Banjo Paterson’s poetry has been revered and loved by generations of Australians, but a new stage production coming to Orange on March 21 will bring his verse to life as you’ve never experienced before.

'BANJO' recounts the life of the Orange-born famous poet, weaving his own verse with the music of British rock band Coldplay and contemporary dance.

It is a combination the show’s creator Tim Maddren acknowledges is unusual, but judging by the welcome reception 'BANJO' has enjoyed around the country, there is a synergy that strikes a chord with regional Australian audiences.

New Zealand-born Maddren, a graduate of the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and a former member of children’s music group Hi-5, fell in love with Paterson’s poetry after he and his wife, professional dancer Stephanie Maddren, left Sydney for the coastal town of Bonnie Hills, south of Port Macquarie.

Discovering 'Clancy of the Overflow', Maddren says he related to Paterson’s earnest longing for the wide-open spaces after so long spent in the city.

“I fell in love with his words and, of course, was living what he was saying; leaving Sydney, leaving the city and he was saying exactly what I was thinking — and it was 100 years on,” says Maddren.

With the seeds of an idea, a chance encounter with guitarist Matt Brooker at a local Mexican restaurant led to the first iteration of 'BANJO' coming to life.

“He was an amazing Flamenco guitarist, and we thought, how cool would it be to include him in a new show,” recalls Maddren.

“I love Banjo Paterson's poetry and Steph is a big fan of Coldplay. So we said, 'Hey, would you mind collaborating with us on a show to see if we could combine Coldplay's music, contemporary dance, and Banjo Paterson's poetry?' Luckily, he didn't run away!”

Their first show was just 15 minutes long and performed under a tree, but Maddren says they found there was something in it that really connected with audiences.

“We performed the show six times, and the audience got bigger and bigger. So we built it into a full show, and seven years later, here we are!”

The show works, Maddren believes, because so many of the themes in Banjo’s verse are still so relevant and recognisable today for regional Australians.

“A hundred years ago, he's talking about fires, floods, droughts, all the things that make [life in the bush] hard, but he's also saying it's beautiful and we're lucky to live here,” he explains.

“It also raises questions like, where is Paradise? Is it in the city? Is it in the bush? All those things that Banjo, Henry Lawson, and all these poets were wrestling with at the time of the Federation… What is the Australian experience? There are all these questions and I think that's what really hits a chord with people when they see the show.”

As for combining bush poetry with the music of a British rock band, Maddren says there are some surprising similarities.

“I mean, 'Waltzing Matilda' has the exact same chordal structure as 'Paradise' from Coldplay, which is weird,” he says.

But also in Coldplay's music, there's this theme of urban torment, natural solutions... and also wrestling with what it’s like to lose a father, which is exactly like Banjo Paterson who lost his father early, and what that means. So there's a whole lot of threads that go through it all, but also just beautiful music.”

Experience 'BANJO', 7.30pm Saturday, March 21, at the Orange Civic Theatre. Tickets via Ticketek or call 63938111.