His Right Worshipful the Mayor of Bath’s visit to The Mission Theatre on its 18th Birthday

The Mission Theatre celebrated its 18th Birthday last week by staging Florian Zeller’s compelling play: The Father. Next Stage Theatre Company received two great reviews after opening night, see here, and His Right Worshipful the Mayor of Bath: Councillor Rob Appleyard attended the last night on Saturday 28th January. The Mayor enjoyed this powerful production and expressed his admiration and congratulations to all concerned. He took the time to talk to each member of the cast and crew after the final curtain and then posed for a photograph on set.

Standing: Kes Joffe - sound and light operative, Joshua Tenn - Man, Ann Ellison - Director, The Mayor, Andrew Ellison - Stage Manager, Callum Marshall - Pierre, Tiana James - Laura Sitting: Lydia Cook - Anne, John Matthews - André, Hayley Fitton-Cook - Woman

At each production of The Father Next Stage raised money for a Bath-based charity RICE: Research Institute for the Care of Older People collecting over £256.00 in donations. RICE is dedicated to improving the lives of people diagnosed with neuro degenerative conditions through diagnosis, treatment and care. They carry out research studies to help improve understanding of diseases and conditions of aging and ultimately to help find a cure. As a small independent charity, they rely on donations to continue this vital work and appreciate any support. More information about RICE can be found here.

Next Stage also received lovely comments about The Father from audience members writing in our Foyer Comments Book. It’s safe to say that this show will last in everyone’s minds for a long time. Check out what was said below…

The Bridget Cassé Award for Excellence in Youth Theatre

Each year, the Next Stage Youth tutors nominate youth members for this prestigious award from which one individual is selected. Inaugurated in 2010, in memory of a talented Next Stage actress - Bridget Cassé - who had also been a Youth tutor.

The trophy is given to somebody who has shown theatrical talent, enthusiasm, a willingness to help out and a positive attitude towards fellow members. The Bridget Cassé trophy was awarded for the first time in 2010 to Philip Davies and the winners of the prestigious 2022 Bridget Casse Award for Excellence are Fin Hancorn and Miranda Webb.

Both young actors have shown outstanding flare onstage whilst also being friendly and helpful to other members of the company. They are both always happy to work in a team and enjoy new acting challenges.

Miranda’s credits include Lily in Living with Lady Macbeth in 2022 and Young Esme in Arrivals and Departures working alongside the adult company in 2022.

Fin’s credits include Callum in Noughts and Crosses in 2021 and Nick in Four Minutes Twelve Seconds working alongside the adult company in 2022

Runner up, Sophia Punt, was a very close contender for the trophy this year due to her excellence in acting and her contribution to the youth theatre. A friendly and popular member of the group Sophia gave a memorable performance as Monica in the youth production of Living with Lady Macbeth

Dara Tiernan deserves the highly commended certificate as someone who has been a friendly and talented member of the company. In the 2022 production of Living with Lady Macbeth, Dara played Gail and she showed her brilliant acting skills when performing her skydiving scene.

The Mission Theatre's Artistic Director interviewed about Raise the Roof!

On January 15th 2022, our Artistic Director Ann Ellison was interviewed for BBC Radio Wiltshire, and BBC Radio Bristol, to speak about our Raise the Roof! Appeal.

After almost a year of fund-raising we are now within £10,000 of our goal, the once unimaginable £110,000. The support we have received from the community allowed us to go ahead with the required works in November 2021, securing the building ahead of the rainy winter months. However, as bills come due, we are asking for another push to raise the last few hundreds and get us over the finish line.

To listen to Ann’s interview with BBC Radio Bristol, click below.

Dean Friedman is coming to The Mission Theatre!

We are delighted to announce that acclaimed American singer-songwriter, Dean Friedman, will be performing at The Mission Theatre on Sunday 15th May 2022. Following Friedman's sold-out, 40th Anniversary Tour, Friedman returns to the stage armed with a stunning collection of his insightful and compelling, true-to-life ‘story songs’ - songs of pathos and humour that deal with family, friends, neighbours, work and the seemingly trivial, yet ultimately essential stuff of everyday life.

After having to postpone his 2020 tour, we are so excited to finally be welcoming this legendary pop-icon back to our stage.

Hailed by critics and fans alike as a one of the finest songwriters of his generation, he has achieved legendary status for chart-topping hits, such as Ariel, Lucky Stars, Lydia, McDonald’s Girl and more.

A consummate entertainer, Friedman will be performing solo, on guitar and keyboard, featuring songs from throughout his four-decade career, including familiar, radio hits and fan favourites, drawn from his eight studio albums. Invite family and friends and join Friedman for an evening of powerful, poignant and hilarious songs about the ordinary and extraordinary lives we share.

For more information, and booking details, see our what’s on page HERE.

An exciting update about our Roof Appeal

In March 2021, we set ourselves the huge goal of raising £110,000 to save the roof of our beautiful Grade II listed ex-chapel and our Raise the Roof Appeal was launched.

Today I am thrilled to announce that we have reached £98,000! Next Stage now only has £12,000 more to raise and, from a long-time patron, we have a pledge of matched funding of £6,000. This means that if we can raise another £6,000 before Christmas, making £12,000 in all, we will have reached our target!

Please, please please, if you are a company, an individual or a group who have already helped but feel you could manage to give just a little bit more, could you consider donating this week? Or, if you have not as yet contributed please can I appeal to you to do so? The renovation of the roof is complete after an exceptional 6 weeks of work by D.R. Vowles and Sons Ltd and his fantastic roofers. The final bills are coming in and to be able to conclude this huge endeavour by Christmas would be fantastic.

Come on everyone just ONE MORE EFFORT! 

When The Mission Theatre had been left empty and cold for 18 months through lockdowns and closure, its roof had seriously deteriorated resulting in significant damage that required urgent repair. The roof had begun to leak, causing alarming cracks to appear inside the building, and failings in the theatre’s electrics.

When the roofers arrived and started to strip back the cracked slates and damaged lead work, we were horrified to learn that the deterioration of The Mission Theatre's roof far exceeded our expectations, with over 50 major issues identified beyond that which we had anticipated. It was clear that the work had begun just in the nick of time.

Photographs of decaying wooden beams in The Mission Theatre's Roof, before and after being repaired and reinforced.

A photograph of the completed repair of the leadwork and guttering on the building's north side.

Photographs of lead guttering, before and after being repaired.

It seems like a lifetime ago that we first started asking people to sponsor slates, but finally, last week they became a part of our roof.

Photographs of Slates from our Sponsor-a-Slate campaign being tiled in to the building's roof.

As we celebrate our brand new roof that will protect our theatre for many, many years to come, I should like to take time to thank the great number of people who have helped us get this far - from all of our wonderful supporters who have donated to our campaign, to visiting companies who’ve kindly offered to collect at the end of shows; from our generous patrons, to our tremendously supportive neighbours, E. Hooper and Sons Funeral Directors and The Gainsborough Hotel, who have been so accommodating whilst we have had scaffolding around the building. We could not have done this without your kindness, understanding, appreciation of our work and, above all, your generosity.

If you would like to get involved and support us in the last leg of our journey, you can find more details about our Raise The Roof appeal here. 


Thank you for your continued support.

A photograph of the roof, completed.

The £110,000 goal is in sight for our Raise the Roof! Appeal

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After 6 months of intense fundraising we are absolutely thrilled to announce that our end goal is within sight! The break through has come in the last few weeks when we have been blessed with generous donations from Wessex Water and from our actor friends  in America. Their contributions took our total to £46,000. Then came a miracle: an extremely kind and significant patron and friend of Next Stage offered us matched funding! Thanks to this amazingly generous gift the Raise the Roof! Appeal has shot up to £92,000.

Now, with just £18,000 left to raise we feel confident to start the essential roof repairs and anticipate the scaffolding going up around the theatre at the start of October, with all the works scheduled to be finished before Christmas.

Whilst the large donations to our Appeal have been the game changers, we would not have attracted these without ALL the contributions and efforts so many of you have made. The fact that literally hundreds of people have supported our attempts to restore and cherish a beautiful heritage building in Bath is what has won the hearts and minds of our patrons. 

It has been a long haul at a very difficult time; here are just some of the memorable milestones along the way:

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Six months later, all of us here at the Mission Theatre and everyone in Next Stage Theatre Company wants to thank you for your kindness, generosity, support and encouragement.

 It has been such a long journey and we are so relieved and grateful to be nearly at the finish line. We are waiting to hear from 2 more patrons and hope that, with their contributions, we will get over the £100,000 by the end of this month.

So we now have a final push to reach our goal. To achieve this we are reinstating ALL fund raising options during October: Sponsor a Slate; Become a Friend of Next Stage; Buy some books, Make a donation; Offer matched funding. All details can be found here. 

Please help us across the finish line!

New Additions to the Next Stage Team

At the end of this month our Theatre Manager, Hannah, will be leaving us. Hannah says:

It has been a privilege to be able to contribute to this theatre, and to work with all the brilliant front of house volunteers, Next Stagers, visiting companies and audience members who I've met along the way. I'm now looking forward to moving on to new challenges - safe in the knowledge that I'm leaving The Mission in very capable hands.

We are excited to announce new additions to the Next Stage Team! We welcome Rebecca (Becca) Jefferis in the newly created full-time post of Youth and Schools’ Co-ordinator, as well as Francesca McBride and Rosie Walker as two new part-time Office Assistants. Congratulations to Olivia Stiles on increasing her office hours and becoming the new Deputy Theatre Manager.

From left to right: Rebecca Jefferis - Youth and Schools’ Co-ordinator, Olivia Stiles - Theatre Manager, Rosie Walker - Office Assistant, Francesca McBride - Office Assistant.

We look forward to working with Rebecca, Olivia, Francesca and Rosie, and to their contributions to The Mission Theatre and Next Stage.

Community Asset Transfer of The Mission Theatre to Next Stage Theatre Company

The Mission Theatre - Bath’s very own independent theatre - has its future assured for the next 99 years.

Next Stage Theatre Company is thrilled to announce that it has been granted a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) of The Mission Theatre on a 99 year lease.

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The awarding of the CAT by BANES Council is a momentous event in the 27 year history of Next Stage Theatre Company. The Mission Theatre will remain the home of this prestigious company, allowing it to continue to bring the standard of theatre to Bath which has earned Next Stage its national reputation for excellence.

Ann Ellison BEM, Artistic Director of Next Stage Theatre Company and The Mission Theatre, says:

Andrew Ellison and I are absolutely delighted that the council have looked favourably on our application for a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) on The Mission Theatre, Bath. From the moment we stepped inside the lovely ex-chapel in 2002 we both knew we had found the perfect building to turn into a theatre - a performing space for Next Stage Theatre Company, and a welcoming venue for local and regional theatre companies and performers. And we were right. Since The Mission Theatre opened its doors in January 2005 it has rapidly become a popular and much-loved city-centre community arts venue.

The original ten year lease granted by the council was extended into a 25 year lease in 2010, but Andrew and I have been working ever since then to ensure a much longer future for our theatre. It has taken a number of years and many months of work to achieve the CAT and we could not have done it without the help and support of so many Next Stagers, patrons and Friends. We would especially like to thank and acknowledge the members of Next Stage’s steering group and the team at the Council who have also worked tirelessly to help us deliver this project.

Today is a real day of celebration, not just for Andrew and me, not just for Next Stage Theatre Company, nor the team that lovingly look after The Mission Theatre, this is a day for all who love the performing arts in Bath and the region to celebrate the permanent addition to the city’s cultural scene, of its very own independent theatre: The Mission.

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Councillor Richard Samuel, deputy leader and cabinet member for Economic Development and Resources, said:

The Community Asset Transfer decision I made represents the best way forward for the restoration of The Mission Theatre and secures the building as a place for performing arts for many years to come, providing substantial benefit to our local community that we serve. CATs are a means of ensuring that better community outcomes can reached from the use of the council’s assets. It is important to remember that we hold these assets on behalf of our community.  Decisions such as this are not purely about money. They are about what the council can do to make the lives of as many of our citizens as full as possible. In that regard having a flourishing performing arts venue enriches lives and provides clear social purpose.

The CAT will ensure that The Mission Theatre becomes a permanent feature of Bath’s cultural landscape, providing, as it has for the past 16 years, an intimate, elegant and versatile venue, not only for resident Next Stage Theatre Company, but also for established and up-and-coming performers and companies from Bath, Somerset and beyond.

The asset transfer gives Next Stage the security to be able to fundraise for crucial repairs to the fabric of the building. Next Stage aims to restore the roof and the stonework of the beautiful eighteenth century chapel, ensuring it remains a well-preserved jewel in the city centre of Bath.

As well as the restoration of the beautiful Grade II listed building, Next Stage will ensure that improvements to The Mission Theatre will make the venue more environmentally friendly by reducing energy usage and carbon emissions.

The CAT will enable Next Stage to increase its outreach work with children and young people in the community by expanding its Youth programme and engaging with local primary and secondary schools. The company plans to appoint a Youth Coordinator who will liaise with local schools, seeking to enrich learning through drama workshops and opening The Mission to a whole new generation of young theatregoers.

Next Stage’s bid for this CAT was supported by Next Stage Patrons, including Sir David Hare, Dame Harriet Walter DBE, and Robert Lindsay, in addition to local Councillors, festival organisers, theatre practitioners, and members of the local community.

Here are some of their messages of support:

I am absolutely sure that NEXT STAGE will be able to use The Mission Theatre creatively and for the benefit of the whole community. It has an outstanding track record which serves as unarguable proof of its dedication and value.
Patron Sir David Hare





I have been a supporter of Next Stage for several years. The Covid pandemic has proved how vitally important it is to look after our closer communities and I am sure Next Stage will know just how to maximise the benefit from a Community Asset Transfer so that it embraces and enhances the artistic life and social cohesion of its audience.
Patron Dame Harriet Walter DBE

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Theatre is about community; it serves the local people with imagination and inspiration. I became Patron of The Mission Theatre knowing full well that their commitment was to serve their community with a creative and inspirational spirit and in that they deserve as much recognition during these very strange and complicated times for theatre. The show must go on!
Patron Robert Lindsay