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It is with a heavy heart that, following government guidelines, we have closed The Mission Theatre and cancelled upcoming productions in the near future, starting with The Memory of Water which was due to be performed by Next Stage Theatre Company, March 24th-28th.

We will re-open as soon as we are advised it is safe to do so, and we will be rescheduling as many of the cancelled productions as possible.

If you have a ticket for The Memory of Water and you would like to be refunded, please email us with your account details. Alternatively, we can keep your ticket order and you will have first refusal for seats when we can confirm the play’s rescheduling.

Thank you for your support and understanding. We will keep you updated on this website and via our social media, and we look forward to welcoming you back to the theatre as soon as we can.

Next Stage Youth Shine at Mid-Somerset Drama Festival 2020

Next Stage Youth Company and their tutors

Next Stage Youth entered four classes in the 2020 Mid-Somerset Drama Festival. Two groups were entered in the Year 9 and Under class, and two in the 19 years and Under class. All groups received constructive and positive feedback on their performances, which won the Youth Company: one first place, two second places and a third place. Well done NSYouthers!

19 Years and Under
Group A - Henry Skinner as Jake, Keira Barry as Polly and Rosie Kelly as Natasha - performed an extract from the opening of Sparkleshark by Philip Ridley. This is a powerful play in which the cut and thrust of teenage moods and conflicts is captured in vivid and compelling dialogue. The actors were praised for demonstrating good relationships between characters, and for giving an excellent contrast of moods. The constant change of emotions were a challenge, but this group didn’t fail in performing an excellent piece which was commended and awarded first place with the Crisp Cowley trophy.

Group B - Georges Boutin as Martin Dysart, Harry Lewis as Alan Strang, Catherine Jones as Hester and Eve Howard as The Nurse - performed an extract from the opening of Equus by Peter Shaffer. A disturbing play, the young actors performed the opening 10 minutes with total conviction. Harry as Alan Strang, a young boy who has been arrested for blinding six horses, gave a particularly powerful portrayal of the disturbed teenager, with Georges convincing as Dysart. Equus is a difficult play to perform, however this group worked hard and produced a tight ensemble piece. They came second and received a commended certificate.

Year 9 and under

Group A - Nia Dauncey as Boy, Alicia Corripio-Dieppe as Grandmama, Joshua Frere as Bruno, Lily Pollard as The Grand High Witch, Sophia Punt as Mrs Jenkins and Isabella Wood as The Doorman - performed scenes from The Witches by Roald Dahl. A number in this group were new to NSY and all of the tutors were impressed by the strength of their performances. The adjudicator commented on a “well shaped and well-rehearsed” piece and awarded the group 3rd place and a commended certificate.

Group B - William Heaton as Will, Max Leming as Zach, Georgia Grobler as Carrie, Tom Pegler as Vic and Lily Chapman as Miss Thorne and Mrs Beech - performed Good Night Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian. The 10 minute extract took the audience to the end of Act I, where the happy mood of the evacuees mixing with friends in a village during World War II suddenly takes a dark turn when one of them is told he must return to London. The adjudicator commented on the group’s ‘vocal range, strong grouping and effective atmosphere with a very strong ending’. The group were proud to be awarded Next Stage Youth’s only Distinction this year.

Congratulations to all our young competitors on a good rehearsal process since January and mature, convincing performances.

Olivier Award-winning Playwright John Hodge supports Next Stage's upcoming production of his black-comedy: Collaborators

Image < John Hodge on the Collaborators set.

Artistic Director, Ann Ellison, and Collaborators Director, Bob Constantine, were delighted to receive an email this Christmas from Scottish screenwriter and dramatist, John Hodge. As a local playwright, living in Bath for the last 10 years, John had spotted that Next Stage was producing his award-winning play and got in touch to offer help and consultation if it was going to be useful. Known for his cutting-edge adaptations of Trainspotting and The Beach, John's email was an extra special Christmas treat for the company. Bob was delighted at John's offers of support and assistance for this large cast, modern classic, black-comedy.

Following a meeting with John on Monday 6th January, Bob brought the playwright to The Mission. Ann Ellison gave John a tour of the theatre and he was very impressed with all the conversion work and vision that had turned a 200 year-old Chapel into a vibrant arts venue. John chatted to Ann and Bob about his work and the history of the play. He will be coming to see the show when it opens on January 21st and the cast will eagerly await his comments and feedback. Thank you John for your support and interest.

Image > Artistic Director Ann Ellison, Collaborators Director Bob Constantine and Playwright John Hodge

A triumphant 25th Birthday year!

As 2019 draws to a close and the air is full of festive cheer, we are delighted to reflect on what has been yet another wonderful year for Next Stage.

The company kicked off it's 25th Birthday celebratory year with a sterling production of W.Somerset Maughan’s For Services Rendered under the artistic eye of Bob Constantine - his second directing role for the company. In March the talented members of Next Stage Youth entered the Mid-Somerset Drama Festival with 5 extracts across 2 categories. The Youth Company were delighted to win 1st place in the Under 19 class, as well as achieving second place in the Year 9 and Under class, with all remaining groups scoring a creditable 'highly-commended'. April saw the return of director Alison Paine, who took on the ambitious play Plenty by Next Stage’s Patron, Sir David Hare. A highly successful production, Plenty saw new members tread the boards with Next Stage as the company staged one of the most challenging productions of the year.

May marked the beginning of an extra-special month for Next Stage, as it commemorated 25 years of existence, since its inception in May 1994. Celebrating in style, the company's production of Here We Go Again, which involved 10-12 extracts from some of Next Stage's favourite past productions over the last 25 years, was acclaimed by all. The final performance on May 18th was an invitation-only event, at which The Mayor and Mayoress of Bath were in attendance. An audience of over 100 past and present Next Stagers, as well as important Patrons, Friends and supporters joined Ann and Andrew Ellison to mark this milestone achievement. Cake, nibbles and bubbly where enjoyed by all after the performance, with a final congratulatory message from Next Stage's Patron Sir Alan Ayckbourn signing off the evening. 

In June a cast of 25 members of Next Stage and Next Stage Youth produced the Charles Dickens classic: Great Expectations. The first run in Bath played to full houses and received rave reviews. The company then toured to the Minack Theatre, in Cornwall at the end of July and played to sold-out audiences all week. Rowena Cade's glorious stage lit up as Next Stage filled the space, telling the well-known story of Pip, Miss Havisham and Estella. This was the company's 11th tour to the prestigious Minack Theatre. 

After a well-deserved break, Next Stage opened The Mission Theatre's Autumn season with a revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie - 20 years on since Next Stage first produced this play in 1999. Under the careful watch of director Claire Rumball, this imaginatively staged four-hander was one of the hits in our Autumn season at The Mission. In October Next Stage Youth performed Phillipa Pearce's time-fantasy classic Tom's Midnight Garden to mark the Youth Company's 25th Birthday. The Saturday matinee performance saw the celebration of this milestone event, as well as the awarding of the 10th Bridget Casse Award to winner Harry Lewis. His Right Worshipful The Mayor of Bath Councillor Gerry Curran attended the afternoon's performance and commented on the talented youngsters in the cast and the importance of Next Stage Youth in Bath and the local community. Finally, in November, Next Stage rounded off a memorable year with its revival of Woman In Mind by Alan Ayckbourn, performed exactly 25 years on from when the company first staged the play in 1994.

Thank you to everyone who has come along and supported both Next Stage and The Mission Theatre this year. We hope you have enjoyed your visits and the shows you have seen throughout 2019, and we very much look forward to seeing you all again in 2020.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all, from The Mission Theatre!

Next Stage Youth Theatre Company Celebrates its 25th Anniversary with His Right Worshipful The Mayor of Bath

Image > His Right Worshipful the Mayor of Bath, Gerry Curran and Alan Casse join director Ann Ellison BEM and the cast and crew of Tom’s Midnight Garden at The Mission Theatre for Next Stage Youth’s 25th Birthday party. Also pictured are some of the ex-youthers who have won the Bridget Casse Trophy for Excellence in Youth Theatre since 2010.

On November 2nd Next Stage Youth celebrated its 25th birthday with an extra special matinee performance of Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce, adapted by David Wood. This show was performed in front of The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Bath, Gerry Curran, past-youthers from the last 25 years, ex-tutor and supporter Alan Cassé and other valued Next Stage Youth Friends, Patrons and Supporters.

The afternoon kicked off with a first-class production of Philippa Pearce’s time-fantasy classic: Tom’s Midnight Garden. Presented by the current Next Stage Youth class of 2019, this sold-out matinee was enjoyed by an audience of all ages. After receiving two rave reviews earlier that week, the company’s production continued to excel and wow audiences for the remainder of the run. 

Image < His Right Worshipful the Mayor of Bath Gerry Curran congratulates the Next Stage Youth cast of Tom’s Midnight Garden on their outstanding performances.

The performance part of the afternoon was followed by a speech from The Mayor and Next Stage Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Ann Ellison BEM. Speaking from the stage and beside a beautiful floral arrangement donated to The Mission for this special birthday celebration by The Secret Gardens, Bath Spa Train Station, The Mayor paid tribute to Next Stage Youth’s mile-stone achievement and contribution over the past 25 years to the Bath community, and the company’s work with young people. Ann Ellison reflected on the last 25 years and the thousands of children she has tutored, toured with and worked alongside since the company’s inception in 1994. She spoke proudly of how the skills and self-confidence learnt at Next Stage Youth meant that so many past members had now become accomplished young adults, a number of whom have gone on to work in the performing arts. However, Ann said that the greatest achievement in the past 25 years of the youth theatre must be the friendships that have been formed amongst each talented group of youth members.

 Image < Winner of The 2019 Bridget Casse Trophy Harry Lewis with Alan Casse

Ann concluded the speeches by inviting Alan Cassé, a long-time supporter of Next Stage Youth and ex-Tutor, onto the stage to award the Bridget Cassé Trophy, in memory of his late wife Bridget. 2019 marks the 10th year of The Bridget Cassé Trophy awarded annually for excellence in Youth Theatre. This year’s trophy was presented by The Mayor of Bath to winner Harry Lewis who had played Tom in the afternoon’s play.

Runner-up for this prestigious award was Lily Chapman who had played Hatty and Ralph Leming and Georgia Grobler were both highly-commended.

The other nominees for the 2019 Bridget Cassé Trophy were:

Girls: Grace Campbell and Alicia Corripio-Dieppe

Boys: Max Leming and Henry Skinner

Alan Cassé and Harry Lewis were joined on stage by 7 of the previous trophy winners including Phillip Davies who received the trophy the first time it was awarded in 2010. It was great to meet up with these talented ex-youthers, all of whom had travelled from around the country to join Next Stage Youth for its special birthday.

The awards were followed by the lighting of candles on the 25th Anniversary Birthday cakes and with a rousing chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ led by Lily Chapman.

After the formalities The Mayor, Ann and Andrew Ellison along with Alan Cassé enjoyed catching-up with past members of the youth company and chatting to parents and friends before everyone involved in Tom’s Midnight Garden had to get ready to give one last performance of this stand-out youth production.

Exciting productions announced for Next Stage in 2020

The Artistic Director of Next Stage Theatre Company, Ann Ellison BEM, has announced the varied and exciting programme of plays which the company is planning to stage throughout 2020.

First up is Collaborators by John Hodge, Tuesday 21st - Saturday 25th January, a black-comedy set in Stalin’s Russia. It is a "surreal fantasy" based on a relationship between two historical figures, Mikhali Bulgakov, the prominent Russian writer, and Joseph Stalin, the dictator of the Soviet Union. The play takes place from 1938-1940, when Stalin was implementing the Great Purge in which several million people were exiled, imprisoned, or executed. In the play Bulgakov inadvertently becomes involved in issuing the orders which bring about the Purge.

A large cast directed by Bob Constantine will make sure that this entertaining piece - a Bath premiere - is the perfect antidote for any post-Christmas blues.

The company will be staging The Memory Of Water by Shelagh Stephenson, Tuesday 24th - Saturday 28th March. The play won an Olivier Award for ‘Best Comedy’ and sees three sisters meeting on the eve of their mother’s funeral. With witty and funny dialogue, Stephenson explores sibling love and rivalry and the transitory and personal nature of ‘memory’. Director Ann Ellison will be staging this production in-the-round.

Tuesday 16th - Saturday 20th June Next Stage will be presenting Arrivals and Departures by Alan Ayckbourn. A large cast will stage this powerful piece in promenade layout which will draw audiences into the railway station setting of this unusual and compelling Ayckbourn drama. Arrivals and Departures will be directed by Ann Ellison who says: ‘In my opinion this is one of Ayckbourn’s best pieces, dealing with personalities and themes that linger in the audience’s mind long after the play has ended.’

Kicking off the Autumn season Tuesday 7th - Saturday 12th September is The Sweet Science of Bruising by Joy Wilkinson . This production brings on board a new director for the company. Caroline Groom is well known to regular Next Stage audiences for her on-stage presence and now we are delighted that she is using her considerable theatrical knowledge to bring this intriguing play to The Mission Theatre. Based on the true story of Victorian ladies who ventured into the male-dominated world of boxing, the play offers pertinent insights into feminism and empowerment. Staged in-the-round, this is a Bath premiere.

Rounding off a year of the kind of memorable 20th and 21st century drama productions, for which Next Stage is famous, is the company’s staging of The Hothouse by Harold Pinter, Tuesday 1st - Saturday 5th December. This Pinter classic - a black-comedy set on Christmas day in an ‘institution’ (the exact nature of which remains dubious) - brings Pinter’s sharp and observant dialogue, ambiguous story lines and chilling undercurrents of menace and tension, to the intimacy of The Mission Theatre under the sure-handed direction of Bob Constantine.

A great year ahead for all drama-lovers and a programme of plays which should delight all theatre-goers.

The Glass Menagerie raises money for local charity

This September Next Stage Theatre Company raised money for the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity during the company’s run of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Throughout the production week, 5 volunteers from the charity attended the performance and helped raise awareness for this critical care service which provides help 24/7 to Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, North Somerset and the surrounding areas.

During the run of The Glass Menagerie, The Mission Theatre welcomed over 250 audience members. After a first-class review, and a seamless performance week, Next Stage Theatre Company is pleased to announce that £125.82 was raised for the charity.

Next Stage is delighted to be able to raise money for local, and national, charities at any of the company’s forthcoming productions. This most recent amount brings the overall amount of money raised by Next Stage to over £16,000 in the last 15 years. This does not include any of the money raised by The Mission Theatre’s wonderful visiting companies, who also support charities in need throughout their stays. Please keep an eye out for future collections at The Mission Theatre during the Autumn season.

Herb Kanzell

It is with great sadness that I learnt of the death of Herb Kanzell. Herb passed away on July 16, 2019, peacefully in his sleep.

Herb was a much-loved and respected member of Next Stage Theatre Company and was both a talented actor and director. Although in his 70’s and 80’s when he worked with Next Stage, Herb was as quick and as sharp as a person half his age. His twinkling smile and sense of fun won him many friends and he is particularly remembered as being part of the Next Stage cast of Comic Potential in The Mission Theatre’s inaugural play, in January 2005. Over the years, Herb and his wife Barbara, were regular supporters of both the company and The Mission Theatre. Everyone in Next Stage who knew Herb will be sad to hear of his passing and we send our love and condolences to his family.

Ann Ellison BEM

Artistic Director

Next Stage Theatre Company

Giles Cooper: Next Stage Youth class of '98

It was a delight to go up to London last week to see Toast at The Other Palace Theatre, in which one of Next Stage Youth’s members from 1998 is starring in this auto-biographical play about celebrity chef: Nigel Slater.

Image < Giles Cooper (bottom right) in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Giles Cooper first trod the boards with the company in our 1998 production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. Appearing as one of the troupe of actors, alongside a youthful John Matthews as the Player (not to mention an even more youthful Andrew Ellison as Rosencrantz) Giles was at that time studying at Kingswood School, Bath.

Image < Giles Cooper, Dave Dunn and Caroline Groom backstage at The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough (2000)

In 1999 Giles toured with Next Stage actors Caroline Groom and Dave Dunn to the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough to perform in front of company Patron, Sir Alan Ayckbourn in Sir David Hare’s Skylight. After this exciting experience Giles left the company as he took up a place at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Ann and Andrew Ellison next caught up with Giles when he was touring with Ruby Wax in The Witches in 2004. Since then Giles has pursued an ever more successful theatrical career including appearances at The National Theatre and The Globe Theatre in London. Giles has also worked on films and appeared on TV.

Now, 20 years from when Giles worked with Next Stage youth and adult companies, he is a West-End star! In Toast Giles never leaves the stage and holds the audience captivated with an entertaining and nuanced performance. Giles’ versatility and range is extraordinary as the production of Toast includes ingenious physical theatre and a moving story line in which Giles has to age convincingly from 7-17 years old . Along with the rest of the talented company, Giles dances, fights and cooks on stage. One moment the audience is laughing at the young Nigel Slater’s antics, the next they are moved to tears. Add to this entertaining play the delicious fact that food and sweeties are given out to the audience throughout the production, and you have a perfect night out!

Hurry though, Toast closes in the West End at the end of this week before the national tour in which Giles will be recreating the role of the young Nigel Slater.

Congratulations from all at Next Stage to Giles.

Image below > Giles Cooper and Lizzie Muncey in Toast (2019)

An extract from Time Out, London’s 4 star review of Toast:

Director Jonnie Riordan’s production is light and fluid: a heightened reality of family life and cooking sessions that take place against a kitchen set that looks like an illustration. At regular intervals, the cast pass cakes and sweets to the audience, tickling memories as well as taste-buds.

But while ‘Toast’ isn’t averse to nostalgia for a time of local butchers and old-fashioned sweet shops, a tartness undercuts the cloyingness. Dad’s patrolling of the ‘appropriate’ food for boys stirs a dollop of homophobia into the already complicated personal recipe of gay teen Nigel.

Cooper touchingly captures the young Nigel’s early culinary fussiness, blending this with confusion and aching vulnerability when Mum dies. Before this happens, he and Muncey are delightful together, bonding over a mixing bowl. In contrast, Marie Lawrence is deliciously over-the-top as Nigel’s perception of Joan: all piled hair, eye rolls and fags.

A ’60s soundtrack and funny fantasy sequences (mostly involving Joan) make for a pacier second half. But, crucially, ‘Toast’ also works out when to slow down. For all the preceding, audience-winking, ‘here’s one we made earlier’ food, a pivotal scene when Nigel invents – for the first time – a recipe and Cooper makes it from scratch on stage packs a genuine wallop. It’s a well-seasoned ending.

By Tom Wicker, April 12th 2019

Out with the old and in with the new!

It has been a very exciting week for Next Stage Theatre Company! After parting with their beloved 15 year old Strand lighting desk, which has provided lights for over 150 Next Stage shows, and over 700 visiting productions since 2005, Next Stage has installed a state of the art ETC Element 2 Lighting desk.

Arriving last week, and safely installed by Next Stage’s technician, Kris Nutall, this brand spanking new piece of kit came just in time for Next Stage’s get-in and week long tech rehearsals for their upcoming production of Great Expectations. The new easy to use lighting board comes with a 22 inch” LED optical touch-screen monitor, a built in keyboard, 40 pageable faders and 1024 outputs - perfect for the size and technical demands of The Mission Theatre. The Next Stage team have already began making good use of the kit, easily, and quickly, programming over 130 cues for their Dickens’ tale!

Along with a new lighting desk, 2 new QSC RMX850a amps have been bought and installed in The Mission’s Technical Cupboard. The old amps were both worn and dated, and had definitely seen better days. By having 2 new amps, crystal clear sound can be projected around the Main Auditorium through our 4 speakers, ensuring companies have the best quality sound effects, songs, microphone and instrument projection possible for their shows. These amps are the perfect partners for our year old Allen & Heath sound desk.

Next Stage strives to keep up with the ever-growing technology side of the theatre world in order to bring the best possible quality of lights, sounds and technical support to all our visitors.

Of course, lighting desks and 2 new amps come at a very hefty price! As a theatre which receives no public funding, finding the money to update equipment can be a big struggle. However, recent, generous supporters and patrons of Next Stage and The Mission who have financially contributed to these projects have enabled the theatre to expand and modernise.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, supported and helped fund this expensive upgrade.