The Pitmen Painters

Chicago Premiere

Sep 6, 2011 - Dec 4, 2011

Heralded in London and on Broadway, this new play by the Tony Award- winning writer of Billy Elliot is based on a triumphant true story. A group of miners in Northern England taking an art appreciation class start experimenting with painting and soon build an astonishing body of work that makes them the unlikeliest of art world sensations. An arresting and hilarious salute to the power of individual expression and the collective spirit, The Pitmen Painters is a deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.

Cast

Production Team

* Member of Actors Equity Association

# Member of United Scenic Artists

~ Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

+ TimeLine Company Member

^ TimeLine Associate Artist

§ TimeLine Playwrights Collective

Reviews

  • Chicago Tribune

    September 12, 2011

    B.J. Jones’ earnest, moving and unpretentious production will, I suspect, be a very big hit for this savvy and growing company, where more and more Chicagoans have come, with reason, to trust the power, truth and integrity of the work.

    —Chris Jones

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  • Chicago Critic

    September 12, 2011

    TimeLine Theatre scores another terrific Chicago premiere … BJ Jones and his cast gave truthful performances that make the discussion of art fun.

    —Tom Williams

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  • Examiner

    September 13, 2011

    Directed by BJ Jones, TimeLine Theatre’s staging of the piece is a triumph of fine directing and deftly etched performances over a script that loses most of its story-telling momentum in the second act.

    —Catey Sullivan

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  • Windy City Times

    September 21, 2011

    Director B.J. Jones has assembled a cast of actors capable of projecting individualized conviction—whether that of sturdy Geordie colliers or effete city-dwellers—to forge unforgettable characters of depth far greater than the facile stereotypes of sentimental allegories.

    —Mary Shen Barnidge

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Discussions & Events

  • Sunday Scholars Series
    October 23, 4:15 pm

    This one-hour post-show panel discussion features experts on the themes of the play.

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