Theatre News

New executive team for Colchester’s Mercury Theatre

Anne Morley-Priestman

You will have to wait until July before the new artistic and executive directors for Colchester’s Mercury Theatre take up their posts. Daniel Buckroyd joins from Nottingham-based New Perspectives Theatre Company, where he has been artistic director and chief executive. His production of Michael Morpurgo’s Farm Boy comes to the Mercury Theatre in the autumn as part of a national tour. Theresa Veith is a former chief executive of London’s Bubble Theatre and currently chief executive of the arts and leisure complex Holton Lee in Devon. She is a board member of Graeae Theatre Company.

Over 75 applicants applied for the posts, following the resignation of Dee Evans who had led the theatre for the past 14 years and was instrumental in securing its Arts Council national portfolio organisation status. Funding is also received from Colchester Borough Council and Essex County Council, and it has been reckoned that the Mercury contributes some £1.8 million to the local economy. During 2011 the Mercury gave 279 performances, of which 162 were the theatre’s own company shows, and sold 118,171 tickets.

The theatre employs 63 permanent staff and many more freelance workers including actors, directors, designers and musicians who join the theatre on a production-by-production basis. It is one of the three medium-scale producing theatres in East Anglia – the others being Ipswich’s New Wolsey and Watford’s Palace; there are about 20 altogether in England. Joint productions with other theatres, regional and national tours and links with oversea theatres, companies, directors and performers have all been developed under Evans’ tenure.