MTC Announces After Words: THE PITMEN PAINTERS 9/18

Manhattan Theatre Club is pleased to announce guests for the upcoming session of After Words, the popular discussion panels held after selected Saturday matinees at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). The latest offering will focus on the THE PITMEN PAINTERS by Lee Hall, directed by Max Roberts.

On Saturday, September 18, After Words will feature Tim Barringer, a professor of the history of art at Yale, and director Max Roberts.

On Saturday, October 2 After Words will feature playwright Lee Hall and author William Feaver, whose book Pitmen Painters inspired the play. In addition, following the discussion, Feaver will be on hand to autograph copies of his book which is currently on sale at the Friedman Theatre.

After Words is part of MTC's continuing effort to deepen and enrich the play-going experience for its audiences. Held after selected Saturday matinees, these panels, featuring writers, cultural critics and journalists, provide provocative and illuminating insights into the political, cultural, and artistic contexts of the work MTC produces.

For more information on After Words, or to download a podcast of past After Words, please visit: www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com<http://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/>.

BIOGRAPHIES
TIM BARRINGER is Paul Mellon Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of the History of Art at Yale University, has published and lectured widely on British art and visual culture and on art and empire. His books include Reading the Pre-Raphaelites (1998), American Sublime (with Andrew Wilton, 2002) and Men at Work: Art and Labour in Victorian Britain (Yale, 2005). He is editor of Colonialism and the Object (with Tom Flynn, 1997) and Frederic Leighton: Antiquity, Renaissance, Modernity (Elizabeth Prettejohn, Yale 1998). Art and the British Empire (with Douglas Fordham and Geoff Quilley, 2007), Art and Emanciption in Jamaica (with Gillian Forrester and Barbaro Martinez-Ruiz, 2007) and Writing the Pre-Raphaelites (with Michaela Giebelhausen) will appear with Ashgate in 2008.

William Feaver is the former art critic for the (London) Observer, writer, curator, broadcaster, painter, author of Pitmen Painters, from which THE PITMEN PAINTERS derives, and most recently, books on Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud, whose retrospective he curated in 2002-3. He is founder trustee of The Ashington Group, member of the art advisory committee for the National Museum of Wales, and a tutor at the Prince's Drawing School.

INFORMATION ON THE PITMEN PAINTERS

Manhattan Theatre Club's (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) American premiere of Tony Award winner Lee Hall's THE PITMEN PAINTERS at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). The play will celebrate a September 30 opening night.

Manhattan Theatre Club, by special arrangement with Bob Boyett, is producing the Live Theatre, Newcastle/National Theatre of Great Britain's co-production of THE PITMEN PAINTERS on Broadway.

The cast, who have been with the production since it premiered at Live Theatre in 2007, includes: Christopher Connel, Michael Hodgson, Ian Kelly, Brian Lonsdale, Lisa McGrillis, Deka Walmsley, David Whitaker and Phillippa Wilson. The play is directed by Max Roberts.

Inspired by a book by William Feaver, and hailed by London critics as "a glorious instant classic" (Evening Standard), "a wonderful piece of theatre" (Financial Times) "a beautiful work of art that everybody should see" (The Times of London), and "a superb piece of work; warm, funny, sad, and thought-provoking" (The Daily Telegraph), the play tells the story of the Ashington Group - miners from Northumberland who became celebrated painters. THE PITMEN PAINTERS was named Best Play at the 2008 Evening Standard Awards.

Direct from a sold-out engagement at London's National Theatre, this funny and fascinating new play by Tony Award winner Lee Hall (writer of Broadway's mega-hit Billy Elliot) comes to Broadway with its entire original London cast intact. THE PITMEN PAINTERS is based on the triumphant true story of a group of British miners who discover a new way to express themselves and unexpectedly become art-world sensations! An arresting and hilarious salute to the power of individual expression and the collective spirit, THE PITMEN PAINTERS takes you on an unforgettable journey from the depths of the mine to the heights of fame.
THE PITMEN PAINTERS features scenic and costume design by Gary McCann, lighting design by Douglas Kuhrt, and sound design by Martin Hodgson.

The cast of THE PITMEN PAINTERS is appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance of this production.

Tickets are available by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200, online by visiting www.Telecharge.com<http://www.telecharge.com/>, or by visiting the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Box Office (261 West 47th Street). Ticket prices are $57 - $116.