THEATRE PREVIEW: Salt of the Earth at Rotherham Civic Theatre

The Phoenix Players appealed for owners of a 1950s pram to loan it for a week, so they could use it in mining village comedy Salt of the Earth.

The plea worked and the amateur actors have been putting the final touches on the production.

Salt of the Earth — which opens tonight at Rotherham Civic — follows three generations of decent, honest Yorkshire folk, making the best of what they have and the most of every opportunity.

Penned by Yorkshire playwright John Godber, it opens amid the post-war austerity of 1947, culminating in the infamous miners’ strike of the 1980s.

The saga vividly captures the ambitions, joys and heartaches of the Parker sisters, whose hopes for the future centre on May’s son Paul and his academic success.

Nosey neighbours, hapless best friends and heaps of Yorkshire grit will make the decade-spanning drama familiar to many.

Salt of the Earth runs until Saturday.

Tickets are on sale now. Visit the box office on High Street, call 01709 823621 or see www.rotherhamtheatres.co.uk for more info and to buy.