Watermill Theatre

The Watermill Theatre is a repertory theatre in England. It is situated in a converted water mill situated in beautiful gardens beside the River Lambourn in the hamlet of Bagnor, near the town of Newbury in the county of Berkshire. It retains many of its original architectural features such as the wheel which is viewed through a screen on entry to the auditorium, wooden beams and corn chutes which protude incongrously through the lighting arrays.

Related Topics:
Repertory - Theatre - England - Water mill - River Lambourn - Hamlet - Bagnor - Newbury - Berkshire

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The theatre seats around 200 people in the stalls and a gallery and sometimes the seats are arranged 'in the round'. Often a summer production will have the first half in the garden of the theatre which will have been specialy set up. The stage is particularly small, around 5m², which means that only plays with small casts are possible. Despite this musicals are still regularly performed with all the cast playing 2 or more instruments over the course of the play when not involved with the action due to the lack of an orchestra pit. As well as musicals each season also usually sees a Shakespeare play, often in a reinterpreted format and a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, again a re-arranged version which may only superficially resemble the original, sometimes even the title is altered.

Related Topics:
Shakespeare - Gilbert and Sullivan - Operetta

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Despite its distinctly local feel, the Watermill's productions are almost without exception reviewed and often very well by national newspapers as well as local ones and many productions transfer to the West End.

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