THE PITMEN PAINTERS to Open in West End in October

Presented by Bill Kenwright, following celebrated seasons at The National Theatre and on Broadway, Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters will at last enjoy a West End season, opening at the Duchess Theatre on Wednesday 5 October with press night on the Tuesday 11 October at 7pm.

The climax of an extraordinary journey, which started at Newcastle's Live Theatre and continued on to the National, Broadway, and all round the UK, The Pitmen Painters is highly amusing, deeply moving and always entertaining as it examines the lives of a group of ordinary men who do extraordinary things.

In 1934, a group of Ashington miners hired a professor to teach an art appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the pitmen began 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...

Full of humour, drama and revelation, Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters, which won the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play, has never been so relevant, as public cutbacks take their toll and the debate about the importance of the arts reaches a crescendo.

Lee Hall wrote the screenplay for Billy Elliot and adapted it for the West End in 2005, winning an Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Billy Elliot opened on Broadway in November 2008. His plays include Spoonface Steinberg (Ambassadors), Cooking with Elvis (Live Theatre, Assembly Rooms and West End), and an adaptation of Herman Heijerman's The Good Hope for The National Theatre.

Inspired by a book by William Feaver, this is the original production directed by Max Roberts, with set and costume design by Gary McCann, lighting by Douglas Kuhrt and sound by Martin Hodgson, and featuring many of the actors who starred at The National Theatre and on Broadway.

TICKETS ON SALE EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH The National Theatre BOX OFFICE
FROM WEDNESDAY 29 JUNE

AND THEN ON GENERAL SALE THROUGH THE DUCHESS THEATRE BOX OFFICE
FROM MONDAY 4 JULY

National Theatre Box Office: 020 7452 3000 www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Duchess Theatre Box Office: 0844 412 4659 www.nimaxtheatres.com