Watermill Theatre reveals socially distanced indoor season including actor-musician Christmas Carol

A new indoor autumn/winter season has been revealed by the Watermill Theatre in Newbury.

Set to kick off on 22 September with a production of 2011 thriller Bloodshot (starring Simon Slater, written by Douglas Post and directed by Patrick Sandford) the season will also feature a new actor-musican version of A Christmas Carol, running from 18 November to 31 December. Staged by two performers, A Christmas Carol will be penned by Danielle Pearson and directed by Georgia Staight.

The third production, running from 21 October to 21 November, will be a revival of Ade Morris' The Last Fight of Amy Johnson, directed by Lucy Betts.

Artistic director Paul Hart said: "After a hugely successful, outdoor summer season we're delighted to announce plans for reopening our indoor space this autumn. I think what we've all missed is the opportunity to share stories – something that's always been pretty magical in The Watermill's beautiful auditorium.

"We return to two fantastic pieces of writing from Douglas Post and Ade Morris, as well as commissioning a new version of perennial classic A Christmas Carol from our playwright-in-residence Danielle Pearson. I'm also thrilled that we have Georgie Staight and Lucy Betts making their directorial debuts for us. We genuinely can't wait to open our doors again and welcome audiences back to the theatre."

In line with government guidance, the auditorium has been reconfigured to allow for social distancing between audience members. Bubbles will be able to accommodate groups of up to five spectators, with all seats in a bubble purchased in one transaction.

Face masks will be required, with hand sanitiser stations, one-way systems and fogging machines (between shows) in use to protect audience members. Fresh air will also be fed into the auditorium during performances.

The venue has postponed its 2020 festive production of The Jungle Book, pushing it back to 2021 with ticket holders being contacted by the Watermill team.