Annual Review
2014/15
A Year of Success Another year over, and what a fantastic year it’s been. This year we presented 8 main house productions: • Sense and Sensibility
A total of 460 performances were seen by an audience of 78,433 including those who saw a Watermill show on tour. Our touring shows were:
• A Bunch Of Amateurs
• Hardboiled
• Hardboiled
• Hamlet
• Calamity Jane
• The Selfish Giant
• Journey’s End
• The Secret Adversary and
• But First This - A Musical Homage To Radio 4
• Calamity Jane, (in association with Jamie Wilson, Paul Elliot and Duncan C Weldon) which toured for a full year after its Watermill run, boosted our audience figures. This show reached 220,000 people from around the UK from Plymouth to Aberdeen and Dublin.
• Peter Pan • The Secret Adversary
Our Main House Productions
Sense and Sensibility
A Bunch Of Amateurs
By Jane Austen Adapted and directed by Jessica Swale
By Ian Hislop and Nick Newman From an original story by Jonathan Gershfield & John Ross Directed by Caroline Leslie In association with Trademark Films
“This assured adaptation, a welcome addition to an ever-growing list of Austen-inspired creations, looks certain to be a success.” THE GOOD REVIEW ★★★★
“Jessica Swale’s vivacious adaption of Jane Austen’s first novel Sense and Sensibility enchantingly captures the spirit, manners and fun of this classic story. She is also blessed with a stellar cast which she directs with aplomb. For Austen devotees, this will certainly delight, and newcomers to her work will be captivated.” BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
“Jessica Swale has done a fantastic job of bringing the scenes and characters truthfully to life with sparkling and witty dialogue. Her sensitive direction is pacey, whilst taking its time over the more important moments, never rushing the excellent cast.” UK THEATRE NETWORK “Fantastically good show, really strong adaptation, direction and great cast.” AUDIENCE MEMBER
“…wonderfully warm and witty stage adaptation…” WHAT’S ON STAGE ★★★★★
“A hilarious witty comedy that had the audience laughing out loud from the very beginning.” BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
“As the setting for a gentle English comedy, The Watermill Theatre could scarcely be improved.” THE TELEGRAPH
“What a wonderful afternoon of entertainment. This is why we love live theatre.” AUDIENCE MEMBER
Hardboiled
Calamity Jane
By Rhum and Clay Theatre Company and Beth Flintoff
Adapted for the stage by Charles K. Freeman Directed by Nikolai Foster In association with Jamie Wilson, Paul Elliot and Duncan C Weldon
“This highly physical, energetic production is totally captivating, performed with style and élan by these accomplished actors and was thoroughly enjoyed by the receptive audience. It certainly deserves a ‘life’ after Newbury.” BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
“…this is a tight and polished technical work of art.” DAILY INFO, OXFORD
“Most of all it’s a physical piece with some astounding choreography done with balletic grace and timing.” THE HENLEY STANDARD
“Slick, seductive and loved the mystery!” AUDIENCE MEMBER
“Nikolai Foster’s touring Watermill Theatre production is such rip-roaring fun that it will have you flinging your ten-gallon hat in the air.” THE TIMES ★★★★
“Choreographer Nick Winston does wonders with the limited space, especially in the high-kicking hoe-down numbers that have a real zing to them.” DAILY EXPRESS ★★★★
“…Fast paced, full of life and great fun. This is what a musical ought to be!” NEWBURY THEATRE
“A wonderful show- great singing, dancing and such musical talent. My boys, 14 and 17, were inspired! P.S. Next stop the West End. Yeehaa!!” AUDIENCE MEMBER
Journey’s End
But First This - A musical homage to Radio 4
By R C Sheriff Directed by Paul Hart
By Kathy Clugston and Desmond O’Connor Directed by Michael Kingsbury In association with Act Productions Limited
“Director Paul Hart has elicited striking performances from what is clearly a top-drawer cast.” THE GOOD REVIEW ★★★★★
“…Journey’s End doesn’t seem to have dated at all - especially in a production that’s as well judged and staged as this one.” THE OXFORD TIMES ★★★★★
“R C Sherriff’s World War One classic is atmospherically revived by director Paul Hart” WHAT’S ON STAGE ★★★★
“The play’s power is intensified by some particularly fine performances - the high-octane rawness of William Postlethwaite, the emotional disintegration of the puppy-optimism of James Mack and the marvellous performance of Jim Creighton - strong, sensitive, under-stated.” AUDIENCE MEMBER
“…a brilliantly funny script by Kathy Clugston that ranges from subtle in-jokes to hilarious farcical moments.” GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘The best songs - lightly jazzy with clever lyrics - are about the Shipping Forecast (‘it’s Britain’s lullaby’) and the R4 department of pedantry, driven mad by Justin Webb using ‘impact’ as a verb.’ DAILY MAIL ★★★
‘Straight away Clugston’s rhymes and Desmond O’Connor’s skilful show tunes, convince us that this will be more than a one-joke wonder.’ THE TIMES ★★★
“…a brilliant show, great laughs and songs. I’m recommending this to all my friends.” AUDIENCE MEMBER
Peter Pan
The Secret Adversary
By J M Barrie Adapted by Robin Belfield and Simon Slater Directed by Robin Belfield
By Agatha Christie Adapted by Sarah Punshon and Johann Hari Directed by Sarah Punshon In association with Eleanor Lloyd Productions
“These six talented actors bring so much swashbuckling energy to the action you’d think there were 30 of them.” WILTSHIRE GAZETTE AND HERALD
“A clever, versatile cast - frequently doubling as musicians for the musical accompaniment - give it a propulsive momentum.”
“An engaging interpretation which showcases the cast members’ talents for multitasking”
THE STAGE ★★★
THE STAGE ★★★★
THE DAILY MAIL ★★★★
“…a joyous reworking of a classic for a modern audience of young and old.” WHAT’S ON STAGE ★★★★
“Magical production of Peter Pan at The Watermill, loved by Grandpa (70), Henry (4) and everyone in between! Go and see it if you can!” AUDIENCE MEMBER VIA TWITTER
“Nifty, old-school and fun... It’s Agatha Frisky!” “A rollicking, rampaging and dazzling outing…” BARGAIN THEATRE
“Inspired, humorous production; immensely enjoyable” AUDIENCE MEMBER
Other Achievements • We successfully acquired Ash Cottage, a property in Bagnor close to the theatre, to accommodate our cast and creative teams whilst they rehearse onsite, providing a ‘home from home’ during their stay.
• We currently have over 1,200 Friends of The Watermill. Last year, our dedicated Friends Committee fundraised nearly £75,000 for the theatre through membership donation and a varied events programme.
• We were delighted to surpass our Catalyst fundraising target this year. The 3 year campaign has now finished, achieving a magnificent sum of £144,000 which unlocked a further £92,000 of Arts Council, England match funding. This initiative saw 230 new Friends join The Watermill’s membership scheme. Thank you to all those who contributed to our impressive total.
• Our busy restaurant staff served over 24,000 diners during the year
Funds raised through the Catalyst scheme will be used to increase our artistic work in the local community, provide opportunities for emerging new creative talent to work at the theatre and increase and develop our artistic output by creating bigger shows with more actors.
• Using state of the art green technology, we recently invested in a heating and cooling system which has been a welcome improvement to our audience’s comfort all year round. This system harnesses ground source energy which heats and cools our auditorium, dressing rooms, foyer and restaurant. We now have greater control of temperature and are better prepared for the unpredictability of the British climate! The new system was generously supported by Arts Council, England, The Headley Trust, Sheepdrove Trust, The Spencer Wills Trust and investment from the theatre’s reserves.
• Our Artistic Director, Hedda Beeby, was awarded ‘Theatre Manager of the Year’ by the UK Theatre Awards
• First time attendance increased during this period, with 4,316 new visitors coming to the theatre.
Outreach & Education We are more than just a venue. The Watermill Theatre’s work goes far beyond the shows performed onstage. The Watermill delivered a wide range of activities with, for and by children and young people with over 13,000 people taking part. Our weekly programme of youth theatre sees 155 young people participating each week and in addition, we offer practitioner led classes for adults of all ages. There really is something for everyone. • Waterminis (for the under 5s) • Junior Youth Theatre (ages 5-11 years) • Senior Youth Theatre (ages 12-17 years) • Young Company (ages 17-25 years) • Associate Youth Theatre (ages 8-16 years) • Encore (regular drama workshops for older people no longer in full-time work) • Upstage (weekly drama group for adults) • Raising Voices (script reading service) • Actors’ Forum (support network for local professional actors) • Business Training Courses • Holiday Courses for children of all ages • Family Fun Days • Scratch Choirs • Schools workshops and bespoke teacher training • Student work placements • Young Carers Project • Schools Touring Programme
Our Youth Theatre staged two productions: Twelfth Night performed by the Watermill Young Company and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by the Senior Youth Theatre. These productions were fully supported by professional Watermill creative teams and each production ran for 4 evenings at The Watermill. We also produced The Bard Unbound, a community show for members of our regular groups and local performers. They enacted their favourite Shakespeare scenes and speeches on The Watermill stage. We welcomed all ages and abilities to have a go and enjoy themselves. During 2014/15 we were able to offer even more work experience opportunities for vulnerable young people through our Horizons project. Our work with schools across the region included a menu of workshops on different aspects of theatre. We also produced 100 Years Ago - a play written by 6 secondary school students in collaboration with The Watermill and performed by over 100 children from 6 rural primary schools.
Our core Outreach & Education programme is generously supported by The Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation.
Our Finances
Sources of Income
(unrestricted income) Box Office & Touring
46%
• It costs approximately £2.9 million to produce our plays, run the theatre and our education programme
Restaurant
19%
• We are able to generate 80% of our own income through direct theatre activities and fundraising initiatives
Grants
• The remaining 20% of income comes from Arts Council, England and West Berkshire Council grants
Fundraising Youth Theatre & Education Other
11.5% 20% 3% 0.5%
• 29% of tickets are now sold online • We generated £1,375,525 in ticket sales • Attendance averaged 85% over the year • The average price for a theatre ticket was £16.66 • Facebook likes have increased by 27% and Twitter followers increased by 16% We were delighted to receive news that our application to the Arts Council, England for continued National Portfolio funding was successful. This gives us much needed security and ensures our ability to build on the achievements of recent years.
Sources of Expenditure Production
57%
Restaurant
17%
Staff Costs
16%
Fundraising
1.7%
Organisational Costs Other
8% 0.3%
Our Supporters As a registered charity The Watermill Theatre relies on the extraordinary support from a number of individuals, companies, Friends, trusts and foundations who all help protect the quality of our work by contributing so generously. Thank you. Watermill Sponsors Accenture Crickets du Pré plc Horsey Lightly Solicitors Regent Lettings Sheepdrove Organic Farm Watermill Corporate Club Cheam School Codelocks Ltd Dickins Hopgood Chidley Doves Farm Gardner Leader Solicitors Handelsbanken Maxx Design Ltd Newbury Building Society Northwood Investors Pinewood School Rivar Ltd Stearn Electric Trusts and Foundations The Arbib Foundation The Arts Council, England
The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation Cardy Beaver Foundation The Carr-Gregory Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust The Colefax Charitable Trust The Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation The Dyers’ Company The Englefield Charitable Trust Fuller’s Brewery The AW Gale Charitable Trust Gamlen Charitable Trust The Garfield Weston Foundation The Greenham Common Community Trust Ltd The Headley Trust The Iliffe Family Charitable Trust Miss W E Lawrence 1973 Charitable Settlement The Male Family Charitable Trust Newbury Decorative and Fine Arts Society The Peter Cundill Foundation PGCT Phillip Oppenheimer Foundation Sheepdrove Trust The Spencer Wills Trust West Berkshire Council Anonymous
In Kind Sponsors Archibald Shaw Platinum Benefactors James Rees Sir Christopher and Lady Gent Sir Trevor Chinn CVO and Lady Chinn The Hon Christopher and Mrs Sharples Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Gold Benefactor Anthony Harris Anonymous Watermill Circle Andrew Tuckey Jennifer Edwards Enid Hardy Richard Hardy Robert Michaelson Debby Puxley Anonymous Anonymous
New Direction Hedda Beeby, our Artistic & Executive Director of 8 years will be leaving us in Autumn 2015 and we will be very sad to wave goodbye. Hedda has led the theatre with such distinction and our strong position today owes much to her vision and the quality of her leadership. Heartfelt thanks are due from us all and we wish Hedda well in the next exciting chapter in her life. Hedda will be handing over the reins to Paul Hart who many will already know as he has directed a number of productions here including: Heroes, Great Expectations, The Tempest and more recently Journey’s End. We are delighted to welcome Paul to The Watermill family and we look forward to sharing his vision for the theatre’s future.
Thank You We are very grateful to the Board of Directors who continue to provide guidance and advice to the theatre and also the Friends Committee whose commitment and tireless fundraising efforts are greatly appreciated.
Board of Directors Andrew Tuckey (Chair), Daniel Adams, Carole-Anne Armstrong, Tony Ayers, Ralph Bernard, Alison Blackmore, Simon Fenton, Clare Fox, Karin Gartzke, Lady Gent, Patrick Griffin and Deborah Puxley.
Friends Committee Carole-Anne Armstrong (Chair), Sam Picton, Mike Cole, Alan Davidson, Sally Fell, Caroline Lumley, Gaye Spencer, Barry Spiller, Julie Squire, Barry Stone, Ruth Tibbetts, Nicky Wilkins.
‘….one of the most enchanting theatres in the country….’ THE GUARDIAN
Administration: 01635 45834 Facsimile: 01635 523726 Email: admin@watermill.org.uk The Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 8AE
BOX OFFICE 01635 46044 www.watermill.org.uk The Watermill Theatre Trust is a registered charity no: 261430 and receives core funding from
Photo credits: Tomm Coles, Philip Tull and Colin Willoughby.
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