I’m still suffering from the effects of the swine flu, so trying to take weekends completely off for awhile. A friend and I are going to see a play today at my favourite local theatre. United Players is presenting The Pitmen Painters at the Jericho Arts Centre. I am always impressed at the quality of the acting, the incredible sets, and the intimate atmosphere. Live theatre seems like a great way to while away a Sunday afternoon, that is as long as I don’t cough like a coal miner through the performance.
The Pitmen Painters
by Lee Hall
directed by Jack Paterson
In 1934, a group of Ashington miners and a dental mechanic hired a professor from Newcastle University to teach an Art Appreciation evening class. Unable to understand each other, they embarked on one of the most unusual experiments in British art as the pitmen learned to become painters. Within a few years the most avant-garde artists became their friends, their work was taken for prestigious collections and they were celebrated throughout the British art world; but every day they worked, as before, down the mine. A true story made into a heartwarming play. If you live in the Vancouver area, here are the details.
January 24 to February 16
Matinées: Feb 2 & Feb 16 at 2pm (no evening performance)
Click for ticket information and reservations or phone 604-224-8007, extension 2.