Award-winning play about Mansfield's record-breaking 'mole man' man comes to town this November

UNDERDOGS is a play by Mansfield-born writers Brian Mitchell and Joseph Nixon, part of The Foundry Group.

The Foundry Group is a band of writers and performers aiming to produce affordable, popular, intelligent touring shows with a broad appeal.

Straddling the East Midlands and South East regions, the group was founded in 2010 by writers Mitchell and Nixon.

The play tells the story of Mansfield’s record-breaking mole man, the late Geoff Smith who sadly passed away this year, as he spent a record-breaking 142 days buried alive in a Mansfield pub garden.

This performance goes ahead with his family’s blessing to commemorate Mr Smith’s achievement, as he spent five months buried in a coffin under the beer garden of the Railway Inn pub, on Station Street.

Mr Smith was in the coffin between August 1998 and January 1999, attracting national and international news coverage.

His final wish was for the play to be brought to Mansfield.

The play was performed at Brighton Fringe earlier this year and won OffWestEnd.com’s OffFEST Award for Theatre.

And now, Mr Smith’s final wish has been granted as the play will be performed at The Old Library, Leeming Street, on Thursday, November 10, 7.30pm.

Josie Severn, communications and marketing officer for Inspire, the community benefit society, said the performance is free to book and customers can pay what they can afford on the night.

“The Foundry Group’s new play crackles with sharp one-liners.… subtly layered with universal themes of love and loss. Highly Recommended”, said the FringeReview.

Further information and tickets can be found at: www.inspireculture.org.uk/whats-on/events/