‘The Pitmen Painters’ Opens at Beck Center

Already huge in theater circles around the world, “The Pitmen Painters” has arrived in Lakewood.  

The show opened at the Beck Center for the Arts’ Studio Theater on Friday and is scheduled to run through July 7.  The local production of The Pitmen Painters is directed by acclaimed director Sarah May and features a talented ensemble of 11 area actors.  

“This is a remarkable true story that reaffirms my belief that art can change lives.” said May in a news release. “I am thrilled to be working with an excellent cast that is committed to honoring these hard-working blokes who discovered their potential through the stroke of a paintbrush."  

Based on a triumphant true story, the new play — by the Tony Award-winning writer of Billy Elliot — is set in 1934, when a group of miners in Northern England take an art appreciation class and begin experimenting with painting.  

“They soon build an astonishing body of work that makes them the unlikeliest of art-world sensations,” according to a news release from the Beck Center. 

“’The Pitmen Painters’ is richly funny, deeply moving and continuously entertaining as it examines the lives of a group of ordinary men who do extraordinary things.”  

Tickets are $28 for adults and $25 for seniors — 65 and older — with an additional $3 service fee per ticket applied at time of purchase. Tickets can be obtained online or by calling 216-521-2540, ext. 10.  

*Actor appears courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the union of actors and stage managers.