Watermill Theatre Announces Cast And Creative Team For MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Newbury's The Watermill Theatre has announced full cast and creative team for the next show at the award-winning Newbury venue. 

From 12 April – 18 May, The Watermill's critically acclaimed Watermill Ensemble will sashay into the Golden Age of Hollywood in a new take on Shakespeare's classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing. 

Adapted by Tom Wentworth and directed by Paul Hart, the new production sets the comedy at a bustling film set and will feature a 1940s-inspired soundscape, played live by the ensemble cast of actor-musicians.

Returning to The Watermill Theatre are Katherine Jack (As You Like It, The Watermill Theatre) who will play ‘Beatrice' opposite James Mack (The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Rivals, Macbeth, Journey's End, The Watermill Theatre) as ‘Benedick', Patrick Bridgman (The Lord of the Rings, The Watermill Theatre) as ‘Leonato', Thuliswa Magwaza (Much Ado About Nothing, The Duke of York's Theatre) as ‘Hero', Jack Quarton (Amélie, The Criterion Theatre) as ‘Don Pedro', Augustina Seymour (Othello, The Watermill Theatre) as ‘Don John' and Hayden Wood (The Play That Goes Wrong, The Duchess Theatre) as ‘Dogberry'.  Emma Barclay (Rapunzel and As You Like It, The Watermill Theatre) will be sharing the roles of ‘Verges / Friar / Conrade' with Leigh Quinn (Linck and Mülhahn – Hampstead, Boundless as the Sea, RSC). New to The Watermill Theatre are Fred Double (Aladdin, Hackney Empire) who will play ‘Claudio' with Priscille Grace (Dick Whittington, Queens Theatre, Hornchurch) as ‘Margaret'.

Much Ado About Nothing will be directed by Watermill Artistic Director Paul Hart, with Ceci Calf as designer (Othello, The Watermill), Robin Colyer (An Enemy Of The People, Flintlock Theatre) as musical director and sound designer, Charley Dunford as lighting designer (Macbeth, The Watermill) and Sofia Gallucci as assistant director. The stage management team will be Cat Pewsey (CSM), Leila Stephenson and Natalie Toney (ASMs), with Maia Thompson on rehearsal placement (ASM). BSL Consultant is Daryl Jackson, the BSL integrated sign performers are Ana Becker and Rachael Merry, and the Audio Describer is Jane Brambley.

Paul Hart said, “What better way to celebrate Shakespeare, the creator of the romantic comedy, than with Tom Wentworth's new adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, which combines the on and off-screen drama and antics of a film studio with the glamour of 1940s Hollywood and a jazz and swing soundscape.  Expect mischief, mayhem and passions to run high!”

THE Watermill Theatre

The Watermill Theatre is The Stage's Theatre of the Year 2024, a title it jointly holds with The National Theatre. In November 2022 Arts Council England cut The Watermill's National Portfolio funding – equating to a loss of £460k a year. The Theatre, now an independent charity without any statutory funding, went on to produce 8 shows in 2023, including the award winning The Lord of the Rings, its most ambitious production to date, which saw it welcome 17,000 people through its doors, 47% of whom were first time bookers.

The Watermill Theatre, a converted Grade II listed rural watermill nestled on the banks of the river Lambourn, is a unique producing powerhouse of residential and artistic facilities which provide a crucible for creativity, innovative storytelling and artistic excellence. The Watermill's work is characterised by an enduring pursuit of artistic innovation and the weaving of actor-musicianship through new writing and reinvigorated classics. They tell stories that reflect and celebrate diverse lived experiences, create the environment for actors and creatives to take risks, and connect annual audiences of 60,000 with live theatre that truly resonates. 

With a core belief in the transformative power of the arts, The Watermill Theatre open opportunities for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, young families and isolated or displaced communities to explore their own creativity. Their engagement programmes reach 20,000 people each year in the theatre, schools and other community settings. The theatre engages with those who are underrepresented, hard to reach, or at risk and drives long term impact for its communities. 

Reaching far beyond the 200 seats in its auditorium, The Watermill's productions regularly transfer to the West End or tour nationally and internationally.  Over the last five years, half of its productions have had a further life beyond The Watermill including Bleak Expectations, SPIKE, Amelie the Musical, Tell Me on a Sunday and Crazy for You.  The Watermill's central ethos is to commission, discover and amplify new voices to create work that excites audiences now and will become part of the theatrical canon in the future.

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