The Watermill show goes on
A CHRISTMAS Carol opens tonight (Thursday) at The Watermill, the third and final show in the season of work featuring shows with smaller cast sizes, reduced capacity inside the auditorium and socially-distanced seating. Following the Government’s October announcement of new national coronavirus measures, the theatre was forced both to end the run of Lone Flyer and to cancel the first scheduled performances of A Christmas Carol , which was due to open on November 26.
With Berkshire now placed in Tier 2 measures, the show will now play from tonight until Sunday, January 3.
Two actor-musicians, Pete Ashmore and Tilly-Mae Millbrook, introduce us to Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and a host of extraordinary characters as you have never seen them before in a festive retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. Adapted by Danielle Pearson, directed by Georgie Staight and designed by Isobel Nicolson, the cast are working together as joint musical directors and have created a magical festive soundscape. Lighting is designed by Harry Armytage with sound design by Tom Marshall and costume design by Emily Barratt. Watermill executive director Paul Hart said: “I’m incredibly proud that once again the team here are opening a show so quickly – in fact open the day after restrictions are lifted and hope to welcome as many audiences as is safely possible over the
Christmas period.
“Despite everything this year the theatre has still managed to launch five new productions, welcoming 3,438 audience members, 1,774 outreach participants and employing 79 talented freelancers.
“I think we all need some Christmas joy more than ever and I’ve no doubt this production will deliver exactly that in a bold and innovative new version of this perennial favourite.”
New government guidelines for venues in Tiers 1 and 2 state that the capacity of the auditorium should be reduced to 50 per cent of full capacity (which for The Watermill is 213 seats). As part of Stage 4 of the existing DCMS roadmap, the auditorium was already reduced to 74, to create socially-distanced seating bubbles – this equates to 34 per cent of full capacity.
Other measures include all audience members being required to wear face masks, hand sanitiser stations throughout the venue, a one-way system for accessing the toilets and signage to indicate routes and procedures. To enhance audience safety, a fogging machine is used to regularly sanitise all public areas and to avoid recirculating air in the auditorium, the theatre is heated before audience members arrive and then fresh air is continuously fed through during performances. In the event that a show is unable to go ahead, say because of a change to the area’s tier, patrons will be contacted as soon as possible and offered a transfer, credit or a refund.