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Watermill bouncing back from Arts Council cuts with most spectacular show to date




FOLLOWING the recent news that The Watermill would be losing 100 per cent of their funding, we look behind the scenes at how they are bouncing back to produce a brand-new musical production of JRR Tolkein’s Lord of The Rings, the first time the show has been revived since its premiere in the West End in 2007.

Artistic director Paul Hart, who is also director of the production, tells @newburytoday what attracted him to the project:

Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill

“I wanted to create an unforgettable experience for audiences and this show combines all the things that The Watermill does so well.

“There will be actor musicianship, puppetry, inventive set design, video projection and incredible costumes.

“We’re throwing everything at this. It plays on a tradition of work here which has made use of our whole site to create an unforgettable experience, such as The Archers, Henry V and House and Garden where the piece has taken place both inside and out of the theatre.

Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill

“It’s also the most epic story we’ve ever told in this theatre and I think witnessing this story in such an intimate space will be a once-in-a- lifetime experience.

“The music is gorgeous and and to hear that score being played live every night by the biggest cast we’ve ever had here at The Watermill is going to be really special.

“It compares with the some of the best musicals I’ve ever seen in that space, including Sweeney Todd, Sunset Boulevard and Amelie, and requires a level of invention unlike anything we’ve ever done before.

Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill
Lord of The Rings Pic: Watermill

“What’s unusual about our way of approaching this is it’s all from the perspective of the hobbits, so when audiences arrive we’re outside in The Shire for Bilbo’s birthday and then we go inside for the rest of the show, only returning back outside for the very end when we return to The Shire.

“Even on a rainy day there’ll be some cover for the less adventurous hobbits in the audience. Also, where else can you see the whole of The Lord of The Rings in two-and-a-half hours?

“The music is wonderfully folksy and plays on a tradition of storytelling through song that works so well with actors who also play instruments.

“It is an extraordinary opportunity to bring Bag-End to Bagnor and everyone at the theatre is so committed to pulling all the stops out to make something that will be an absolute spectacle.

“It took three years to secure the rights and sell our idea of how we wanted to stage it so it’s so incredible to be getting to the point of it becoming a reality.

“And on the back of the Arts Council cut it has become a chance for us to celebrate the importance of this venue locally and also on a national scale.

“Since that announcement we’ve had Bleak Expectations transfer to the West End and huge success with Notes from a Small Island, Visitors, Through the Looking Glass and Suspicions of Mr Whicher, so we’re going from strength to strength – all thanks to the fact that we have such incredible support from local audiences.

“Lord of the Rings offers us the perfect opportunity to continue pushing the boat and making incredible theatre.

“As you can imagine tickets are flying so I encourage people to book early; so far we’ve had bookings from as far afield as America!”

Box office: (01635) 46044 www.watermill.org.uk

The Lord of The Rings runs from July 25 to October 15.



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