| AdminHistory | 'Steel' was billed as a story of relevance, not only to steelworkers but to all workers fighting against closures and redundancies. 'Steel' was assembled (rather than written in a conventional sense) by Peter Yates and Frances Rifkin. The project began in 1979 in Corby, Northamptonshire as a street theatre in support of ROSAC [Retention of Steelmaking at Corby], to which Yates and Rifkin both belonged. 'The Great Corbini' was developed as a piece of 'agit prop' street theatre. and was performed in Corby Town Centre. It was based on 'The Case for Corby', a document by Stan Brignell and Rob Bryers. 'The Great Corbini' was supported by Corby Community Arts [CCA], who also supported the development of 'Steel'. Bryan Blumer and Mary Allen of CCA were particularly supportive, Blumer having previously been a colleague of Charles Parker and an admirer of Banner's work.
'Steel' developed from this and was a fully professional production, using four actors who also sang and played music from the folk idiom (both original and traditional). The production used many of the central devices of 'Saltley Gate', including taped and transcribed actuality material and two slide projection screens. Whilst this 'dual slide' mode was becoming a Banner 'trademark', for this show it was used in a more conventionally 'theatrical' style. 'Steel' also attempted a broader narrative sweep than 'Saltley Gate' and employed techniques to convert actuality into dialogue, while still making use of monologue and direct audience address.
Leaders of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation [ISTC] objected to the stance taken by Banner in the production and considered issuing a writ for libel against the company. The union hierarchy urged members not to watch 'Steel', a message not completely heeded by the rank and file.
The significance of 'Steel' to Corby relates to the fact that the iron and steel making industries had dominated the economic activity of the town for over 100 years and a large proportion of the population had moved to the town in the 1930s to work in the expanding steel works. The dramatic closure of the works in 1980 provoked a massive grass roots protest, not only because of the radical changes to peoples economic circumstances but also because of the traumatic blow to the self identity of the town, so intimately linked with the steel industry.
'Steel' has a particular poignancy for Banner, as Charles Parker [the original driving force behind the company] died whilst rehearsing the performance. |