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Showing at:National Theatre Lyttelton
Box Office:020 7452 3000
Age:General
Genre:Play
Sub Genre:Play-Comedy
Lee Hall’s play The Pitmen Painters is a humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.
Following sell-out seasons at Live Theatre Newcastle and in the National’s Cottesloe theatre, The Pitmen Painters returns to the London and the National Theatre, this time to the larger Lyttelton theatre.
The Pitmen Painters tells the story of a group of Ashington miners who, in 1934, 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.
Playwright Hall, who wrote The Pitmen Painters in 2007, is best known as the man who wrote the screenplay for successful British film Billy Elliot, winning an Oscar nomination in the process. He continued his association with the project by adapting the piece for the stage, helping to create Billy Elliot The Musical with director Stephen Daldry and director Elton John. Hall’s other plays include Spoonface Steinberg and Cooking With Elvis, while his screen work includes 2008 film Hippie Hippie Shake and the 2007 television adaptation of The Wind In The Willows, which starred Matt Lucas, Bob Hoskins and Imelda Staunton.
For more about The Pitmen Painters read the First Night Feature from the production’s earlier sold out staging at the National Theatre Cottesloe.
Performance Details
- previews from: 27 Jan 2009
- opening night: 31 Jan 2009
- closing: 14 Apr 2009
show times: Mon-Sat 19:30, Mats 14:15 - In rep, please check theatre for performance dates
ticket prices: £10-£41
duration: 2h45
cast: Christopher Connel, Michael Hodgson, Ian Kelly, Brian Lonsdale, Lisa McGrillis, Deka Walmsley, David Whitaker, Phillippa Wilson
director: Max Roberts
sound: Martin Hodgson
lighting designer: Douglas Kuhrt
designer: Gary McCann
producer: National Theatre in a co-production with Live Theatre, Newcastle
Venue location map (external link)
Access Enabled Map (pdf format):
View The
National Theatre Lyttelton Access Enabled Map
address: South Bank, London, United Kingdom, SE1 9PX
nearest tube: Waterloo (250m), Southwark
nearest bus: 76, 77, 211, 507, D1, D11, P11 (York Road)149, P11 (Stamford Street)1, 4, 26, 68, X68, 76, 168, 171, 171A, 176, 188, 501, 505, 521 (Waterloo Bridge)
nearest train: Waterloo (250m)
parking: 5 spaces reserved for orange badge holders at riverside end of Cottesloe Ave. 4 extra bays opposite Cottesloe theatre for evening performances. Car Park beneath theatre. Spaces reserved for disabled customers near lifts. Free parking voucher available from box office for orange badge holders (present ticket at information desk). Automatic doors and ramps from the Car Park to the lobby and lift.
air conditioned: Yes
Assisted Performance Booking Information
Access Booking:Tel: 020 7452 3000 Information Desk 020 7452 3400
Accessible Facilities Venue Information
discounts: Discounts available for all disabled people.
limited mobility: Row V of the Stalls is the most accessible area. Aisle seats have the most legroom.
access description: Main entrance reached from Upper Ground via Theatre Avenue to Theatre Square and a drop off point approx. 40m from main entrance. Box Office and information desk on left. No steps to back row of Stalls (1 step between rows). Glass Lift (80cm wide) up to Circle (or 22 steps up). 3 steep steps between rows in the Circle. Staircases between levels have handrails on both sides; stairs in the auditorium have one handrail.
hearing impaired: Infra-red system with headsets or neck loops. Collect headsets/loops from box offices. Induction loops at service counters.
guide dogs policy: Guide dogs are not currently allowed in the auditorium, however staff are happy to dog sit. Dogs will be looked after in the cloakroom.
wheelchairs: No steps to the back of the Stalls through entrances on either side of the Long bar. 4 spaces for wheelchair users in row V. Transfer seating available to aisle seats. Wheelchairs stored at back of auditorium.
toilets: Women’s and men’s at ground floor level and Circle level.
disabled toilets: Adapted WC next to right-hand Stalls entrance.
Ian Kelly plays Robert Lyon in The Pitmen Painters (photo: Keith Pattison)