THE WATERMILL Reveals Programme For Its 60th Anniversary Year

[Tuesday 20 October, Newbury] Joint CEOs, Artistic Director Paul Hart and** Executive Director Claire Murray, and the whole team at Newbury’s award-winning Watermill Theatre** are delighted to announce plans for the theatre’s 60th anniversary year in 2027, with an eclectic programme that celebrates six extraordinary decades of theatre-making and community engagement.

The anniversary year will bring together a full season of productions, special events, community and talent development projects, fundraising initiatives and opportunities to celebrate the people, productions and audiences that have shaped the Watermill over the past 60 years.

A converted 1830s corn mill, the Watermill Theatre was conceived with vision and determination by David Gollins in 1965, with the first professional production following in 1967. A modest 200 seat theatre, the site and buildings have evolved over 60 years, with a core belief at the organisation’s heart – that the theatre is for everyone. Its rich history includes the formation of Propeller in the 1990s whose innovative approach to Shakespeare introduced a raft of audiences to his work and made them multi-award-winning and internationally acclaimed; a seminal actor-musician production of Sweeny Todd which transferred to the West End and Broadway and more recently a critically acclaimed revival of The Lord of the Rings A Musical Tale, which transferred to America, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Paul Hart and Claire Murray said: “In planning for this year, we've tried to capture the essence of what is so special about the Watermill's work, both on and off stage. Both deeply rooted in our community and consistently reaching across the UK and the globe, in 2027 we hope to celebrate the distinctive quality of our work and to continue to connect with audiences, communities, creatives and artists in ways that make an important difference to their lives.

"We hope this season has something for everyone and offers a chance for our entire Watermill community to celebrate the incredible past and exciting future of this unique organisation.”

2027 Season

The anniversary season celebrates the distinctiveness of the Watermill’s work, revisiting productions, creative collaborations and forms of theatre-making that epitomise the theatre’s work, whilst continuing its long tradition of reinvention.

The Wipers Times

The year opens with the return of Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s comedy The Wipers Times, directed by Caroline Leslie, from 29 January – 6 March, ten years after the play first premiered at the Watermill in 2016. Its return also celebrates the theatre’s long-running creative relationship with Hislop and Newman, whose work for the Watermill has also included Spike, A Bunch of Amateurs and The Autobiography of a Cad. Since its premiere, The Wipers Times has gone on to three successful national tours, two West End runs and inclusion on the national curriculum.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

From 11 – 13 March, the Watermill Youth Ensemble celebrates the Watermill’s long relationship with Shakespeare with an adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adapted and directed by Matty Green. This production marks 40 years since the inception of the Watermill’s Youth Theatre and will see the young company weave actor musicianship through the production – a celebrated feature of so much of the Watermill’s work. 

Jerusalem

From 19 March – 24 April, the Watermill will bring Jez Butterworth’s modern classic Jerusalem back to its stage, in association with Fiery Angel.  Based on Lisa Blair's 2018 production, this new staging will be co-directed by Paul Hart and Georgie Staight. The return has an added local resonance for the anniversary year, with the play itself set within 10 miles of the Watermill, giving the production a particular sense of homecoming.

Tickets for The Wipers Times, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, and Jerusalem will go on sale to priority bookers on 21 October, with general on sale on 30 October.

Way Upstream

As part of the Watermill Theatre’s 60th anniversary celebrations, Alan Ayckbourn’s Way Upstream will be reimagined in an ambitious new outdoor production that makes use of the Watermill’s unique setting. Directed by Katie Posner and staged on and around the water itself, the production will transform the surrounding landscape into the world of Ayckbourn’s darkly comic, politically hot play, bringing audiences closer than ever to the elements at the heart of the show. Bold in scale and theatrical imagination, it will celebrate the ambition of the Watermill with its theatrical ingenuity and inventive staging.

Carousel

Over the summer, Paul Hart directs Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. Continuing the theatre’s approach of reinventing classic titles, this new production will reinvigorate this beloved musical, offering a dynamic new version, with music and dance spanning the theatre and grounds, in a new orchestral adaptation by Stuart Morley, created for actor musicians, and choreography by Anjali Mehra. As part of bringing this celebrated musical to the stage, the team will also be collaborating with Project Salama, a domestic abuse charity, to explore the way the story of Billy and Julie is told in this production. Carousel is sponsored by Horsey Lightly Solicitors, one of the most prestigious law firms in the South of England.

Enigma

The autumn sees Enigma, Robert Harris' bestselling novel, newly adapted by dramatist Mike Poulton, directed by Paul Hart, and co-commissioned by Chichester Festival Theatre. The Bletchley Park-set thriller follows the story of codebreaker Tom Jericho attempting to crack the case of the missing Claire Romilly, taking him deep into a web of espionage and betrayal.

Beauty and the Beast

The anniversary year concludes at Christmas with the world premiere of a new adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Beauty and the Beast by Tatty Hennessy, directed by Indiana Lown-Collins. Hennessy returns to the Watermill following her 2022 adaptation of Morpurgo’s The Sleeping Sword, while Lown-Collins returns following her co-direction of the 2026 revival of Morpurgo’s Pinocchio, continuing the theatre’s relationship with both writer, and adaptor and director. Featuring a new folk-inspired score, Beauty and the Beast will be suitable for audiences aged 4+.

Full casting and further creative team details for each production will be announced separately.

Paul Hart commented, “Programming for this year has been partially about thinking about our astonishing history in which the Watermill has become a driving force in the creation of bold new exciting work. Even more importantly though, it’s been about thinking about the future. Despite receiving no subsidy from central Government or local authority funding, the Watermill continues to make work that is truly distinctive. Whether that be new work such as the mega hit that is The Wipers Times; vital revivals including our production of Jerusalem; new adaptions such as Robert Harris’ Enigma; unique reinterpretations of musicals such as Carousel which will be unforgettable in this space; celebrating our extraordinary river bank site with Way Upstream; vital family work as we collaborate again with Michael Morpurgo on Beauty and the Beast or work that really engages with the community such as our Youth Theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“The season is semblative of everything we do, and we are so lucky to be working with an extraordinary team, including an array of artists to bring that to life. I’m thrilled that Caroline Leslie will be returning to direct The Wipers Times following its national success including two runs in the West End, Katie Posner will be directing her first show for us, Tatty Hennessy and Indiana Lown-Collins will be returning to work with Michael Morpurgo, Mike Poulton reunites with Robert Harris and I’m thrilled to be working with Georgie Staight following her previous work here to bring Lisa Blair’s inspired production of Jerusalem back to the stage."

The Watermill’s relationship with its local and rural communities, which has been so vital over the last 60 years, will be a key strand of the anniversary year.

Building on their existing wide-reaching Outreach programme, a brand-new Community Collective project will launch, reflecting the inclusive, community-driven, and professionally led approach to the theatre’s work.

The Community Collective project will work with four community partner groups who have limited access to cultural experiences. Each group will take part in workshops led by a professional writer/theatre-maker, drawing on their lived experiences and stories to create new work. The project will give space to the local community to celebrate and amplify their voices.

Each year the Watermill’s Outreach provision provides over 18,500 engagement opportunities, striving to break down barriers to accessing theatre, ensuring that everyone in the local community can enjoy the benefits of arts and culture. The project reflects a snapshot of the extensive work that the Watermill already delivers, both on site at the theatre and across the community. Regular activity will continue to include Youth Theatre activities, adult groups, specialist weekly accessible workshops, bespoke engagements with community partners, and reaching schools through the Careers through the Arts programme.

Heidi Bird, Outreach Director at the Watermill says, “While the breadth of our reach is significant, the individual journeys and life-enhancing moments that our participants experience make the Watermill an essential resource for our local community. Through our anniversary year and beyond, we aim to continue growing this impact, building on the strong foundations of our existing provision.”