Close the Coalhouse Door

More about the book

'Close the Coalhouse Door' is a living pageant of the North-East's mining communities, and also a key work in the development of British political drama. Triumphantly revived by Live Theatre, this gritty musical is regularly staged by all kinds of theatre companies, from professional to school and amateur. The original version was published by Samuel French. This new edition, using the updated script, was published in response to demand from the numerous theatre groups which want to perform it. Alan Plater wrote: 'Some plays refuse to lie down. Others surrender on the first night and disappear into a mysterious other country - the land of lost plays. Nobody can explain this phenomenon. Shakespeare himself had no idea how many people would turn up on the night. 'Close the Coalhouse Door' was written, with the wise and loving inspiration of Sid Chaplin and adorned by the songs of Alex Glasgow, in 1968. It has been revived at regular intervals ever since