The Manningtree Witches is up for Best New Play, the Mercury for sustainability and Caroline for touring. Winners are named in London on Monday 12 October.
Colchester’s Mercury Theatre is in the running for three UK Theatre Awards, and the winners are announced on Monday 12 October. Two of the nominations are the Mercury’s own. The third is for a touring musical it helped to make with seven other East Anglian theatres and companies.
The shortlist was published by UK Theatre, the body that runs the awards. The ceremony is at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London and is hosted by La Voix. The awards cover theatre across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The three nominations
| Category | Nominated | Up against |
|---|---|---|
| Best New Play | The Manningtree Witches, a Mercury Original | Black Sheep (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and New Wolsey Theatre); The Last Stand Of Mrs. Mary Whitehouse (Nottingham Playhouse) |
| Excellence in Sustainability | Mercury Theatre | The Old Vic, Backstage; Theatr Clwyd |
| Excellence in Touring | Caroline: A New Musical, East Anglian Touring Consortium | Gentleman Jack (Northern Ballet); Under Milk Wood (Theatr Clwyd) |
Each category has three nominees, so the Mercury has a one-in-three shot in each.
The Manningtree Witches
The Best New Play nomination is the big one for Colchester. The Manningtree Witches was made at the Mercury, in association with the physical theatre company Frantic Assembly. Ava Pickett wrote it and Natasha Rickman directed it, with movement direction by Scott Graham. Frantic Assembly lists the run as 28 February to 14 March 2026.
The play is set in 1643 in Manningtree, about eight miles north-east of Colchester. Most of the town’s men have gone to fight in the Civil War. Matthew Hopkins arrives and buys a pub, and the town turns on its own women. Frantic Assembly describes it as the true story of England’s first Witchfinder General.
UK Theatre’s shortlist credits the production as supported by Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions and Mark Gordon Pictures.
Sustainability, and a musical made in the region
The Mercury is nominated in its own name for Excellence in Sustainability, one of the awards UK Theatre gives for work off stage. Its rivals are the backstage operation at The Old Vic in London and Theatr Clwyd in north Wales.
The touring nomination is for Caroline: A New Musical, written by Vikki Stone. It was the first production by the East Anglian Touring Consortium. The New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich lists the Mercury among the consortium’s members, alongside:
- Eastern Angles Theatre Company
- HighTide
- Landmark Theatres
- Norwich Theatre
- Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch
- Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
The tour played the Mercury in June.
What it means for you
Nothing to book or vote for: the winners are chosen by the awards, not by a public poll. We will add the results to this page after the ceremony on Monday night.
If you missed The Manningtree Witches, the Mercury’s next big show is the Christmas pantomime, and our pantomime page has the dates and prices. For everything else on this month, see what’s on in Colchester.
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