in Swinton alongside their acting careers; Maeve O’Sullivan, who was nominated for Best Newcomer in the 2015 Manchester Theatre Awards for her performance in Close The Coalhouse Door at the Coliseum; and James Quinn, who was last seen in Oldham for the Coliseum’s co-production of Hindle Wakes with Octagon Theatre, Bolton.
It runs until February 27.