Qualla: Mercury Theatre, Colchester

Mercury Theatre, Colchester: Introduction

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Balkerne Gate is the largest surviving Roman gateway in Britain, and the Mercury Theatre stands within sight of it - a brutalist concrete and glass building from the early 1970s, set on a rise above the old town walls. The Mercury is not a roadshow venue posing as a producing theatre. It makes its own work, under a banner the company calls Mercury Originals, and it has been doing so without interruption since 1972, with a heritage that traces back to a repertory company founded between the wars. For a town the size of Colchester - around 200,000 people in the wider district - having a fully fledged producing theatre with two auditoria is unusual. The Mercury is one of those East Anglian institutions that out-punches its catchment.

Mercury Theatre, Colchester: Before the Building

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The story begins in 1937, the same year Colchester United was founded, when a group of local enthusiasts established the Colchester Repertory Company. Repertory in the British sense meant a resident ensemble producing a different play every fortnight - or every week, in punishing...

Mercury Theatre, Colchester: Norman Downie's Building

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The architect Norman Downie produced a design that, by quirk of commission, was structurally identical to the Salisbury Playhouse he was building at the same time. Two near-twin theatres opened within months of each other - though Salisbury would later extend its version. The Mer...

Mercury Theatre, Colchester: Successions

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Producing theatres are defined by the people who run them, and the Mercury has had a steady series of artistic directors. David Buxton opened the building. Michael Winter took over in 1984, eventually becoming Chief Executive as well as Artistic Director. Pat Trueman led the comp...

Mercury Theatre, Colchester: Mercury Originals

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

What sets the Mercury apart is its commitment to making rather than only presenting. Mercury Originals - and its successor brand Made in Colchester - have produced new plays, revivals and musical adaptations that travel beyond Essex. Recent decades have seen well-reviewed product...