Watermill Friends boost Newbury theatre funds
Where would we be without friends? Throughout the year The Watermill Friends Committee, run by a dedicated group of volunteers, organise a range of special activities and events to raise funds for the Bagnor theatre’s work on and off stage.
This year, the Friends are presenting a programme of spring events from fascinating talks with experts to behind-the-scenes insights with directors, writers, and composers.
Their programme kicks off with a supper talk on Tuesday, March 8 on the topic Who do We Think We Are? This is your chance to discover your backstory and find out how to trace your family tree with Catherine Sampson, a distinguished local historian and chairwoman of the Berkshire Family History Society. Catherine will talk about how to research your family history, what types of records are available and how to interpret information.
Following this is The Wicker Husband’s Creative Insight lunchtime talk on Tuesday, March 15. After an eight-year development period and a curtailed world premiere in 2020, The Wicker Husband, is ready to hit The Watermill stage once again. Join dynamic duo writer Rhys Jennings and Darren Clark (music and lyrics) to hear about the creative process behind this mesmerising folk-inspired new musical.
On Wednesday, March 30, the theatre hosts a supper talk by Catherine Bulpitt, a local Queen’s Nurse. The Queen’s Nursing Institute is the oldest professional nursing organisation in the UK and believed to be the oldest nursing charity in the world. Catherine will give a uniquely knowledgeable talk on the history of the Queen’s Nurses and how this incredible organisation continues to be the pillar of the National Health Service.
Next up is a supper talk by Anthony Harris on Tuesday, April 5. The Watermill has a long history of performing Shakespeare, but the bard was not the only renaissance playwright. Join Dr Harris, who has taught Renaissance Drama at Oxford, for an enjoyable tour through the history and background of the playwrights of the Renaissance stage.
The programme rounds off with a lunchtime talk on Tuesday, April 12 with the magnificent songwriting duo Ben Morales Frost and Richard Hough, creators of the new musical version of Graham Greene’s novel Our Man In Havana. Hear how Ben and Richard have approached this piece of literary fiction and transformed it into a sultry, sizzling, Cuban musical. No previous sleuthing necessary, we are told.
Tickets for all Supper Talks are £26 (includes one course supper with coffee). The bar opens at 6.30pm, supper at 7.30pm and the talk begins at 8.30pm. Tickets for all Creative Insight Talks are £24 (includes one course lunch with coffee). The bar opens at 11.30am, talk at 12noon and lunch is served at 1pm.
