Mercia Theatre Company

intelligent theatre with steel in it

Debut: The Prime Minister’s Papers — a sharp, actor-led political drama orbiting Harold Wilson, power, and those who walk the corridors of power.

Meet the companyAbout the show
New Play

The Prime Minister’s Papers

Whitehall. Private secretaries, press offices, and the quiet gravity of a filing cabinet. A chamber piece about loyalty, legacy, and who gets to write the first draft of history.

What it is

A lean, precise, ensemble-driven play: five to six actors, clean doubling, brisk scenes, and a staging language that’s elegant rather than fussy. We value clarity, tempo, and bite.

  • Actor-led storytelling; table work into labs; minimal, purposeful design.
  • Writer: Alex Viveash. Director/Producer: Simon Ashton.

The Story in Brief

  1. Fragility. Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson is fading; money is tight. Lady Wilson seeks help.
  2. The Deal. With Marcia Falkender, a plan: sell Wilson’s papers.
  3. Fallout. A private fix ignites a constitutional storm.
“Who owns a Prime Minister’s history — the family, the nation, or the highest bidder?”
letters read aloudnewspaper headlinessharp dialoguewit → urgency → quiet grief
Cabinet Secretaryloyalty vs mercy
Civil Servicecontain the leak
Academia (Canada)cheque books open

Created from hundreds of documents at the National Archives; a kitchen-sink drama in oak-panelled corridors.

  • When does history become public?
  • Can loyalty survive ambition?
  • Are PMs ever private again?
Cast

Meet the company

The company is now fully cast. Rehearsals will run along the Birmingham/Worcester corridor ahead of a Q1 2026 performance window. Below is the principal casting and indicative doubling.

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Process

Table read → short labs → working sharings → staging. Precision over fuss, momentum over flab.

Where & When

Rehearsals in the Birmingham/Worcester corridor. Targeting a Q1 2026 performance window.