We recently made the difficult decision to cancel all performances of our pop-up production of Borders in response to government advice around COVID19. Since then our operations have moved to staff members’ homes, our Mercury Tickets box office has closed and all Youth Theatre sessions have been suspended.
When we announced the cancellation of Borders we asked our bookers to consider donating the cost of their tickets to us. We are extremely pleased to report that a large number of you have done this, in fact we are completely overwhelmed by your generosity – THANK YOU! At the last count we have raised just under £1000 which is incredible!
Your continued support means the world to us, so we thought you might like to know a bit more about what we’re doing to support our communities during this challenging time.
- We are paying all freelance staff
Whether or not our freelancers were able to complete their projects we are ensuring they are paid as per our original agreements with them. This is an extremely hard time for freelancers as the Government have only just announced financial aid plans which could take time to come to fruition and we want to ensure we are doing all we can to help.
- Youth Theatre sessions are going online
Our brilliant Creative Practitioner, Fabiana Sforza, has decided to bring her Youth Theatre sessions to the comfort of the member’s homes. Using video conferencing technology Fabiana will run weekly sessions for all age groups providing them a chance to safely explore their creativity – and most importantly, have fun!
- Mercury Online
Our Creative Learning & Talent team have partnered up with our Marketing team to bring you a range of content and exciting activities exclusively online. Over the next few weeks we will be introducing a whole host of new features to our social media streams – find out more by clicking here!
- Mercury Tickets
Although our Mercury Tickets shop in Red Lion Yard is closed for the foreseeable, our friendly Customer Experience Team are very much still online! They are able to take calls between 11am-4pm from Mon-Fri and are happy for you to call them for a chat, they’re sure to liven spirits at this challenging time. Contact them by calling 01206 573948.
- Volunteering
Now more than ever, local charities and the NHS are calling out for support and at the Mercury we are keen to provide a helping hand. Our senior management team have therefore agreed that all Mercury staff are able to volunteer for local causes during our working hours.
- Home Schooling Resources
With schools now closed and children being educated at home we think it is important we do what we can to support families through this unprecedented time. Last week we launched a blog sharing some activities linked to the curriculum for 5-11 year olds, you can read it here (keep an eye on a blog as there will be weekly posts!) We’ve also shared this awesome pack of resources collated by Dr Ollie Jones (University of York) aimed at drama students that includes a whole host of shows, recordings, workshops and articles to keep them busy!
Keep an eye on our website and social media pages for information on what our teams are up to whilst working from home. If you would like more information on how you can support us as your local theatre, click here.
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