The Mikron Theatre Company is an English touring theatre company, founded in 1972, which is notable for its tours by canal boat during the summer months, and by road in the spring and autumn. The company believes itself to be the only theatre company in the world which tours by narrowboat.
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History
The company had its origins in an Edinburgh Fringe show in 1963. The name "Mikron", as well as being a Greek word meaning "small", is derived from the names of the trio who went to Edinburgh in 1963: MIKe Lucas, Sarah CameRON and RON Legge. In 1972 the company performed its first waterways-themed production, and in 1975 it acquired its narrowboat, Tyseley.
Activities
The company is based in the town of Marsden, in West Yorkshire, although it spends the summer touring throughout the UK canal network. It claims to be "the UK’s most prolific theatre company" and in 2015 performed in 150 venues.
We have performed at allotments, care homes, community centres, dry docks, festivals, pubs, rallies, restaurants and village halls. We’ve even performed inside a tunnel, in the bows of a docked boat and in people’s very own front rooms.
The company is a registered charity and describes its activities as "Theatre anywhere for everyone by canal, river and road".
Productions
In 2015 it toured two shows: Raising Agents, written by Maeve Larkin and with music by O'Hooley & Tidow, which celebrated the centenary of the Women's Institutes, and One of Each written by Deborah McAndrew, about fish and chips and much else.
Mikron's 2016 tour featured Canary Girls by Laurence Peacock, about 1914 munitions factory workers (who were known as Canary girls because their skin turned yellow from working with toxic substances), and PURE by Richard Vergette, about the chocolate industry now and in the past.
In 2017 Mikron will perform In At The Deep End about the RNLI by Laurence Peacock and Best Foot Forward about the Youth Hostels Association, by Maeve Larkin.
Narrowboat Tyseley
The company's narrowboat Tyseley was built in 1936 for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company. She was built at Northwich by W.J.Yarwood & Sons Ltd. She is 71 ft 10 in (21.89 metres) long and 6 ft 11 in (2.11 metres) wide. She is registered with National Historic Ships.
Tyseley is a district of Birmingham near the Grand Union Canal.