Championing working class arts & cultural activism
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CONFERENCE
A programme spotlighting and enriching socially engaged performing arts practices with marginalised communities, within the overarching theme of Banner’s 50 years anniversary.
Featuring voices from arts, communities, academia, unions & activism. The 2-day event presents inspiring arts practitioners, workshops, panels, a mini-book & art fair, plus a premier of Banner’s new show. The conference shares a wealth of performing arts practice that amplifies cultural practices as tools of community resilience. It opens with an illustrated lecture by Banner Theatre, our artistic ethos, politics, and our activities for the past 50 years that contextualises the Conference and project overall.
CREATIVE EXCHANGE HUBS
Four regional creative exchange events in Salford, London, Newcastle & Bridgewater. The programming will be curated collaboratively with local arts creatives who are well connected with cultural activists in their regions. There will be sessions to pitch ideas, share creative practices and network with other socially minded artists and producers.
The day will conclude with Banner Theatre’s new show performance of “A Just Transition: Jobs, People, Planet” alongside supporting slots from local performing artists (music, theatre, poetry). There is also further opportunity to showcase Banner’s new songbook and history with new audiences.
NEW SHOW DEVELOPMENT
A new show with the working title: ‘A Just Transition: Jobs, People, Planet’ celebrates extraordinary collaborative struggles where communities and workers have come together, past and present, to find climate conscious outcomes for their jobs, industries, communities and the planet.
The show will include a wealth of archival and present day interviews with social activists on this topic, woven in with new song and music material by Banner Theatre. It will highlight the importance of unity in progressing socially useful work that has environmental awareness at its heart, and positive climate conscious steps we can take across our homes, communities and workplaces
SONG & PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK
A new publication, following Banner’s first in 2005, in partnership with the General Federation of Trade Unions Educational Trust and its publishing arm, Workable Books.
It represents Banner’s remarkable current & classic songs of the past 20 years with iconic images from the activist video collective Reel News’ archives. It will be used in forthcoming workshops as an educational resource and to inspire interest in British working class political history.
Pages include lyrics, notation, images and background information to each song.
WORKSHOPS
Engaging and fun 1-day workshops exploring the songbook and Banner’s unique ‘Actuality’ methodology that represents community voices verbatim.
Target audiences: community activists, emerging songwriters & musicians. Open to all skills levels, from beginners to professional. Suitable for teenage ages upwards.
Participation preparation: participants will be asked to come to the workshop ready to explore community activism themes that they are interested in.
The workshops will be an introduction to Banner’s ‘Actuality‘ method of community collaboration. As examples, we will share and explore examples from our canon of work and the social movements that we have engaged with such as the 84-85 Miners Strike, anti-racism movements and workers rights. There will be group exercises that encourage participants to engage with each other and explore ideas of inclusive community building and solidarity through the Actuality method. For those with performing arts practice, they can collaboratively create a lyric, verse, song, chant and/or short piece.
Workshops are confirmed with the GFTU Young Members Network at the Marx Memorial Library and the Working Class Movement Library in Salford. Both libraries will also provide a bespoke tour, sharing collections and archive materials that contextualise the project’s central theme of cultural activism through the ages. In addition there will be a workshop with the New Vic Theatre ‘Borderlines’ young peoples group (funded separately), and will be part of the Birmingham conference programme.
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