engineering

Mercury Theatre, Colchester

Mercury Theatre, Colchester is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mercury Theatre, Colchester rather than just read about it. In short: The Mercury Theatre is a theatre in Colchester, producing highly regarded original work under the title "Mercury Originals" and also receiving touring shows. The theatre has two auditoria, and is led by Steve Mannix (Executive Director & CEO).

Key takeaways

Mercury Theatre, Colchester belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mercury Theatre, Colchester to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mercury Theatre, Colchester from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Mercury Theatre is a theatre in Colchester, producing highly regarded original work under the title "Mercury Originals" and also receiving touring shows. The theatre has two auditoria, and is led by Steve Mannix (Executive Director & CEO). The theatre formerly contained The Digby Gallery, which showcased local art.

History In 1968, the Colchester New Theatre Trust was formed to identify a site for a new theatre and to oversee its constructions. The Mercury Theatre, designed by Norman Downie, was opened on 10 May 1972, after a successful fund-raising campaign, supported by a large grant from the Borough Council. It originated with the Colchester Repertory Company, formed in 1937. The theatre was initially structurally identical to the Salisbury Playhouse, though the Playhouse was later extended. David Buxton, the first Artistic Director, was succeeded by Michael Winter in 1984. After David Forder's retirement as Administrative Director in late 1990, Michael became Artistic Director and Chief Executive. In May 1994, Pat Trueman succeeded him in the joint role, until 1998. Adrian Stokes joined as Associate Director in 1995 and initiated the Community Education Programme. In 1998 Dee Evans arrived as Chief Executive and Gregory Floy as Artistic Producer. Together, in 1999, they formed the Mercury Theatre Company with Gregory as Artistic Director. In 2012 the Company was superseded by Made in Colchester, introduced by newly appointed Artistic Director Daniel Buckroyd and Executive Director Theresa Veith. In 2019 a revamped leadership structure was announced with Tracey Childs (Executive Producer) and Steve Mannix (Executive Director) appointed as Joint Chief Executives and Ryan McBryde appointed as Creative Director. In January 2025, Natasha Rickman was appointed as Artistic Director, joining Steve Mannix (CEO) and Deborah Sawyerr (Deputy Executive Director) in the Leadership team.

Featured artists Productions at the Mercury have included the work of John Cleese, Martin Clunes, Gwen Taylor, Simon Gray, Toby Longworth, Ingrid Lacey, Michael Grandage, Mike Poulton, Michael Deacon, Colin McCormack, David Oakes, Donald Freed Michael Grandage made his directorial debut at the Mercury with "The Last Yankee", and Trevor Howard began his career at the Colchester Repertory Company. Gari Jones, formerly of the National Theatre, has regularly piloted new work at the Mercury Theatre.

2018 Made in Colchester productions Jack and the Beanstalk Silence by Nicola Werenowska (co-production with Wiltshire Creative and Unity Theatre, Liverpool) Moll Flanders by Nick Perry (An unfaithful adaptation based on the novel by Daniel Defoe) Babe, The Sheep-Pig by David Wood, based on the book by Dick King-Smith Europe After the Rain by Oliver Bennett Pieces of String by Gus Gowland (co-production with TBO Productions) Turn of the Screw by Henry James adapted by Tim Luscombe (co-production with Dermot McLaughlin Productions and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre)

2017 Made in Colchester productions Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs The Weir (co-production with English Touring Theatre) by Conor McPherson Peter Pan Farm Boy by Michael Morpurgo The Events by David Greig Spamalot Bang Bang (co-production with John Cleese) based on Georges Feydeau's Monsieur chasse !

2016 Made in Colchester productions Dick Whittington Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (co-production with Derby Theatre) Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Private Lives by Noël Coward End of the Rainbow (co-production with Paul Taylor-Mills) starring Lisa Maxwell as Judy Garland

2015 Made in Colchester productions Aladdin Bully Boy by Sandi Toksvig James and the Giant Peach Little Shop of Horrors Noises Off Animal Farm The Smallest Show on Earth (Co-Production with Brian Eastman and Christabel Albery) Educating Rita by Willy Russell

2014 Made in Colchester productions Dial M for Murder by Frederick Knott Betty Blue Eyes by Alan Bennett, Malcolm Mowbray, Daniel Lipman and Ron Cowen Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe You Can Always Hand Them Back by Roger Hall and Peter Skellern The Wall by Roger Waters Friend or Foe by Michael Morpurgo Macbeth by William Shakespeare Dracula by Fitzrovia Radio Hour

2013 Made in Colchester productions Garage Band by Andy Barrett The Hired Man by Melvyn Bragg and Howard Goodall Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn The History Boys by Alan Bennett Quadrophenia by Kenneth Emson The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo The Good Person of Sichuan by Bertolt Brecht Man to Man by Manfred Karge The Opinion Makers by Brian Mitchell and Joseph Nixon Sleeping Beauty by Jonathan Petherbridge

References

External links Mercury Theatre home page Financial Times review of The Butterfly Lion September 2013 Guardian review of The Hired Man, March 2013 Guardian review of Devil's Advocate, November 2005 Telegraph review of Journey's End, April 2008

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mercury Theatre, Colchester

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mercury Theatre, Colchester claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mercury Theatre, Colchester before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mercury Theatre, Colchester ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mercury Theatre, Colchester

In research: Mercury Theatre, Colchester appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mercury Theatre, Colchester in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mercury Theatre, Colchester is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1972 establishments in England, Buildings and structures completed in 1972, Buildings and structures in Colchester (town), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mercury Theatre, Colchester outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mercury Theatre, Colchester in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mercury Theatre, Colchester means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mercury Theatre, Colchester out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mercury Theatre, Colchester in simple terms?

Why does Mercury Theatre, Colchester matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mercury Theatre, Colchester?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mercury Theatre, Colchester.