Touring theatre company Mikron celebrates its 50th anniversary

Some miracles are more miraculous than others and the story of Mikron’s survival is a Hollywood-worthy fairytale of triumph in the face of what could have so easily been a disaster.

It will be then, one heck of a celebration year as the little company that could – and does so via narrowboat – survived to celebrate its 50th year of touring this year.

Mikron, that most idiosyncratic of companies, has been touring the country via canal (and roads when canal doesn’t permit) for half a century.

The idea of Mikron itself was actually dreamed up six decades ago, in 1963, when jobbing actor Mike Lucas was on a boating holiday and realised the canalside pubs of England were in places a little too out of the way for regular theatre companies to reach, but also that he had stumbled on a set of perfect locations to stage plays.

It took until 1972 for the dream to come to fruition, but in that year Mikron launched itself on the waterways of Britain and now 2022 marks the 50th year of touring for the company.

“We had big plans for last year, which would have been our 50th year of touring, but we had to scrap them,” says artistic director Marianne McNamara. “Just surviving last year became the goal.”

The story of how the company survived last year can be traced back, in a way, to the first year Mikron took to the country’s canals. Going into places where other companies tend not to, means Mikron has a special place in the hearts of audiences. It means that the ‘Friends’ of Mikron, the supporters’ group of the theatre company, are literally all over the country.

“Of all the things that would get us, finish the company, we didn’t think it would be this,” says McNamara.

That’s not to say the company was always on a knife edge, it’s just the reality of running small touring companies in the current landscape.

“We never thought the pandemic would go the way it went. We thought we might have to stop for a few weeks. We had to sit down with the board members and explain that if we stop touring, then we stop the company. As the weeks went by and that turned into months we weren’t sure what we could do.

“When it was our 40th year, the Friends had rallied and we built up a reserve that meant we were in a decent position – but three months of not touring would suddenly whip that all away.”

The only way the company could get through the coming storm was to put out an appeal to the Friends of Mikron.

The response was overwhelming.

“It was actually incredibly emotional. We launched the appeal and within that first week – the response was phenomenal. We smashed our fundraising target.

“It was that that really brought home the fact that we are custodians of this extraordinary company. It doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to the people on the ground.”

Thanks to those people, come 2021, when the company was able to, it toured again – under the most extreme strictures.

“We had to have a floorplan for every venue so we could make sure that the actors were far enough apart for the whole performance,” says McNamara, remembering the logistical mountain that had to be climbed at each new place the company pitched up.

“It was incredibly hard work, but we managed it.”

This year, while it won’t be a free-for-all, with fewer restrictions Mikron is getting back – almost – to doing what it does best.

As well as travelling via narrowboat, the other slightly idiosyncratic aspect of Mikron is the make up of the company. Every year it is a group of four actor-musicians who take out a show, travelling together, living together on the boat and setting up in each new venue.

In a normal year the company commissions two new plays annually, but it was only really feasible to have one new commission with one revival this year.

It means a return for audience favourite Raising Agents by Maeve Larkin. First seen in 2015, it is one of the company’s most popular shows and features music from acclaimed folk duo O’Hooley and Tidow – who since the first tour of the show have become best known as the composers of the Gentleman Jack theme tune.

Following the story of the Bunnington WI, Raising Agents, as with all Mikron shows, tells the story of a British institution with song, wit, humour and heart.

“The Women’s Institute, is an obvious story for us to tell – a brilliant story of an amazing organisation, and a story that maybe not everybody knows about the WI,” says McNamara.

The production is being directed by Rachel Gee, while McNamara herself is in the chair for the new play for this year, Red Sky at Night.

“We normally tell the story of British institutions, but this is a story about a great British preoccupation – the weather,” says McNamara.

The writer, Lindsay Rodden, came to Mikron via a development programme, underlining McNamara’s point that the company’s current incumbents are guardians of a special company and one that, thanks to the efforts of the last couple of years, will continue to be here to tell stories in the future.

The Mikron tour is, as ever, hugely extensive, with the company of four performing Red Sky At Night and Raising Agents in rep.

Raising Agents can be seen in the coming months at venues including: Huddersfield Deaf Centre (tomorrow, April 16, 12.30pm), The Holbeck, Leeds (tomorrow, April 16, 7.30pm). Lawrence Batley Theatre, May 21, 7pm.

Red Sky At Night: Marsden Mechanics, May 14, 7pm, Grimesthorpe Allotments, May 18, 6.30pm, Wetherby Whaler, May 19, 6.45pm.

For full details, log on to: www.mikron.org.uk