Banner’s diverse band of musicians, rappers, storytellers and singers interweaves music, song, video interviews and film to create a powerful ‘video ballad’ celebrating a city and the people who made it. Strangers in Paradise Circus celebrates Birmingham – a city that has welcomed migrants over many generations, from the refugees of the English enclosures 300 years ago to the Irish, Afro-Caribbean and Asian émigrés of more recent times.

The Banner troubadours blaze a powerful musical trail, mixing Congolese keyboards, Iranian fiddle playing, Kurdish beats, Irish rhythms and English lyrics, to carry the stories of another generation of Brummies arriving at Digbeth coach station with holes in their shoes and hope in their hearts. Nellie from Zimbabwe, Sherzad from Kurdistan, Innocent from the Democratic Republic of the Congo – each has their own story to tell as they follow the asylum trail from ravaged homelands and abandoned villages, dodging borders, bullets and barriers to reach what they hope will be, if not paradise, at least a safe haven from the storm.
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“A multicultural musical journey to the heart of contemporary Britain.”

“Stories and songs to set pulses racing and minds whirring!”
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Banner is a touring company specialising in music and song-based documentary theatre. Each Banner production uses the real-life experiences of disadvantaged or excluded groups, and stories that are rarely heard, collected through video and audio interviews.

Banner's video-ballad productions interweave video interviews, archive film footage and other graphic and photographic material with live performance, and feature a strong emphasis on music and song. Stories and songs are woven together to produce powerful, hard-hitting and moving theatre, and the company's performing team of Jilah Bakhshayesh, Dave Rogers, Tshepe Mukeba and Gaylan Nazhad combines the musical traditions of four continents - Africa, Asia, America and Europe. Reggae, rock, folk, jazz and Middle Eastern musical styles are intertwined to produce a rich and diverse musical experience.

More information about Strangers in Paradise Circus is available from Banner Theatre on 0845 458 1909 (email: info@bannertheatre.co.uk), from Ian Gasse on 01743 357551 or from Banner's artistic director Dave Rogers on 0121 682 0730.

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Notes to editors:
Banner Theatre was formed in 1974 by a group of performers, musicians and broadcasters, including former BBC documentary producer Charles Parker, who, with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, created the pioneering and award-winning series of radio ballads for the BBC in the 1960s.

Since April 2005 Birmingham-based Banner Theatre has been touring Wild Geese, a video ballad production about exile, migration and the global search for work and security at the beginning of the 21st century. The current tour schedule is available at www.bannertheatre.co.uk/tour_schedule.htm

A songbook/history, Singing the Changes (price £15 plus £3 p&p) and a CD, Wild Geese, (price £12 plus £2 p&p) with songs from Wild Geese and the previous production Migrant Voices, are both available. For more information about them and about the company ring 0845 458 1909, email info@bannertheatre.co.uk or visit www.bannertheatre.co.uk

Banner Theatre gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Arts Council of England, the Aspire Partnership, the Baring Foundation, Birmingham City Council, the European Social Fund, the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales, the Professional Footballers Association, the PRS Foundation and the Woodward Charitable Trust. The new production is part funded by the European Social Fund through the Community Initiative EQUAL

Banner Theatre's Strangers in Paradise Circus tour features Jilah Bakhshayesh (musician/performer), Pam Bishop (tour organiser), Dave Butler (administration), Charlie Davis (technical manager), Ian Gasse (project management), Tshepe Mukeba (musician/performer), Gaylan Nazhad (musician/performer), Dave Rogers (performer/ writer), Fred Wisdom (music direction) and Alice Wright (researcher). The show is directed by Don Bouzek of Ground Zero Productions, Edmonton, Canada.

Photographs are available for publicity purposes. Browse through the small images displayed at bannertheatre.co.uk/photos and let us know which you would like. We will then send the full size images by email along with conditions of use.