Dame Judi Dench is lending her support to Newbury’s Watermill Theatre at a one-off event next month, after the theatre lost £464,000 of Arts Council funding last year.
On Friday, May 10, audiences will gather to listen to Dame Judi share Shakespearian stories and anecdotes from her illustrious career, joined by her friend, actor / director Brendan O’Hea.
Speaking to the BBC, she described the Watermill Theatre as a “jewel in the heart of Berkshire that deserves to be supported and relished and celebrated”.
“We’re so looking forward to appearing at the Watermill – an exquisite little theatre with an international reach,” she said.
For the theatre’s executive director Claire Murray, having Dame Judi’s support is invaluable.
“Having Judi Dench coming to our tiny corner of Berkshire is incredibly helpful,” Ms Murray said, adding that the support offered by trusts, foundations and corporations has been “heartening”, and she is now “optimistic” about the theatre’s future.
Despite a more “positive” financial year last year, the Watermill still needs to raise £870,000 this year.
“We have to find a way to be able to continue to provide the work which we do and do the outreach work,” said Ms Murray. “How we do that is where we’ve got to get creative.”
Tickets for Shakespeare: Judi Dench in conversation with Brendan O’Hea have already sold out. But a charity raffle to win a pair of stalls tickets is still open.
Raffle tickets cost £5 per entry. Visit www.watermill.org.uk/judi-dench-raffle to enter the raffle, which closes at 10am on Monday, April 29.
All proceeds from the raffle will be matched by the Funding Alliance (created by Greenham Trust) and will go directly towards the theatre’s fundraising income.
