An autumn season like no other at The Watermill
MORE live theatre will take place this autumn at Newbury’s Watermill Theatre as part of a Covid-safe reopening plan.
Each of the shows runs with a reduced cast and a reduced capacity in the theatre itself: socially distanced seating to try and protect actors, customers and Watermill staff.
The first play opens on Tuesday and runs through to Saturday, October 17. Bloodshot is a film noir inspired thriller starring Simon Slater, written by Douglas Post and directed by Patrick Sandford.
Policeman-turned-photographer Derek Everleigh is down on his luck, but when a mysterious envelope full of money arrives it looks like his fortunes are about to change. Tasked with taking photos of an elegant young woman as she walks through leafy Holland Park, Derek relishes his new challenge.
But when the job is turned upside down in a sudden, shocking turn of events, Derek must cling to the shadows to uncover the truth about this enigmatic stranger.
The mystery deepens - what do an Irish comedian, an American saxophone player and a Russian magician have to do with the bloody event he witnesses? And how are these men connected to the woman in Holland Park?
If it rings a few bells, well, that’s because it opened at The Watermill back in 2011.
It’s a one-man show with Simon Slater.
Lone Flyer, The Last Flight of Amy Johnson comes next. Another revival, it was first staged in 2001 and is a powerful play about one of the most inspirational women of the 20th century.
As the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, Amy’s career reached new heights, but the outbreak of the Second World War changes everything and she finds herself facing her greatest challenge yet. Driven by the need to escape from one life to another, follow Amy’s journey from humble beginnings to become one of Britain’s most influential female aviators.
She will be flying in from
Wednesday, October 21, through to Saturday, November 21.
There’s a change at Christmas: originally, The Watermill was going to stage The Jungle Book, but instead there will be a new festive show of Dickens’ most famous work, A Christmas Carol. Say bah humbug to Covid with this two-man show telling the story of Christmas past, present and future.
It runs from Thursday,
November 26 through to Saturday, January 3.
The Watermill’s artistic director, Paul Hart, said: “After a hugely successful, outdoor summer season we’re delighted to announce plans for reopening our indoor space this autumn. I think what we’ve all missed is the opportunity to share stories – something that’s always been pretty magical in The Watermill’s beautiful auditorium.
“We return to two fantastic pieces of writing from Douglas Post and Ade Morris, as well as commissioning a new version of perennial classic A Christmas Carol from our playwright-in-residence Danielle Pearson.
“I’m thrilled we have Georgie Staight and Lucy Betts making their directorial debuts for us.
“We genuinely can’t wait to open our doors again and welcome audiences back to the theatre.”
The Watermill Theatre will be operating in accordance with government guidance at the time of the performance and will be constantly reviewing and adapting to the government’s guidelines.
In the event that a show is unable to go ahead, such as a local lockdown, patrons will be contacted as soon as possible via email or phone and offered a transfer or a refund for their tickets.
Customers with bookings for The Jungle Book will be contacted by the theatre’s box office to arrange alternative dates for audience members to attend in 2021.
The theatre asks that affected customers do not call the box office directly at this time, a member of the team will be in touch with all customers as soon as possible.