13 January 2012
The play shares with its audience a year in the life of a group of painters and decorators, as they renovate a three-storey town house for a wealthy Mayor. These workers are the "philanthropists" who throw themselves into back-breaking work for poverty wages in order to generate profit for their masters.
Adapted from the book by Robert Tressell, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists has become a classic of working-class literature since its first publication in 1914. The themes and style of the piece are eternally relevant and thought provoking as it puts life and politics into sharp focus in an entertaining and accessible way.
The production coincides with the centenary anniversary of the author's death, and remains as vivid and as relevant as when it was written almost a century ago. It is sure to resonate with many today working and living in a tightening economy, where wages and conditions are being squeezed and the costs of living is steadily rising.
The play has had the backing of the unions RMT, Unite, TUC, GMB, PCS, Wales TUC, NUT, and the FBU.
Tickets for The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists are priced at £10 (£8 Concessions) and can be purchased from Blackwood Miners' Institute's Box Office on 01495 227 206 or online at www.blackwoodminersinstitute.com.
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