Watermill Theatre announces new productions for 2025

Exclusive: The Watermill Theatre has confirmed new productions for 2025.

Ian Hislop and Nick Newman will return to the Newbury venue next year with new comedy The Autobiography of a Cad. Adapted from the novel by A G Macdonell and helmed by artistic director Paul Hart, it chronicles the rise of self-proclaimed political titan Edward Percival Fox-Ingleby and will run from 7 February to 22 March.

Hislop and Newman said: “We are thrilled to be returning to the Watermill Theatre with our new play, The Autobiography of a Cad. The Watermill has been an enthusiastic supporter of new writing, and this is our fifth play for the theatre, after A Bunch of Amateurs, The Wipers Times, Trial By Laughter and Spike.

“Based on A G Macdonell’s satirical masterpiece and set in the decades before and after World War One, The Autobiography of a Cad follows in the rich tradition of outrageously subversive British humour. Once again, it is a privilege to have our work showcased by a theatre renowned for staging world-class productions.”

From 4 April to 17 May, Audrey Brisson will return to the Watermill stage in Piaf by Pam Gems. She previously garnered critical acclaim playing the titular role in Amélie in 2019, which subsequently transferred to the West End. Under the direction of Kimberley Sykes, Brisson is set to take on the role of the French chanteuse, Édith Piaf, telling the icon’s rags-to-riches stories alongside an ensemble cast of actor-musicians.

Brisson commented: “I’m very much looking forward to being back at the Watermill and getting my teeth stuck into this tremendous project.”

Next up is Camille Ucan’s Three Hens in a Boat, a co-production with Reading Rep Theatre from 22 May until 7 June. Inspired by Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat, Ucan’s comedy is set during a hen party on the Thames river and is directed by Abigail Pickard Price.

Ucan said: “I wanted to write a play about female family dynamics that celebrates the fun and interrogates the friction those relationships bring. I also wanted to explore heritage and how three generations in the same family connect (and disconnect) from their own stories, inspired by my Guyanese grandmother and our own hand-me-down history. Jerome K Jerome’s romp of a novel has provided me with the perfect backdrop for the characters to muse and meander – if you’re a die-hard fan of the book then sorry I got rid of all the men! I’m so excited to see the play come to life on stage.”

In addition, the Watermill’s Youth Ensemble will present Erich Kästner’s Emil and the Detectives, adapted by Carl Miller and directed by Heidi Bird, from 27 to 29 March.

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