Patrons

On Sunday 16^th August, at Tyseley’s 90^th birthday celebrations we were honoured to welcome Buffy and Mark as Patrons.

Both have come through the ranks, and like Tyseley, they are both national treasures.

They join George Monbiot in trumpeting, supporting and cheerleading for our unique little theatre company.

Buffy Davis

I’m so thrilled to be a Mikron patron!

I travelled on Tyseley to wonderful remote locations where magically, an audience would appear!

Mikron’s storytelling theatre is for everyone, everywhere… tho mainly close to water.

I loved starting the engine, the peaceful early mornings on the cut, with a kingfisher leading the way, or being helped to a venue by the audience because we were stuck and needed their strength to rope us off a shopping trolley !

The show I co-wrote “I’d Go Back Tomorrow” involved us interviewing boat people about their lives as children growing up on the boats. Carrying goods, fly boating and their extraordinary, often heartbreaking adventures. We chose the scenes we were going to include and wrote the music to suit the instruments we could play and performed it with pride.

That magical time holds a special place in my heart and now, as a patron, I can truly say, like the boat people we interviewed, I WOULD go back tomorrow!

Mark Williams

I am very chuffed to be asked to be a Patron of Mikron Theatre Company.

Both my Grandads would have approved of me becoming patron material.

Joining Mikron was my first professional job as an actor, so it has a special place in my heart. When I joined the company in 1983, we were very quickly involved in a battle with the Arts Council who wanted to cut our revenue funding; £25,000. We lost the battle. It’s satisfying to see Mikron in 2026 once again an Arts Council funded company; which it should be and always should have been.

Apart from the cut and thrust of a political tussle I had a great 3 years with the company. In many ways for me a dream job. I chose as my year 10 history prize at school R A Buchanan’s ‘Industrial Archaeology’, so living and working on the canals on Tyseley and being based in Marsden meant I was endlessly fascinated. A fascination that has never left me.

I am looking forward to seeing Tyseley on her 90th birthday, 43 years since I first joined the great Mikron.

George Monbiot

George is a journalist, author, environmental & political activist.

He was a patron alongside Pruenlla Scales and Timothy West for decades.