The New Year Fairy sprinkles stardust
The Watermill Theatre is saved!
Press Release - 4 January 2007
The funds have been raised to purchase the theatre. The Watermill Theatre’s Board of Directors is delighted to announce that they are in a position to purchase The Watermill premises securing the theatre’s future.
Ralph Bernard, Chairman of the Save The Watermill appeal said:
"Over 2,600 donors have helped us to raise a fantastic £1,800,000 in only 18 months and this successfully completes the first stage of the appeal to secure the theatre’s future."
Richard Price, Chairman of the Board, said:
"We are hugely grateful to all those generous people who have supported the Save The Watermill appeal and I am absolutely thrilled that the theatre company is now able to purchase The Watermill premises."
The trustees of the Boris Karloff Foundation are backing the theatre with a loan of £750,000 so that the Board of Directors could meet the deadline and commit to purchasing the theatre before the end of December 2006.
James Sargant, Executive Director and current owner of the premises said:
"It is absolutely wonderful that the trustees of the Boris Karloff Foundation have been able to help us in this way. My wife Jill (Fraser), who ran the theatre for 25 years and who died last year, always had the ambition that the theatre should be able to continue long into the future and this wish has now been granted. As a family we are all delighted."
The theatre is now focusing all its efforts on raising the remaining balance of £1,200,000 to enable the building work to commence in April this year as planned. The first stage will be the crucial work to extend the cramped offices and provide additional rehearsal and meeting space.
The next stage will be to refurbish the lily pond area adjacent to the restaurant to improve facilities for the theatre’s audiences. The building programme will complete phase two of the appeal to establish a firm foundation for the future of The Watermill Theatre.
For more information about the Save The Watermill appeal contact Susan Foster on 01635 570915 or e-mail
appeal@watermill.org.uk