Amateur Pitmen Painters Visit Woodhorn - April 18th 2011
As the professionals embark on another national tour of the award winning play Pitmen Painters, the very first amateur performers granted permission to mount a production of the play have paid a special visit to the Woodhorn museum. In preparation for the June production, members of The People’s Theatre took a close look at the original artworks produced by these remarkable North East men and also got up close to their working environment.
Production director Chris Heckels, keen to include the first ever amateur production of Pitmen Painters in the programme for the centenary season of the Newcastle theatre, managed to persuade writer Lee Hall, an old friend to give his special permission.
“It was nearly 2 years ago we were having a meal when he was in Newcastle,” explained Chris, “and I asked him if there was any chance we could have the 'Pitmen' for the People's Centenary, assuming I'd direct it - and to my delight and astonishment he said yes, straight away! He's been really helpful in planning the production and is hoping to get to see it if his other commitments allow. Now that we are beginning to prepare for the stage, a visit to Woodhorn is a must. Being on the doorstep of the museum that holds the Ashington Group Collection of art, we just had to arrange a visit,” says Chris. “It’s too good an opportunity to miss. It will be wonderful for the actors to get up close to the paintings produced by the miners themselves, to be able to see the materials they used and get a sense of their lives through the images they painted. And of course as the museum is located in a real colliery, they’ll be able to experience some of the sights and smells the men themselves encountered every day.”
Keith Merrin, the Director at Woodhorn, was more than happy to see the amateur performers on site.
“The Ashington Group Collection is so special. It is a unique collection of work by artists who actually lived the life they captured in paint. It tells the story of a community, of a way of life that is no longer with us. It is remarkable that the story of these pitmen painters has come to the fore once again, and here at Woodhorn we are very proud of them. I’d encourage everyone to come along and see the paintings as it really adds something to the play, and of course, the play to the paintings.”
Pitmen Painters tells the story of the Ashington Group, largely made up of miners, who hire a professor to teach them art appreciation. Quickly they abandon theory in favour of practice, painting scenes of everyday life and becoming the toast of the art world in the 1930s. The play takes to the stage at The People’s Theatre 13 – 18 June and the Ashington Group Collection at Woodhorn can be viewed Wednesday – Sunday all year round.
Pictured during their visit to Woodhorn :
l-r Steven Wallace (Young lad), Peter Mc Andrew (Oliver Kilbourn), Steven Robertson (Jimmy Floyd), Harry Gilbert (George Brown), and Grace Robson (Susan Parks)
Rest of the Cast for the People’s theatre performance is as follows:
Harry Wilson: Mike Smith
Robert Lyon: Matthew Cummins
Helen Sutherland: Val Russell
The People’s Theatre: www.ptag.org.uk