Lee Hall’s celebrated play about the 1934 Ashington miners finally comes to the West End.

Based on the book by William Feaver, The Pitmen Painters tells the true story of a group of pit workers who hire a professor to teach an art appreciateion evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory for practice, the pitmen begin to paint – prolifically. Within a few years avant-garde artists became their friends and their work was acquired  by prestigious collectors, but every day they continued to work, as before, down the mine.

The Pitmen Painters began life in Newcastle and has already enjoyed two runs at the National Theatre and a stay on Broadway.

Author Hall is the writer of the BAFTA-winning film Billy Elliot and the subsequently multi-award-winning stage musical adaptation.

For more about The Pitmen Painters at the Duchess theatre, see what the cast sharing their own artistic ability with Official London Theatre.