DAME JUDI HAS HER EYE ON SONNING
A VERY special Audience With event help raise £20,000 for a village hall.
Dame Judi Dench, famous for her roles in A Fine Romance, Shakespeare In Love and as M in the James Bond films, was interviewed by the equally famous Simon Williams about her life on stage and off.
The event was held at The Mill at Sonning on Sunday in aid of the work of The Sonning Eye and Dunsden Village Hall.
The event came about after David Woodward – from the charity Sonning Eye & Dunsden Village Hall – had a conversation with Sally Hughes, Artistic Director of The Mill at Sonning, about how they were struggling to raise the money needed for a refurbishment.
Ms Hughes decided to put on an event to help and, overhearing the conversation, Finty Williams, Dame Judi Dench’s daughter, said, “Shall I ask my Ma if she would do something?”
The rest is a little piece of theatre history.
Finty is currently starring in Move Over, Mrs Markham at The Mill at Sonning until June 2, and joined her mother on stage for her performance of Send in the Clowns, accompanied on piano by Toby Cruze, one of the
The Mill’s musical directors.
Ms Hughes said that the afternoon event was extraordinary and unique.
She added: “Simon Williams was the consummate host and Dame Judi was the star that she is, proven by the fact that at the end of her rendition of Send In The Clowns the audience all rose in unison. It was an amazing moment, just extraordinary!
“The Mill is honoured to have had Dame Judi Dench appear and I am so delighted that we were able to raise the £20,000 that the village needed.”