When an entire cast is making its collective Broadway debut, there’s a special excitement on opening night. That was definitely the case on September 30, when The Pitmen Painters premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The latest work by Billy Elliot’s Lee Hall tells the true story of a group of Newcastle miners who ...

Broadway’s got a new bunch of miners to root for: Billy Elliot author Lee Hall is back in town with The Pitmen Painters, Manhattan Theatre Club’s first offering of the season at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Based on the true story of 1930s “pitmen” in Newcastle who moonlighted (literally) as gallery-quality artists, the play boasts its original ...

A new drama by Billy Elliot author Lee Hall, The Pitmen Painters, has arrived at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre after acclaimed runs in Newcastle and London, England. The story of a group of 1930s-era miners who become celebrated artists (creating their paintings after 12-hour shifts in the “pits”) is being produced by Manhattan Theatre Club with the original ...

Age: 37

Hometown: Newcastle, England

Currently: Giving a standout Broadway debut performance in Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of The Pitmen Painters as Oliver Kilbourn, a 1930s-era miner in northeast England who becomes a celebrated artist.

Falling Into Acting: The mines in Newcastle are long gone, but Connel can identify with the “pitman” he’s played in three productions of ...

About the author:
By any measure, the film and stage versions of Billy Elliot presented a hard act to follow for Lee Hall. The delightful 1999 feature film about the son of a miner who dreams of pursuing his love of dance netted the Newcastle native an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Less than a decade later, Hall’s ...

A group of miners who become respected (and collected) artists? Sounds like the plot of a short story—but this totally true tale forms the basis of Lee Hall’s acclaimed play The Pitmen Painters. The author of Billy Elliot charts the rise of a small group of 1930s “pitmen” in Newcastle whose after-hours art appreciation class inspired them to ...

Get ready for another triumphant tale from Billy Elliot scribe Lee Hall. The playwright's new Broadway entry is The Pitmen Painters. The show tells the true story of a group of Depression-era British miners who take an art appreciation class, begin painting, and soon find themselves the toast of the art world. The company met the press on September ...

Direct from a sold-out engagement at London’s National Theatre, the eight-person ensemble cast of Lee Hall’s The Pitmen Painters has arrived stateside to make their collective Broadway debuts at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. This delightful play by the author of Billy Elliot is the triumphant true story of a group of Depression-era British miners ...

We love Billy Elliot, so we’re excited about the Broadway transfer of Tony winner Lee Hall’s most recent London hit, The Pitmen Painters. Tickets are now on sale for Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of this acclaimed play, which is set to begin performances on September 14 and open on September 30 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre ...

The American premiere of Tony Award winner Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters, directed by Max Roberts and starring the original London cast, will hit Broadway. The play, which won the Evening Standard Award for Best Play in 2008, will be presented by Manhattan Theatre Club in September 2010 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

In 1934, a group of ...