Mercury Theatre Colchester to Stream PIECES OF STRING to Commemorate VE Day

The Mercury Theatre Colchester will honour and celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day within their community this Friday, with a range of exciting, socially distanced and online performances.

The Essex based theatre will share their production, Pieces of String, with online audiences, for free, via video platform Vimeo. This new British musical, which premiered at the Mercury in 2018, explores three generations of one family, alternating between the 1940s and the present day, and telling the story of a World War II soldier who returned with a secret that he would carry until the day he died.

Written and composed by Gus Gowland, Pieces of String was developed by Perfect Pitch and co-produced by The Mercury Theatre Colchester and TBO Productions. The musical was a hit with audiences in Colchester, and went on to win the Stage Debut Award 2018 for Best Composer or Lyricist, as well as being nominated for Best Musical Theatre Bookwriting by the Writers' Guild of Great Britain and Best Musical Production by UK Theatre Awards.

Ryan McBryde, Director of Pieces of String and the Mercury's Creative Director says, "In these uncertain times, it's more important than ever that we find ways to reach out and connect with our local community. Despite being in lockdown we wanted to do something special to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. Streaming Gus Gowland's heart-warming musical about soldiers during WW2 felt like the best way to celebrate the anniversary of the end of the war in Europe. And the celebrations don't stop there. We'll also be distributing a short film of our Youth Company reciting the war poem The Siren with their grandparents and we're sending two local performers to the courtyards of Nursing Homes around Colchester, where they'll lead a Sing-a-Long with the residents inside. We're determined that isolation doesn't stop us connecting this weekend!"

The Friday afternoon performances to Colchester care homes will see local performers, Adam and Jenna Saiz-Abo Henriksen, sing war time songs with residents and staff from the safety of their courtyards or gardens. The musical duo will encourage those inside to listen and sing along from their rooms and watch from their windows where possible, ensuring social distancing measures are adhered to whilst bringing the community together in celebration.

Taking their VE Day celebrations online, the Mercury Youth Company's video performance of The Siren will be shared on the theatre's website and social media channels, where it will remain for all to enjoy over the weekend.

The Pieces of String streaming and VE Day poetry sharing are presented as part of The Mercury Theatre's #MercuryOnline programme, offering free digital activity to both audiences and arts industry professionals during the COVID19 lockdown. To find out more about Pieces of String and #MercuryOnline visit www.mercurytheatre.co.uk.

While all #MercuryOnline activity is free to its users, the Mercury hope that those who feel able to do so will consider supporting the theatre with a donation, either online at www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/support or by texting MERCURY to 70085 to give £5*.

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