To say Steve Mannix is passionate about theatre would be a gross understatement indeed.

He's lived and breathed it his entire life, from growing up with a father who sang in the working men's clubs, to appearing on stage himself, to being sawn in half by Frankie Howerd - yes you did read that right, but more on that later.

Currently he's leading the team that will transform the Mercury into a theatre fit for purpose for the next generation of theatre-goers and theatre-makers.

"I was only supposed to be here for a few months," he smiles. "I was just holding the fort until they appointed someone else but I just fell in love with the place, the people, the potential for what could be achieved here.

"Mercury Rising was already well in the board's mind before I arrived and you could see the practical problems the theatre was facing like a lack of good foyer space, accessible rehearsal rooms. I wanted to be a part of making that happen and I had the experience to do it."

Mercury Rising will in fact be Steve's seventh capital project but his experience extends far beyond just raising money, and what he describes, jokingly I hasten to add, as his day-to-day job of looking after the 'tickets and toilets'.

Born and brought up in North Wales, Steve's parents met in the Cavern Club in Liverpool and the city has a special place in his heart because that's where he saw his first panto, and years later got one of his first professional jobs in theatre.

Steve says: "When my dad wasn't singing he worked for Vauxhall's and every year they would pay for families to go and see the panto at the Playhouse. I still remember the experience of going to see the show, and I was pretty much hooked after that.

"I joined the Youth Theatre at Theatre Clwyd and was in the Gang Show for many years, and then after college I went to train as an actor at Rose Bruford in London.

"The very first panto I did was back in Liverpool this time at the Everyman where I played Jack's mate."

After a spell doing theatre in education work, Steve got a job at the Albany Empire in Deptford where he led the youth and community team.

"That was my training ground," he adds. "It was 1988 and the rise of the alternative comedy scene so I was working with the likes of Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and Julian Clary.

"I remember one night the stage manager going off sick so I had to stand in for them and ended up getting sawn in half by Frankie Howerd for a show."

Around the same time Steve first got involved with Stonewall, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights charity, helping them set up events. before leaving to work in the US.

On his return he went freelance, working for the likes of the Royal Court running their youth and community programmes, and then worked at Graeae Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre, where he was the first to introduce the idea of theatre scratch nights.

"We came up with that in one weekend," he grins.

And if that wasn't enough to impress any right-thinking board of directors in the creative industry, Steve has also worked for the City of London's Mayor Office, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, and was even involved with the 2012 Olympics cultural programme.

Steve has been with the Mercury since 2014 at first to write the theatre's business plan but after taking the chief executive post full time, he's been at the forefront of getting the Mercury Rising Project off the ground.

And he's so very nearly there, with just £500,000 to go out of the £9.6million budget.

With work having already started, the development of the space will allow the Mercury to continue to deliver critically acclaimed theatre, develop future talent and offer the local community a safe and dedicated venue in which to explore their own creativity through workshops and events.

"The challenge of it all was so daunting but I had such a loyal and dedicated team here, we've achieved so much already," he says. "This really is the final push and what we're asking is for the people of Colchester to donate £5. If everyone in the town did that, we'd make our target easily, but honestly every little bit will help us achieve this incredible project that will benefit everyone in the town.

"Even if you've never been to the theatre, you'll know someone who has, may be a friend, a neighbour, or perhaps even your children. They might get involved with one of our many community and youth programmes. It might change their lives, just like it did mine when I went to see that panto in Liverpool all those years ago."

The Mercury Rising capital project will see the town centre venue extended, modernised and made fully accessible.

The theatre have just £500,000 left to raise in this £9.6 million project, and hope that this latest campaign will help get them £25K closer to their goal. The development of the space will allow the Mercury to continue to deliver critically acclaimed theatre, develop future talent and offer the local community a safe and dedicated venue in which to explore their own creativity through workshops and events.

For more information go to mercurytheatre.co.uk/mercuryrising.