FOLLOWING sell-out seasons at London’s National Theatre and on Broadway, the award-winning play The Pitmen Painters visits the Theatre Royal Bath as part of a national tour prior to opening in the West End.

Written by Lee Hall, creator of the worldwide sensation Billy Elliot and directed by Max Roberts, The Pitmen Painters has received huge critical acclaim and won the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play.

Inspired by a book by William Feaver, the play brings to life the story of the Ashington Group – miners from Northumberland who became celebrated painters.

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.

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.

Examining the lives of a group of ordinary men that do extraordinary things, The Pitmen Painters is a humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics based on a fascinating true story.

The current tour of The Pitmen Painters features many of the highly-praised actors who starred in the original National Theatre and Broadway productions; Trevor Fox as Oliver Kilbourn, Michael Hodgson as Harry Wilson, Brian Lonsdale as Ben Nicholson/Young Lad, Deka Walmsley as George Brown and David Whitaker as Jimmy Floyd, are joined by new cast members David Leonard as Robert Lyon, Joy Brook as Helen Sutherland and Viktoria Kay as Susan Parks.

Originally a co-production between Live Theatre, Newcastle and the National Theatre, the production is directed by Max Roberts, Artistic Director and founding member of Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Pitmen Painters appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from May 23-28.

Tickets, priced �16.50-32.50, are available from the box office on 01225 448844 or online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk