| Description | The file dividers are marked N.C.B. [National Coal Board], General, N.U.M. [National Union of Mineworkers], Contacts, Art Centres etc. Incoming correspondence and copies of outgoing correspondence are included, as are copy articles and notes. The contents of this file relate to performances of 'Collier Laddie' in Birmingham, Kent, Lincolnshire, South Wales and Yorkshire. Practical issues such as the booking of venues, transport arrangements for performers and loan of mining equipment for use as dramatic 'props' are considered. Parker's efforts to publicise the perfomances to encourage influential, London based individuals to attend the performance at the Unity Theatre, King's Cross are also recorded.
N.C.B.
This correspondence spans August and September 1974 and concerns the loan of mining equipment by N.C.B. Training Centres in Cardiff and Warwickshire for use in performances of 'Collier Laddie'.
GENERAL
This group of records includes correspondence between Parker and media contacts, generally concerning Parker's invitation for them to attend 'Collier Laddie' at the Unity Theatre, London or in Kent. Contacts include Jeremy Isaacs of Thames Television and executives at the B.B.C. ['Omnibus' and 'Kaleidoscope' programmes], London Weekend Television ['Aquarius'] and Granada Television, as well as the New Statesman and Tribune political magazines. This correspondence indicates both Parker's commitment to promoting Banner's perfomances and also his familiarity with the contemporary media community and his continued interest in cultural matters. A small run of copy correspondence with Mike Wooller of the B.B.C.'s 'Omnibus' programme about 'Collier Laddie' contains a letter referring to Parker's views of 'pop song' and its ability or otherwise to meaningfully engage with young people.
Included in this section are handwritten drafts for an article on Banner for the New Statesman. This article sets out Parker's view of what Banner is seeking to achieve as well as describing 'Collier Laddie'. In keeping with Parker's commitment to 'actuality', it includes a quotation with vigourous [and vulgar] language from a Yorkshire miner. There is also correspondence about an article for 'The Miner' [the N.U.M.s newspaper].
Employment details [including medical information] on a number of named Kent mineworkers is included in this section. However, because of Data Protection issues, these are closed until 01/01/2055.
An advertisement for a performance of 'Collier Laddie' at Shrewsbury Professional Theatre on 21st and 22nd March [1974?] is included.
N.U.M.
Included in this section is a copy of 'The Collier's Rant' dated April 1961. This is a list of men and women with details of their addresses and [in many cases] comments about their occupation, musical or performance ability, or other comments.
There are handwritten contact details of people in English and Welsh mining areas and a contact list for 'non miners', most of whom are based in Birmingham, such as Ken Barlow of Ucatt and Brian Homer. The purpose of this list is not specified.
CONTACTS
This section contains a hand written contact list dated 25/01/1974 for performers. Correspondence is also included about Banner's performance at the opening festival for Trinity Arts Centre at Camp Hill, Birmingham. This has a brief description of the constraints of the Arts Centre's performance space, both for Banner and more generally.
ARTS CENTRES ETC
This section includes invitations [and responses] to attend 'Collier Laddie' at Unity Theatre, London and in Kent. Orders for copies of "The Big Hewer" recording are also included, as are general items of interest. These latter include correspondence concerning a project being planned by Dec Twohig on East London, which is to be based on 'The Radio Ballads'. A copy of the journal 'Scottish Miner' [Number 189, March 1972] is included. This was sent to Parker by William McLean, the Secretary of the N.U.M. Scottish Area on 20/12/1974. Also included is an annotated off-print from the Times Educational Supplement entitled 'Do you know how to breathe?' [11/07/1969] with photocopy attached. [This is concerned with correct breathing techniques for actors.]
Amongst others, invitations were sent to journalists Catherine Itzin and A.N. Silver to perfomances at the Unity Theatre and in Kent.
The 'Itzin' papers relate to interviews with Parker for articles for 'Theatre Quarterly' , 'Plays and Players' and Tribune. This also includes an offer of accommodation for Banner at the Talbot Inn at Kington, Herefordshire. The papers record Itzin's vision for the Talbot as a centre for folk and theatre activities and also Parker's observation that Banner's objectives are more urban than rural.
Correspondence with A.N. Silver indicates both Banner's use of the publication 'Politics and Money' as research material and it's pricing structure. Papers attached to this correspondence reveal Parker's interest in communicating his idea on cultural performance to China. Invitations to 'Collier Laddie' at the Unity Theatre are extended to representatives of S.A.C.U. [The Society for Anglo - Chinese Unity]. Reference is also made to Parker's attempts to communicate his ideas on proletarian culture to officials of the Chinese Embassy in London, who are invited to 'Collier Laddie' partly as an attempt to address their misconstuing of his views. Parker's recordings of his visit to China are also mentioned. |
| AdminHistory | This record was created by Charles Parker, in his capacity as Business Manager of Banner Theatre. The original file binding is no longer available and a loose file cover has been provided at some point after being received into the City Archives. Loose papers are organised with dividers but these may not now precisely define the original structure of the file. The bulk of the papers date from 1974, but there is a copy of 'The Collier's Rant' dated April 1961, an offprint of the Times Educational Supplement [and photocopy] dated 11/07/1969 and a copy of 'Scottish Miner' of March 1972. |