A world class programme at The Watermill
THE WATERMILL Theatre has announced its line-up for the rest of the year. It includes world premieres, a revival of an Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical and a Christmas panto.
Paul Hart, artistic director, is looking forward to what the Watermill has in store for audiences.
“It is a bumper new season,” he said. Bleak Expectations is a new stage adaptation of the hit BBC Radio 4 comedy written by Mark Evans. Credits for director Caroline Leslie include Trial by Laughter and The Wiper’s Times. It premiers at the Watermill and will run between Friday, May 27 and Saturday, July 2.
It will be followed by Camp Albion, a play about environmental activism and the 1996 anti road protest dubbed the Battle of Newbury. Written and produced by a team of associate artists at the Watermill, the production will tour around the region before opening for an 11 day run at the theatre on Wednesday, July 6.
A revival of Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Jim Steinman’s rock musical Whistle Down the Wind will open on Friday, July 22 and close on Saturday, September 10. The company will feature a company of actor musicians alongside a cast of local young people.
Shakespear’s Othello by the Watermill Ensemble and directed by Paul Hart weaves live music into what promises to be a bold new adaptation.
Michael Morpergo’s The Sleeping
Sword has been adapted by Tatty Hennessey and will run at the Watermill from Thursday, October 27 until Saturday, November 5. The play weaves a contemporary tale of self-discovery with the ancient legend of King Arthur.
The show will have creative access at the heart of it, working with a team of sighted and visually impaired artists, and every performance will feature the use of creative captioning and integrated audio description.
This season’s Watermill Youth Ensemble production will be A Monster Calls, based on the best-selling novel by Patrick Ness. It plays from Thursday, November 10, to Saturday, November 12.
Rapunzel will then let down her hair in time for Christmas. She will take to the stage, helped by director Lucy Betts, from Friday, November 18 until Sunday, January 1.
Associate artistic director for the Watermill, Abigail Pickard Price, said that the team continues to strive to create ambitious work despite the challenges faced by theatres in the UK.
“We remain incredibly grateful to our audiences for the support they are showing to live theatre and to the next generation of theatre makers through our fundraising campaign, Nurture.”
■ For more information on the coming season, or for tickets, visit: watermill. org.uk