The Mercury Theatre will be kick-starting their next season in a new Pop-up Performance Theatre at Abbey Field in Colchester!
The Mercury Theatre is excited to announce Mercury at Abbey Field, a state of the art pop-up theatre that will house a limited season of shows during Autumn 2019 whilst the major redevelopment of the current theatre takes place.
The move to a new temporary venue marks a major step for the Mercury Rising capital project, with just less than £500,000 of the £9.7 million target, left to be raised.
The Mercury’s Made in Colchester 2019/2020 Pantomime will be the ultimate rags-to-riches tale Cinderella. The creative team will be taking full advantage of this wonderful new space, offering a unique festive experience for families from their first step inside.
Poor Cinderella spends her days cleaning, cooking and tidying for her rotten step-sisters. That is until one day the Prince decides to host an extravagant ball to find his princess and insists that every eligible lady should attend. Little does Cinderella know, life is about to turn itself upside down and an exciting adventure awaits.
Will Cinderella escape her daily chores? Will the Prince find his happy ever after? Will the Sisters ever stop their incessant whining? Cinderella is the perfect festive fix for the whole family to enjoy and will leave you singing all the way home – Just don’t leave your slippers behind!
Steve Mannix, Executive Director at the Mercury Theatre said:
“Now that our redevelopment project is underway, it is incredibly exciting for us to finally be able to reveal the location of the Mercury’s new home for our Autumn/Winter 2019 Season. Cinderella is going to offer our audiences a wonderful chance to experience all the sparkle of a classic Mercury Panto, elevated to new heights within such a unique setting.”
Mercury at Abbey Field has been made possible as a result of the ongoing partnership between the Mercury Theatre and Ministry of Defence who own the site.
Councillor Tim Young, Portfolio Holder for Business and Deputy Leader of Colchester Borough Council said:
“This announcement shows the hard work to push forward this ambitious project to deliver a refurbished theatre and create a hub for local performing arts is bearing fruit. This is an exciting time not just for the Mercury, but for arts across the borough. I am delighted we are not only getting closer to a massively revamped venue but also that audiences will still be able to enjoy some of the amazing shows staged by the Mercury while the work takes place.”
Hedley Swain, Area Director, South East, Arts Council England, said:
“Art can, and does, happen anywhere – so it’s wonderful to see Mercury Theatre deliver this idea through its new pop-up theatre. Working with a range of local partners, including the Ministry of Defence, the new pop-up venue at Abbey Field will ensure the Mercury can continue to deliver great shows for local audiences during the main theatre’s transformation.”
The temporary Abbey Field theatre space will include an increased seating capacity of over 800 seats, it will be completely undercover and fully heated with full bar, kiosks, toilets and onsite parking available to pre-book. The Mercury are confident that this new venue will offer a stunning, fully-accessible and unique theatre-going experience for their valued customers, combining the high level of service and facilities they have come to expect from the theatre, with an unforgettable new style of venue.
The Mercury Rising project is being supported with £1.2 million of European Regional Development Fund money, £1 million from Colchester Borough Council and donations from the public and a range of other organisations including Arts Council England, Essex County Council and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership.
Demolition work started last October, and the project to refurbish the 46-year-old theatre building will run throughout this year and early next year. The theatre will remain open to the public until the end of May.
To find out more about Mercury at Abbey Field click here.
Cinderella runs 30 Nov – 5 Jan, tickets are on sale to friends from 10am on Thu 17 Jan and on general sale from 10am on Mon 21 Jan. Click here to get yours!
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