Mercury Theatre, led by Executive Director, Steve Mannix and Executive Producer, Tracey Childs, today announce their forthcoming season into 2023.

At the centrepiece of the new season are Mercury Productions’ summer spectacle of Alice in Wonderland, adapted for the stage by Olivier Award-winning playwright Mike Kenny; and the previously announced dark new comedy, Good Luck, Studio, running 30 September – 15 October in a co-production with Wiltshire Creative and Mischief, the company behind The Play that Goes Wrong.

Mercury’s Christmas productions include their annual pantomime, Beauty and the Beauty, directed by Olivier Award-winning Donnchadh O’Briain and playing from 26 November – 15 January; and Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company’s production of Pinocchio for younger audiences, in the Mercury Studio.

Steve Mannix, Executive Director, said today, “We are going from strength to strength as we continue to harness the potential of our eco-friendly building having completed our £11.8m refurbishment last year. Against all the odds and the challenges of the last two years for us all, our work has continued to expand. We are now able to programme exciting new work in our Studio year-round and grow our education and participatory programme in new dedicated spaces. We are thrilled to be able to co-produce with new partners like Mischief for the world premiere of Good Luck, Studio while also supporting new emerging artists and locally based creatives in the East. It’s an exciting time to welcome you to Mercury – they say, ‘build it and they will come’ and you have – look forward to seeing you soon!”

Ryan McBryde, Creative Director, also commented, “This season we have worked hard to present a selection of world-class theatre experiences that will electrify, transform and enrich the lives of our audiences. We’re in the business of telling stories and this season’s shows combine inspiring tales which bring some much-needed joie de vivre, with plays that provocatively question the society we live in. Our Mercury Productions are unashamedly mainstream, with an all-singing, all-dancing version of Shakespeare’s farce, The Comedy of Errors; a fun for all the family Alice In Wonderland, and the world première of a brand new comedy from Mischief. In the studio our Mercury Originals have a strong East of England focus, championing the unique perspective of our region through three powerful new voices. At the Mercury, we are fired up with a renewed sense of the power theatre has to connect people with stories that enable us to empathise with one another and have a great night out!”

Mercury Theatre’s Lates – a series of events hosted in their Café Bar on Saturday nights, has expanded due to popular demand, and includes the free monthly LGBTQ+ Cocktail Cabaret night led by the King and Queen of Colchester, Cyro and Flick. The Mercury’s Taking Part programme of workshops for adults and children in the local community has expanded to include dance classes, crafternoons and fitness classes. The Mercury has also widened their Connects programme with masterclasses and Q&As for arts professionals to meet and delve into the Mercury’s productions, alongside Mercury Reads, which supports new writers, providing a platform to share new work.

The programme for young people continues to grow with Mercury Young Company (MYC) expanding to include MYC Digital, which offers weekly sessions exploring storytelling through the latest digital technologies, such as coding, VR performance and video game design. Plus, Mercury Theatre continues its work to engage new young audiences with its Holiday Club, Theatre Camp, Digital Summer School and Party Nights for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).