Desperation and tragedy of pit closures brought to stage

Some of the cast of Brassed Off, which features players from City of Bradford Brass Band and BD1.

TWENTY years on from its film release, and more than 30 years since the events that inspired it, the desperation of residents in the fictional mining village will be brought to life at a former pit.

A new production of Paul Allen’s theatrical adaptation of the 1996 film Brassed Off will be performed at the National Coal Mining Museum in Overton, once home to Caphouse Colliery, later this month.

Leeds based-Bite My Thumb say the show, which was inspired by the real life pit closure at Grimethorpe, near Barnsley, and its colliery band, is just as relevant today, when the scars of the Miners’ Strike still run deep.

Director Neil Knipe said: “Plays like Brassed Off are now a modern folk tale for the north. These stories need to be ever-present, passed down from generation to generation so we never forget the plight and battle of the miners and the tragedy of the pit closures. Yes, this production has all the classic lines from the film and gold old northern humour but, unlike a lot of productions, we’re making sure we highlight the deep desperation and sense of being trapped that these characters faced.”

Brassed Off will also be performed in Leeds and Brighouse in September.