Watermill Theatre unveils 60th anniversary season with Jerusalem and Carousel
The Watermill Theatre will stage Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel in a 2027 season for its 60th anniversary.
The Newbury house announced the year-long programme on 20 October 2026, with work running from January to December 2027, according to WhatsOnStage.
The season opens with The Wipers Times by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman. It runs from 29 January to 6 March and is directed by Caroline Leslie. The play is based on the satirical newspaper produced by British soldiers in the First World War trenches.
The Watermill Youth Ensemble follows with a new adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It runs from 11 to 13 March, adapted and directed by Matty Green. The Youth Ensemble is the theatre's company for young performers.
Jerusalem runs from 19 March to 24 April. The revival is presented in association with Fiery Angel, a commercial theatre producer. It is based on Lisa Blair's 2018 production and will be co-directed by Paul Hart and Georgie Staight.
Alan Ayckbourn's Way Upstream will be staged outdoors on and around the water at the Watermill. It will be directed by Katie Posner. The comedy is set on a riverboat and will use the theatre's river setting.
Carousel is planned for summer 2027, directed by Paul Hart. The production will use a new orchestral adaptation by Stuart Morley written for actor-musicians, meaning the cast play the instruments on stage. Choreography is by Anjali Mehra.
The Watermill said it is working with domestic abuse charity Project Salama on the presentation of Billy and Julie, the musical's central couple. Their relationship includes domestic violence.
The autumn brings the world premiere of Enigma, meaning its first ever staging. Mike Poulton has adapted the play from Robert Harris's novel about Second World War codebreakers at Bletchley Park. It is directed by Paul Hart and co-commissioned by Chichester Festival Theatre, meaning the two theatres have jointly paid for its development.
The anniversary year closes with a new adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's Beauty and the Beast. It is adapted by Tatty Hennessy and directed by Indiana Lown-Collins.
To sit alongside the work on stage, the theatre will launch Creative Futures. It is a public fundraising campaign with a target of £60,000 to be raised during 2027.
For anyone planning ahead, the dates stretch across the full year. Casting and ticket sale dates have not yet been announced.
