{{primary sources, date=January 2012 Banner Theatre is a community theatre company based in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, England. The theatre was founded in 1974.

History

Founded in 1974, the theatre works with marginalized and disadvantaged communities using a combination of documentary theatre, music and recorded voices. The aim of the company is to create issue-led productions based on real-life experiences and in support of disenfranchised sections of society, performing to community and trade union audiences in pubs, clubs and community centres and at rallies, festivals and conferences. A founder member of the company was former BBC radio producer Charles Parker, who with

Ewan MacColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...

and

Peggy Seeger Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American folk singer. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years, and was married to the singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989. First American period Seeger's father ...

, created the radio ballads, award-winning musical documentaries broadcast by the BBC in the 1960s and now available via Listen Again on th
BBC Radio 2 website
These have been a major influence on Banner's work and have recently informed development of a new form, the 'video ballad'. Another founder member, and current artistic director, is Dave Rogers. He has written many of the company's songs and written or co-written most of their shows. Some 80 of his songs are published in ''Singing the Changes'' (Bread Books 2005) as well as social background and photographs from Banner's archives. Others have been released on Banner albums such as ''Black and White in the Red'', ''Elixir of Life'' and ''Wild Geese''.

Banners A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

have been an important feature of the

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

movement, and provided the inspiration for the company's name and logo.

Releases

''Burning Issues''

The touring version of this video ballad was created for the 20th anniversary of the 1984-5 Miners Strike, and this DVD marks the 25th anniversary.

''"They Get Free Mobiles...Don't They?"''

This video ballad debunks the media myths surrounding asylum seekers in Britain, and examines the role of big business in their exploitation. The stage version toured extensively in the Midlands during 2007 and was filmed in 2008.

''Wild Geese''

The ''Wild Geese'' DVD is a recording of a performance of a video ballad production created by Banner and filmed at Luton Library Theatre in 2006. Stories of migrant workers coming to the UK over many years, and the recent experience of refugees and asylum seekers, are told through video and archive film, with live music and song. The ''Wild Geese'' CD was launched for the company's 30th anniversary and also contains songs from its 2005 production ''Migrant Voices''.

''Black and White in the Red''

Released in 2002, this CD project was based at fire stations in Essex, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. The album mixes jazz, folk and African/Caribbean music and song, with the words of black and white firefighters to expose racism in the British fire service.

''Elixir of Life''

''Elixir of Life'' is a cassette produced by Banner Theatre in 1992 and released as a CD in 2005. The collection includes songs about the "classless society", Ireland, unemployment, the media and resistance. "Ewan's Song" celebrates the life of

, who was a long-standing friend and supporter of Banner Theatre, and an inspiration to political artists and writers.

External links

Banner Theatre website
Theatre companies in Birmingham, West Midlands