Merlin Theatre marks 50 years with ‘Made in Frome’ celebration

Celebrating 50 years of theatre and creativity in Frome, the Merlin Theatre has unveiled a programme of events to mark the venue’s five decades of bringing live entertainment to the local community.

Under the banner of Made in Frome, the programme will mark the venue’s 50 years of artistic excellence, community engagement and groundbreaking performances and will celebrate and champion the abundance and wealth of professional talent in the town.

Celebrations open on 7th May, when the Merlin will host the first-ever public screening of Frome-based Wise Children Theatre Company’s stage show, Bluebeard.

This beguiling and disturbing tale, told with writer and director Emma Rice’s signature sleight of hand, it explores curiosity and consent, violence and vengeance through a lens of music, wit and tender truth.

Bluebeard is not currently available for public-venue anywhere else, so this special event, which will be followed by a live Q and A session, is thanks to the kindness and generosity of Emma Rice and her team. With a donation-only ticket-entry system, all proceeds from the screening will go to support the Merlin Theatre.

New Old friends

National touring company, New Old Friends, also based in the town and known for their stylish comedy productions, are launching a new venture: Pick and Mix, A Variety Night, at the Merlin. The company is curating a series of evenings combining the most entertaining local and national acts possible. The first night will take place in June and is set to include a riot of comedy, music, magic and dance plus an audience-led gameshow with real prizes hosted by New Old Friends’ very own Fearg.

Mark and Paul McGann

In a historic moment for the Merlin’s anniversary, acclaimed and renowned stage and screen actors and creatives Mark and Paul McGann, will perform together onstage for the first time in 44 years!

Framed as a biographical telling of their experiences growing up as brothers in Liverpool and as professional artists, their story is punctuated by Lennon & McCartney and original compositions that carry specific meaning for them. Frome audiences can expect an unforgettable experience this September. Tickets for this extremely rare treat will go on sale soon.

The ‘Made In Frome’ season will also spotlight professional theatre companies and artists who originated in Frome, including, a brand-new show, Let Love Kill You.  Created by recently-returned Frome resident, Edinburgh Festival and international touring artist, clowning specialist and theatre-maker Marina Sossi, this is guaranteed to be a moving and thought-provoking new piece.

Award-winning, international touring one-man-show favourite, Pip Utton will take to the stage with a double bill night of King Lear and Bacon.  As a celebrated Edinburgh Fringe artist and international touring favourite, with reviewers referring to him as both ‘a legend’ and a ‘National Treasure’, Pip is recognised as one of this country’s finest solo theatre performers.

At the EDGE

The celebratory programme will also feature At the EDGE, from Black Hound Productions. In this powerful play, as rising floodwaters threaten to engulf their world, two young strangers on a national service mission must form an unexpected bond, discovering the power of humanity in a time of crisis. Black Hound Productions, who specialise in new writing, formed in 2016, creating many pieces at the Merlin, as well as further afield, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and most recently co-producing with the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre.

Buffalo Gals

Bringing toe-tapping, heart-warming music to the season, Buffalo Gals will deliver tuneful outdoor entertainment to the Merlin in July.  ‘Born’ over 20 years ago on the ECOS amphitheatre stage at one of the theatre’s fundraising ‘Country Nights’, Buffalo Gals, one of the UK’s best-loved old-time, bluegrass Americana string bands, are back to welcome summer guests to a Sunday afternoon social on the stones.  Audience members are invited to bring along an instrument and join the band for a ‘session’ at the end of the gig – or even try out some Appalachian stepdance moves.

King of Fools

Created by composer and writer, Martin Dimery for Kairos Theatre Company, a brand-new musical theatre show, King of Fools, has been composed especially for the Merlin’s 50th year. It is based on the life of Henry Vlll and will be staged in the autumn, with professional direction of local community actors.

Also coming up in the autumn, actors training under the tutorage of Mark McGann and Drama Direct will share an eclectic evening of contrasting dramatic scenes from some of the most successful stage productions in recent years from the National Theatre and London’s West End. It will showcase the vital work being done to develop and support the area’s significant local acting talent.

Mark Bruce Company

Merlin’s ‘Made In Frome’ celebration of local talent will be heralded throughout by a stunning photographic exhibition of the work of the Mark Bruce Company.

This unique collection of photographs showcases the company’s extraordinary productions, dancers, costumes and set from iconic productions including Dracula, The Odyssey, Macbeth, Return to Heaven and Frankenstein.

The multi-award-winning and innovative contemporary dance theatre company is renowned as much for its extraordinary story-telling as for its talented artists and has been creating nationally touring work in Frome for over 25 years.     

Opening on May 7th, the Mark Bruce Company Photographic Exhibition will be presented in the Merlin Theatre foyer and remain in situ throughout the theatre’s 50th anniversary performances during 2025.

The participation of all of these artists underscores the Merlin Theatre’s ongoing commitment to fostering creative talent as well as nurturing new voices in the arts.

“It is no secret that even now, the effects of covid19 continue to ripple and impact the arts,” said the Merlin’s artistic director, Claudia Pepler. “We are incredibly grateful to Wise Children for their generosity in supporting us, as indeed we are to our donors, our ‘friends’ scheme members, our wonderful audiences and patrons, the community groups who hire the space, Frome Town Council, the Midsomer Norton School’s Partnership MAT, Frome College and, of course, our amazing volunteers. Every gift of time, energy, as well as money, is part of what keeps us open… 50 years on!

“Thanks to the enthusiasm and benevolence of so many, and the committed partnership of Frome College and the Midsomer Norton School’s Partnership multi-academy trust, we now have a new ‘permanent temporary’ stage-floor replacement!  By which we mean that, although the issue with our damaged floor is still ongoing and under the investigation of engineers, a fabulous sprung floor, suitable for professional shows – including dance performance, has been fitted, so we are very much ‘curtain up’ this spring.”

With an exciting lineup of performances and special events, the theatre invites audiences to join in this golden anniversary year.  Stay tuned for further announcements and ticket details by visiting www.merlintheatre.co.uk or by following Merlin Theatre Frome on social media.