Annual Review2013/14

Another Busy YearIt’s been another busy and successful year for The Watermill Theatre. The majority of our main house shows exceeded box office target and we were delighted to welcome over 65,000 people to our beautiful theatre. In addition to those who saw a show, nearly 1,000 people experienced a special Friends event and approximately 5,000 saw our work on tour.

As a producing theatre, a new cast and creative team for each show are assembled, who live on site throughout the rehearsal and performance period, becoming part of The Watermill family.

This year we produced:

• 7 main house productions

• 1 outreach tour

• 1 schools tour

• 3 theatre productions by young people

The Watermill continues to attract national and local press coverage which highlights the excellence of the theatre’s work.

Who We Are• 49 full and part-time people are employed at The Watermill.

• A pool of over 70 volunteer ushers help run our front of house.

• The Friends Committee is a voluntary body of 12 committed individuals who tirelessly raise money through special events, talks and membership.

• Each year, we employ approximately 120 actors, designers, directors, technicians and stage managers who make up our creative teams.

• We employ over 30 facilitators who run our youth theatre, summer courses and a range of community activities throughout the year.

• Our restaurant team employs 44 part-time staff from school leavers to mature adults.

• We are home to 20 ducks, 9 swans, 1 dog, a theatre cat and 22 fish!

The Strange Case ofDr Jekyll and Mr HydeCreated by Rhum and Clay Theatre Company and Beth Flintoff

“… brilliant and seemingly effortless performance.” The STage

“… ingenious macabre play that’s filled with stunning theatrical creativity and a wonderful comic sense of the absurd.” BriTiSh TheaTre guide

“… a tornado of a theatrical experience… with some Watermill stardust sprinkled on it.” henley STandard

“Best thing I have seen in a long time - such brilliance of movement.” audience MeMBer

The Miser By Molière

“… a fast-paced and very funny production that had the audience laughing out loud from start to finish.” BriTiSh TheaTre guide

“… Meckler’s Fresh and energetic young cast frolic and plot with great pleasure.” WhaTS on STage

“… a fresh new adaptation.” MarlBorough PeoPle

“Energising! Captivating! Witty! WOW! audience MeMBer

Our Main House Productions

Laurel & Hardy By Tom McGrath

“… a poignant and beautifully crafted theatrical tribute.” The STage

“This is an outstanding production. Not to be missed.” BriTiSh TheaTre guide

“… fascinating, moving and ultimately heart-warming piece of theatre.” The good revieW

“A touching and enjoyable insight into the lives of two undoubtedly great comedians.” neWBury TheaTre

“Really beautifully performed, I laughed and even cried a little! Wonderful play.” audience MeMBer

The Witches of Eastwick By arrangement with CAMERON MACKINTOSH LTD BY JOHN DEMPSEY AND DANA P ROWEPresented by arrangement with JOSEF WEINBERGER LIMITEDOn behalf of MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL of New York

“Devilishly good fun.” daily Mail

“… bewitching performances, uncanny special effects and a fiendishly clever design.” The TiMeS

“It’s hard to imagine anyone failing to be impressed by the sheer pizazz of this production, and the energy, commitment and virtuosity of its performers.” The good revieW

“This is a wonderfully wicked production that had the audience laughing out loud…” BriTiSh TheaTre guide

“Superb! Craig Revel Horwood is a genius!! Laughed and cried with laughter.” audience MeMBer

Sherlock’s Last Case By Charles Marowitz

“A cracking plot, amazing set, one of the best in a long line of inspired creations in The Watermill’s tiny space, great character and some lovely humour…” WilTShire gazeTTe and herald

“… this ingenious addendum to the Holmes adventures… is booby-trapped against critics. Reveals much more than the elementary set-up and you spoil the delight.” The TelegraPh

“The high standard of acting from the whole cast brings this play together, and once again, an ingeniously designed set and superb sound effects add to the impressive impact of this show.” MarlBorough PeoPle

“What an excellent performance. Superior acting, set and great script to match!” audience MeMBer

Pinocchio Based on the original story by Carlo CollodiBy Robin Belfield and Simon Slater

“The Watermill, one of the most enchanting theatres in the country, is a delight at any time of the year, but it has a special twinkly magic over the festive period and always delivers an enjoyable show for all the family.” The guardian

“A visit to this dinky converted Watermill is usually a family treat in its own right, but the festive shows here don’t rest on the laurels of the picturesque surroundings.” The TelegraPh

“… an absolutely spellbinding theatrical treat.” BriTiSh TheaTre guide

“Fabulous… thank you for ending our Christmas in such a great way.” audience MeMBer

Other Achievements • Our Friends committee raised over £80,000 for the theatre.

• We welcomed over 100 new members to our Friends scheme.

• Our restaurant served 23,000 people and together with bar income, generated a net surplus of £95,000.

• £65,000 was raised via the Catalyst Programme which, supported by match funding from the Arts Council, enabled us to create shows with larger casts.

• During the year, we completed the replacement of the roof in the restaurant, carried out improvements to the sluice and pump works, upgraded equipment in the theatre and restaurant and replaced windows in the theatre building.

• Mill Cottage, adjacent to the theatre, was purchased for additional accommodation for our actors.

• We were nominated by UK Theatre Awards as the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre.

• We continued to mentor and advise Rhum and Clay Theatre Company who became an Associate Company of The Watermill in 2013.

• Watermill Board Observer positions were created for up and coming regional theatre directors.

• Stage management placements were offered to young people in the early stages of their career.

All My Sons By Arthur Miller

“Deftly directed by Douglas Rintoul, this timeless classic is a highly accomplished production and is thoroughly recommended.” BriTiSh TheaTre guide

“The play’s success depends on the performance of these four characters, and succeed it does, with very strong performances - I was mesmerised.” neWBury TheaTre

“… the play is magnificent and should be seen by anyone who enjoys a serious drama.” henley STandard

“At the end of the show, many in the audience seemed slightly stunned by its impact… it had moved them to tears.” The good revieW

“Thoroughly mesmerising - beautifully performed.” audience MeMBer

Outreach & EducationThe work of The Watermill Theatre goes far beyond the shows performed on stage. In 2013/14 our Outreach and Education work reached over 13,500 participants taking part in a huge range of activities, including:

• 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 core education and outreach work is generously supported by The Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation.

Outreach & Education continuedOur Youth Theatre staged two productions: Life Lessons performed by the Senior Youth Theatre and You Can’t Take It With You by the Young Company. These productions were fully supported by professional Watermill creative teams and each production ran for a week at the theatre.

We also produced Romeo + Juliet which toured to local secondary schools. This was seen by nearly 3,000 students studying GCSE, AS and A Levels.

Life Lessons

You Can’t Take It With You

Romeo + Juliet

Sources of Income

Box office & Touring 40%

Restaurant 21%

Fundraising 13%

Grants 22%

Youth Theatre& Education 3%

Other 1%

Sources of Expenditure

Production 52%

Restaurant 17%

Staff Costs 18%

Fundraising 2%

Organisational Costs 10%

Other 1%

Our Finances(unrestricted income) • It costs approximately £2.5 million to produce our plays, run the theatre and our education programme.

• We are able to generate 78% of our own income through direct theatre activities and fundraising initiatives.

• Just 22% of income comes from grants and investment.

• A recent economic impact study, conducted by Reading University, shows that we contribute around £2.6 million to the local economy each year.

Our Supporters As a registered charity The Watermill Theatre relies on the extraordinary support of our audience to help protect the quality of our future activities, on and off stage. Our thanks go to all those who have supported the theatre over the years and we look forward to another prosperous year ahead.

Watermill Sponsors

AccentureCricketts Estate AgentsFuller’s BreweryHorsey Lightly SolicitorsRegent LettingsSheepdrove Organic Farm

Watermill Corporate Club

Cheam SchoolCodelocks LtdDickins Hopgood ChidleyGardner Leader SolicitorsHandelsbanken Highcross GroupLloyds TSB CommercialNewbury Building SocietyRivar LtdStearn Electric

Trusts and Foundations

The Arbib FoundationThe Bernard Sunley Charitable FoundationCardy Beaver FoundationThe Carr-Gregory TrustThe D’Oyly Carte Charitable TrustThe Colefax Charitable TrustThe Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler FoundationThe Dyers’ CompanyThe Englefield Charitable Trust The AW Gale Charitable TrustGamlen Charitable TrustThe Garfield Weston FoundationThe Greenham Common Community Trust LtdThe Guild of King Alfred PlayersThe Iliffe Family Charitable TrustThe Male Family Charitable TrustMiss W E Lawrence 1973 Charitable SettlementNewbury Decorative and Fine Arts SocietyPGCTSheepdrove TrustSir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary SettlementThe Stanley Foundation

In Kind Sponsors

Archibald Shaw

Platinum Benefactors

James ReesSir Trevor Chinn CVO and Lady ChinnThe Hon Christopher and Mrs Sharples Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous

Gold Benefactor

Anthony Harris

Watermill Circle

Andrew TuckeyPeter BeavenJennifer EdwardsEnid HardyRichard HardyRobert MichaelsonDebby PuxleyAnonymous

Looking Forward We are delighted to announce that we will be upgrading our existing heating and cooling system in the theatre. This development will dramatically improve the long-term thermal and environmental performance of The Watermill Theatre, improve audience and performer comfort and reduce running costs by the use of green mechanical technologies. The project will start in late 2014.

Arts Council England is also continuing its support of The Watermill Theatre from 2015-2018. This news has been received with grateful thanks and means that we can continue to produce high quality theatre for all to enjoy. 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 fundraising commitment and energy is greatly appreciated.

Board of DirectorsAndrew Tuckey (Chairman), Daniel Adams, Carole-Anne Armstrong, Tony Ayers, Ralph Bernard, Alison Blackmore, Simon Fenton, Clare Fox, Karin Gartzke, Lady Gent, Patrick Griffin, Deborah Puxley.

Friends CommitteeCarole-Anne Armstrong (Chairman), Sam Picton, Mike Cole, Alan Davidson, Sally Fell, Caroline Lumley, Gaye Spencer, Barry Spiller, Julie Squire, Barry Stone, Ruth Tibbetts, Nicky Wilkins.

The Watermill Theatre Trust is a registered charity no: 261430 and receives core funding from

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Contact UsAdministration: 01635 45834Facsimile: 01635 523726Email: admin@watermill.org.uk

The Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 8AE

BOX OFFICE 01635 46044www.watermill.org.uk