Three Commissions and a Classic at the Watermill in 2014

The Watermill Theatre in Berkshire has announced its spring 2014 season. It includes three new plays commissioned by the theatre – which is one of two West Berkshire venues (the other being the Newbury Corn Exchange) over which loom a threat of local authority funding cuts.

Pinocchio, this year's Christmas production, ends its run on 5 January. Between 31 January and 15 February there's a compilation cabaret show called The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea featuring the music of the 1920s and a cast including several of the Watermill's team of actor-musicians. Simon Slater is its begetter.

Arthur Miller's searing family tragedy All My Sons takes the stage from 20 February until 22 March. It is directed by David Rintoul, who was responsible for this year's production of "Of Mice and Men" with designs by Hayley Grindle.

The Watermill has a thriving youth theatre and its senior members premiere Life Lessons, written and directed by Beth Flintoff, between 26 and 29 March. The first of the commissions follows. It's an adaptation by Jessica Swale (who also directs) of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. The designer is Philip Engleheart and the run is from 3 April until 10 May.

A story by Jonathan Gershfield and John Ross "A Bunch of Amateurs" was filmed in 2008 with Burt Reynolds as the fading Hollywood actor who comes to play Lear at Stratford – only to find that this is a small Suffolk village and not the town where Shakespeare was born, and that he will be playing with the local am dram, not the RSC!

Ian Hislop and Nick Newman have made this new commissioned stage version, which will be directed by Caroline Leslie. It opens on 22 May and plays until 28 June. The third of the Watermill's commissions for the first half of 2014 is Hardboiled: The Fall of Sam Shadow. It's been created by the Rhum and Clay Theatre Company with Flintoff and will tour regionally after the 1 to 12 July performances.