On 17 March following UK Government advice, The Watermill Theatre and Restaurant took the difficult decision to temporarily close its doors and cancel all performances, events, and Outreach and Education activities until further notice.
The theatre is committed to playing its part to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to ensuring the wellbeing of its audience members, participants, staff and performers. However, the impact of cancelling performances and closing its restaurant is potentially catastrophic for The Watermill, a registered arts charity. As the theatre can no longer generate income through ticket and restaurant sales, it is finding itself in an incredibly difficult situation. In response to this, The Watermill has launched a fundraising campaign, ACT NOW, to help us ACT Tomorrow, and invites you, its extended community, to support the theatre by making a donation. A gift now, will prevent long-term closure, mitigate any lost income and provide the theatre with the best possible chance of getting back on its feet as quickly as possible. The Watermill’s focus is to survive and recover.
“We usually turn to theatre to lift our spirits, particularly in times of adversity, so it is with a heavy heart that we are forced to close our doors and accept that The Watermill is unable to provide a sanctuary for its community at this moment in time. I am therefore appealing to you now, to do something amazing by making a donation to support The Watermill Theatre. These are turbulent times for us all, but we are determined to get through this and with you behind us, we are confident that we can survive and recover. Please ACT NOW, to help us ACT Tomorrow.
We hope that one day soon, we will open our doors to the public again, and together, we will enjoy the wonder of theatre”. Paul Hart, Artistic & Executive Director.
If you have already booked a ticket to see a show at the theatre in the forthcoming weeks, you may have already received a telephone call from the box office, informing you of the temporary closure. The Watermill Theatre is incredibly grateful to those who have donated the value of their theatre tickets to this immediate cause and we would like to say a heartfelt thank you for your generosity and support.
To make a donation to help The Watermill Theatre to survive and recover, please:
- Donate online www.watermill.org.uk
- Send a cheque made payable to Watermill Theatre Limited, to Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 8AE, for the attention of Jo Bycroft, Development Director
- Transfer funds into our bank account: Bank: Handelsbanken, Account Name: Watermill Theatre Limited, Account Number: 24183601, Sort Code: 40-51-62 or
- Call the Box Office on 01635 46044