TICKETS for the Mercury Theatre’s new season go on sale today and looking at the new brochure it looks set to be their biggest yet.

The Colchester theatre’s Spring/Summer offerings will see more than 60 plus shows taking place and that has a lot to do with the opening of their new Studio Theatre last month.

At a cost of £580,000, an increased capacity of 98 with purpose-built seating, air conditioning and sound proofing, one of the most exciting aspects of the new season is the programme of shows the Colchester theatre has brought in for the new space.

Press and marketing manager Robin Fenwick says: “A lot of these shows we just would not be bale to put on in the Main House so it’s very exciting for us to have this new facility at our disposal.”

They include Single Shoe’s tragicomic rollercoaster of a show following a couple’s romance in Crazy Glue, the world premiere of 2Theatre’s new play Boris and Ingrid, the very best in black theatre with Tiata Fahodzi’s I Know All The Secrets in My World, and a Colchester playwright Paul T Davies’ new show, Play Something.

For the Made in Colchester season, and following on from the success of the Smallest Show on Earth and Bully Boy this Autumn, the Mercury are certainly looking to please as many audience-goers as they can with a musical, a new biting satire, and a theatrical favourite.

First up will be Broadway and West End hit End of the Rainbow, the poignant story of movie star Judy Garland which will star Lisa Maxwell and Gary Wilmot.

That’s followed by Bruce Norris’ razor-sharp satire on race and real estate in a fictional Chicago neighbourhood, Clybourne Park. Like End of the Rainbow, it will be directed by the Mercury’s artistic director Daniel Buckroyd and after it’s Colchester premiere will go on a national tour.

Finally at the end of May, the Mercury are turning to a Noel Coward classic with Private Lives.

Making-up the rest of the season will be an eclectic mix of one nighters with comedians such as Mark Steel and Bridget Christie, live music courtesy of violinist Tasmin Little and Eighties popsters Buck Fizz, and evenings with Phil Tufnell and Jonathan Agnew, historian David Starkey talking about the Magna Carta, and actor Simon Callow with his show on Orson Welles.

For more information on the new season go on-line at www.mercurytheatre.co.uk