COLCHESTER MERCURY THEATRE LIMITED

Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. About these numbers

Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.

Accounting basis

FRS 102

Reporting scope

Consolidated group

Auditor

Griffin Chapman

Audit opinion

Unqualified (clean)

Going concern

Affirmed

“Having reviewed the charity's financial forecasts and expected future cash flows, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity and group have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the going concern basis has been adopted in preparing these financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.”

Group structure

1. COLCHESTER MERCURY THEATRE LIMITED · parent
   1. Colchester Mercury Productions Ltd 100%
   2. Colchester Mercury Trading Ltd 100%

Significant events

• “In January we were thrilled to welcome Natasha Rickman as our new Artistic Director.”
• “In 2024/25 we produced a mix of our own work and co-productions with other theatres and organisations - this mix ensured that our work was seen not just in Colchester but also in other parts of the country and the world. We were delighted that two of our Studio productions, which celebrated new talent, and our pantomime, were nominated for/won awards and one of those Studio productions also subsequently transferred to London and New York.”
• “During the year we were sad to say goodbye to several key members of our senior staff - Tracey Childs, our Executive Producer and Joint CEO, Ryan McBryde, Creative Director and Dilek Latif, Senior Producer. They were each instrumental in curating and directing our artistic programme over the last decade.”
• “Further highlights included our annual panto The New Adventures of Peter Pan that once again broke box office records playing to 98% capacity.”
• “Our production of I Really do Think This Will Change Your Life was nominated for a Stage Innovation Award and My Mother's Funeral, a co-production with Paines Plough, the Belgrade Theatre and Royal and Derngate Theatre won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival, toured the UK and transferred to London and New York.”
• “With additional investment from Arts Council England, Essex County Council and Tendring District Council we were able to re-launch Mercury Creatives.”
• “In November 2024 for the first time we curated the Christmas Lantern Parade starting at the Mercury and ending at Firstsite working with local schools with over 1,000 children participating to mark the start of the Christmas season.”

Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers

Filings

8

last 12 months

Capital events

0

last 24 months

Officers appointed

4

last 12 months

Officers resigned

2

last 12 months

Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.

• Turnover

  +7.6%

  £5,424,258 → £5,834,412

• Cash

  -22.7%

  £1,615,386 → £1,248,179

• Net assets

  +30.3%

  £1,588,138 → £2,068,645

• Employees

  +2.1%

  96 → 98

• Wages

  -5.6%

  £2,123,111 → £2,003,530

Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. The comparison is only shown when the latest and prior accounts cover broadly equal-length periods — short or long stubs (typical around incorporation or a year-end change) are suppressed rather than misrepresented. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers