The Mercury Theatre in Colchester has announced the inaugural Mercury Creatives Festival, taking place on Saturday 9 August, as part of its ongoing commitment to nurturing local talent through the Mercury Creatives programme.
In a time of economic uncertainty and arts funding cuts, the festival offers a beacon of inspiration and practical support for emerging creatives across the East of England.
The one-day event will transform the Mercury Theatre into a hub of creativity, featuring talks, workshops, masterclasses and panel discussions led by some of the UK’s most exciting theatre voices.
Speakers include Olivier Award winners Amy Trigg and Waleed Akhtar, who will appear in conversation about writing and performing original work.
Jenny Sealey OBE of Graeae Theatre Company will deliver the festival’s closing keynote speech.
Other highlights include a panel on writing about Essex with Kenny Emson and Vickie Donoghue, and a discussion on musical theatre creation featuring Frew and movement director Chi-San Howard.
The Paper Birds, known for their pioneering work in devised verbatim theatre, will also share insights on founding and running a theatre company.
Mercury Theatre Artistic Director, Natasha Rickman, said:
“The Mercury Creatives Festival is such an exciting time for us as a venue, and our Talent and New Work Producer Scott Hurran has curated a wonderful line up. To have world-class Essex artists sending the ladder back down, by sharing their experience and insight, is a very special and important thing. Mercury Creatives is an incredible advert for the exceptional talent we have here in Essex, and for the extraordinary contribution the arts makes – the pilot mentoring programme alone brought two million pounds of new revenue and business into the region as well as the many other benefits. An enormous thanks to Arts Council England, Essex County Council and Tendring District Council for recognising and supporting this programme.”
The festival is designed to be inclusive and accessible, with BSL interpretation and a relaxed environment throughout the day.
Practical workshops will cover essential topics such as tax, finance and self-promotion, equipping creatives with tools to sustain their careers.
Tickets are priced at £30 and are available from Friday 4 July at 10am.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
