Mercury Theatre Colchester Reveals 2023/24 Playwrights, Producers, and Directors Cohort Of Career Enhancing Programme

The Mercury Theatre in Colchester has announced the 2023/24 cohort of their Playwrights, Producers and Directors career enhancing programme. This follows a hugely successful year offering support and development to their talented 2022/23 alumni.

The programme is part of the organisation’s commitment to supporting theatre practitioners across the region by delivering individual, nine-month programmes from July 2023 to March 2024. The initiative offers successful applicants an extensive opportunity to work alongside industry-leading mentors to gain experience of working professionally in the industry. Each programme has been designed to nurture future talent and is composed of three key dimensions to empower the mentees to discover, develop and nurture talent in their own careers. The previous cohort’s evaluation statistics highlight that PPD beneficiaries have enhanced employability by 60% by engaging with the programme.

The theatre’s Artist Development Programme supports the nurturing of ground-breaking, local theatre makers. By providing time and space for researching, exploring and testing ideas, their aim is to aid local innovators. During the programme the theatre will provide them with rigorous training in playwriting, producing and directing, along with the space to platform their voices on their stages.

The theatre’s Mercury Playwrights Programme will support a group of writers, to guide and mentor them through the process of creating their own full-length play or piece of theatre. This will be led by award-winning writer and BAFTA nominee Kenny Emson and will take participants through a two-draft process with one-to-one dramaturgy support, as well as opportunities to participate in a number of masterclasses by industry renowned writers.

The 2023/2024 Playwrights cohort are: Kate Austen, Robin Cantwell, Heather Collier, Peter Imms, Maria Messias Mendes, Mark Milligan, George Morris De’Ath, Mark Fenton, Elizabeth Parikh and Emma Pallett.

The theatre’s Mercury Directors Programme will support mentees through the full page to stage directing process, co-ordinated by Mercury’s own Creative Director, Ryan McBryde. Directors will receive monthly workshops, exploring staging techniques and rehearsal processes, developing individual artistic styles and practices. As well as participation in a number of directing masterclasses, led by industry respected directors, alongside mentoring, rehearsal shadowing and pitching opportunities.

The 2023/2024 Directors cohort are: Richard Bland, Francesca Cross, Heather Davis, Jessy Roberts and Prashant Tailor.

The theatre’s Mercury Producers Programme will be led by the Mercury’s own Producer, Dilek Latif; providing an overview of the skills and craft of theatre producing, alongside a series of networking opportunities.

This programme will explore making work at a range of scales; learning the specific skills and knowledge involved in mounting a successful production. The five successful applicants will receive monthly workshops exploring the main elements of producing work independently, including setting up companies, pitching, planning, budgeting, fundraising, audiences, marketing, touring and press. The successful producers’ cohort will also have extensive opportunities to take part in a number of producing masterclasses, led by industry respected producers.

The 2023/2024 Producers cohort are: Mitch Donaldson, Julia Pargin, Jamie Rycroft, Leo Shepherd and Lisa Wright.

Creative Director of Mercury Theatre, Ryan McBryde, said: “The success of our Mercury Playwrights, Producers and Directors scheme has proved to us how vital it is that regional theatres support local artists. These creative programmes are an integral part of supporting our freelance regional community and creating work for the future. This means that we can continue to be a source of innovation for audiences and artists across the East.”

Talent Development Producer for Mercury Theatre, Antony Stuart-Hicks, said: “Throughout all three programmes classes will be supported by some of the best writers, producers and directors in the business; and as I know first-hand, there is no comparison to learning to shape your talent and your art with such supportive navigation from a broad variety of talented professionals.

More information can be found here: https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/blog/new-ppd-cohort-confirmed-for-mercurys-career-enhancing-programme/

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