Join us in celebrating Thirty Years of Banner Theatre: 1974-2004
In Birmingham on 8-9 April 2005 Banner will be celebrating 30 years of
creating hard-hitting documentary theatre with and for community and trade
union audiences.
As you may know, Banner has based its work on key issues of our time,
ranging from fights to prevent closure and privatisation of major
industries, like coal, steel and public utilities, through to struggles
against racism, sexism and imperialism. To date the company has created over 30 major documentaries, numerous cassettes and CDs, plus hundreds of songs and street theatre productions.
In Birmingham on 8-9 April 2005 Banner will be celebrating 30 years of
creating hard-hitting documentary theatre with and for community and trade
union audiences.
As you may know, Banner has based its work on key issues of our time,
ranging from fights to prevent closure and privatisation of major
industries, like coal, steel and public utilities, through to struggles
against racism, sexism and imperialism. To date the company has created over 30 major documentaries, numerous cassettes and CDs, plus hundreds of songs and street theatre productions.
Banner Theatre
To mark this major achievement the company has arranged a series of
activities in early April this year. These include:-
* the launch of a songbook/history, featuring over 80 songs from Banner
productions, plus photographs and interview material, and a foreword by
American musician Peggy Seeger.
* the launch of a new show, Wild Geese
* the release of a new CD featuring songs from Wild Geese and the recent
production Migrant Voices
* a celebratory event in central Birmingham on 8 and 9 April
-------------------------------------------------
The celebratory event will be held jointly with the 2005 Charles Parker Day
hosted by the University of Central England - two days of debate,
discussion, exhibition and performance on Banner Theatre, Charles Parker,
Philip Donnellan and the traditions of documentary film, radio and theatre.
This includes two evening performances at Birmingham's Library Theatre:-
8pm Friday 8 April - preview performance of Wild Geese
8pm Saturday 9 April - celebratory concert, with Banner's 1st of May Band
and contributions from some of the trade unions, community groups and
performers who have worked with Banner over 30 years.
The programme for the whole event follows. A brochure with full details and
photographs is available on the website www.bannertheatre.co.uk or by post.
Tickets for the evening concerts are £5 each; for the whole of Friday £10;
for the whole of Saturday £20; for the whole two days £25. If you would like
tickets or a copy of the brochure, contact
info@bannertheatre.co.uk or 0845
458 1909.
We very much hope you'll be able to attend some or all of the event and look
forward to seeing you there.
Best wishes - Dave Rogers, Artistic Director
-------------------------------------------------
The Programme
Day 1: Friday 8 April
Morning: 10.30am-1.00pm and Afternoon: 2.00pm-5.00pm
Charles Parker and the Documentary Tradition
---------------------------------------------
The first Charles Parker Day, in April 2004, focused on Parker himself. This
year the aim is to consider broadcasting in much wider terms, past, present
and future and to feature invited speakers from international academic and
broadcasting communities, bringing together practitioners, researchers and
media teachers. Contributors will consider developments in radio and
television that maintain the spirit of Parker's work in both a UK and an
international context, with contributions from colleagues in Australia,
Canada, Europe and New Zealand.
In particular, the influence of Parker on documentary film will be
highlighted, with screening and discussion of the work of his collaborator,
film maker Philip Donnellan. A Friends of Philip Donnellan organisation will
be launched.
Last year's Parker Day saw the launch of a prize for student work in radio
and the shortlist will be featured throughout the day and the winner
announced. There will also be a presentation from the Radio Studies Network
(www.radiostudiesnetwork.org.uk/).
Evening: 8.00pm onwards
-----------------------
Banner Theatre will present a "work-in-progress" performance of Wild Geese,
a new documentary theatre production for 2005, exploring stories of exile,
asylum and migration, and combining video interviews, photography, graphics, archive film, live music and song in a "video ballad" for the twenty-first century.
This "show and tell" presentation will allow a unique insight into the
creative process of a company committed to documentary theatre and working with communities whose stories are rarely heard. It will provide audience members with the opportunity to contribute to the creative process and the production will be revised in the light of audience feedback.
Day 2: Saturday 9 April
Morning: 11.00am-1.00pm
Banner Theatre and the Political Theatre Tradition
--------------------------------------------------
Guest speakers including trade unionist Paul Mackney of NATFHE, Australian
academic Dave Watt (co-author of Workers' Playtime: Theatre and the labour
movement since 1970) and Canadian film-maker Don Bouzek of Ground Zero
Productions will give a range of different perspectives on Banner's work
over 30 years. Banner members past and present will lead a debate and
discussion about the role of documentary theatre now and in the future.
Afternoon: 2.00pm-5.00pm
------------------------
Philip Donnellan and Documentary Film
Starting with a screening of films by Parker collaborator, Philip Donnellan,
the afternoon session will explore the impact of Parker and Donnellan on
documentary film and the representation of ordinary people in political
culture. This will be followed by a panel-led discussion featuring Dave
Rogers of Banner Theatre, Birmingham film-maker and theatre worker Pervaiz
Khan, Don Bouzek, Dave Watt and others.
Evening: 8.00pm onwards
Banner Theatre and Political Song
---------------------------------
Banner's 1st of May Band will form the core of an evening of entertainment
with songs from its many documentary theatre productions, created in
collaborations and struggles with mining communities, steel communities,
Asian clothing workers, asylum seekers and refugees, health service workers,
black firefighters, trade unionists and others. Other invited guests,
including representatives from the Fire Brigades Union, the Iraqi Kurdish
Women's Centre, Women Against Pit Closures and Women on the Waterfront, will also participate.
activities in early April this year. These include:-
* the launch of a songbook/history, featuring over 80 songs from Banner
productions, plus photographs and interview material, and a foreword by
American musician Peggy Seeger.
* the launch of a new show, Wild Geese
* the release of a new CD featuring songs from Wild Geese and the recent
production Migrant Voices
* a celebratory event in central Birmingham on 8 and 9 April
-------------------------------------------------
The celebratory event will be held jointly with the 2005 Charles Parker Day
hosted by the University of Central England - two days of debate,
discussion, exhibition and performance on Banner Theatre, Charles Parker,
Philip Donnellan and the traditions of documentary film, radio and theatre.
This includes two evening performances at Birmingham's Library Theatre:-
8pm Friday 8 April - preview performance of Wild Geese
8pm Saturday 9 April - celebratory concert, with Banner's 1st of May Band
and contributions from some of the trade unions, community groups and
performers who have worked with Banner over 30 years.
The programme for the whole event follows. A brochure with full details and
photographs is available on the website www.bannertheatre.co.uk or by post.
Tickets for the evening concerts are £5 each; for the whole of Friday £10;
for the whole of Saturday £20; for the whole two days £25. If you would like
tickets or a copy of the brochure, contact
info@bannertheatre.co.uk or 0845 458 1909.
We very much hope you'll be able to attend some or all of the event and look
forward to seeing you there.
Best wishes - Dave Rogers, Artistic Director
-------------------------------------------------
The Programme
Day 1: Friday 8 April
Morning: 10.30am-1.00pm and Afternoon: 2.00pm-5.00pm
Charles Parker and the Documentary Tradition
---------------------------------------------
The first Charles Parker Day, in April 2004, focused on Parker himself. This
year the aim is to consider broadcasting in much wider terms, past, present
and future and to feature invited speakers from international academic and
broadcasting communities, bringing together practitioners, researchers and
media teachers. Contributors will consider developments in radio and
television that maintain the spirit of Parker's work in both a UK and an
international context, with contributions from colleagues in Australia,
Canada, Europe and New Zealand.
In particular, the influence of Parker on documentary film will be
highlighted, with screening and discussion of the work of his collaborator,
film maker Philip Donnellan. A Friends of Philip Donnellan organisation will
be launched.
Last year's Parker Day saw the launch of a prize for student work in radio
and the shortlist will be featured throughout the day and the winner
announced. There will also be a presentation from the Radio Studies Network
(www.radiostudiesnetwork.org.uk/).
Evening: 8.00pm onwards
-----------------------
Banner Theatre will present a "work-in-progress" performance of Wild Geese,
a new documentary theatre production for 2005, exploring stories of exile,
asylum and migration, and combining video interviews, photography, graphics, archive film, live music and song in a "video ballad" for the twenty-first century.
This "show and tell" presentation will allow a unique insight into the
creative process of a company committed to documentary theatre and working with communities whose stories are rarely heard. It will provide audience members with the opportunity to contribute to the creative process and the production will be revised in the light of audience feedback.
Day 2: Saturday 9 April
Morning: 11.00am-1.00pm
Banner Theatre and the Political Theatre Tradition
--------------------------------------------------
Guest speakers including trade unionist Paul Mackney of NATFHE, Australian
academic Dave Watt (co-author of Workers' Playtime: Theatre and the labour
movement since 1970) and Canadian film-maker Don Bouzek of Ground Zero
Productions will give a range of different perspectives on Banner's work
over 30 years. Banner members past and present will lead a debate and
discussion about the role of documentary theatre now and in the future.
Afternoon: 2.00pm-5.00pm
------------------------
Philip Donnellan and Documentary Film
Starting with a screening of films by Parker collaborator, Philip Donnellan,
the afternoon session will explore the impact of Parker and Donnellan on
documentary film and the representation of ordinary people in political
culture. This will be followed by a panel-led discussion featuring Dave
Rogers of Banner Theatre, Birmingham film-maker and theatre worker Pervaiz
Khan, Don Bouzek, Dave Watt and others.
Evening: 8.00pm onwards
Banner Theatre and Political Song
---------------------------------
Banner's 1st of May Band will form the core of an evening of entertainment
with songs from its many documentary theatre productions, created in
collaborations and struggles with mining communities, steel communities,
Asian clothing workers, asylum seekers and refugees, health service workers,
black firefighters, trade unionists and others. Other invited guests,
including representatives from the Fire Brigades Union, the Iraqi Kurdish
Women's Centre, Women Against Pit Closures and Women on the Waterfront, will also participate.
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Banner Theatre Miners Strike Events - 4th-6th March
03.03.2005 16:21
A TOURING PRODUCTION TO MARK THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1984/5 MINERS STRIKE
"We were fighting for us jobs, us communities, us factories, and us kids and the future. So 'ows that wrong? It i'n't wrong. I mean, I'm just proud that I was involved." - Miner's wife, Stoke-on-Trent.
To mark this momentous event in recent British history, Banner Theatre has been back to the coalfield communities of Britain to see what the legacy of the strike is and to look at what has happened in Britains former mining communities. Burning Issues recreates the experiences of working-class communities in struggle, fighting for their livelihoods. Using drama, video, music and song, the show combines contemporary newsreel with in-depth interviews to re-tell the stories of those who were involved and what they were fighting for.
Catch this exciting and hard-hitting new multimedia show - linking interviews, archive footage, live music and song - on:
Friday 4th March 2005 at 7.30pm
Thornycroft, The Yorkshire Coal Field Resource Centre (Formerly, The Disabled Miners Centre) Halfpenny Lane, Pontefract WF8 4AY
Admission £5.00 (unreserved seating), for more details and
to book tickets, please call 01977 703 384 or 01924 305 360
Fully licensed bar available from 6.30pm
Supported by Wakefield TUC and 5 Towns TUC.
Saturday 5th March 2005 from 5.30pm
The Old Club, Market Place, Stainforth, Doncaster
Marking the 20th Anniversary of the End of the Miners Strike and Return to Work, and the Closure of Hatfield Main NUM Branch after 87 Years of struggle.
Admission free, for more details ring 01302 841 365 or 0773 640 8880
Sponsored by Hatfield Main Branch NUM, Maltby NUM Branch, Lancashire Area of the NUM, Doncaster Region of UNISON, Kellingley NUM Branch, Class War, Communist Party Great Britain. With special thanks to Beresfords Solicitors.
Sunday 6th March 2005 at 7.00pm
The Lounge, The Tyneside Irish Club, Gallowgate, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Marking the 20th Anniversary of the End of the 1984/85 Miners Strike,
and the Centenary of the Industrial Workers of the World
Guest Speaker Ian Lavery, President of the National Union of Mineworkers
Admission free, for more details ring 01302 841 365 or 0773 640 8880
Organised by the IWW and the Mining Communities Advice Centre
Paddy