George and Amal help reopening of the Mill at Sonning

George Clooney, Ray Clooney and Brian Blessed help to ensure Reading theatre can reopen
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By Olivia Gantzer  @oliviagantzerSenior News Reporter

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The Mill at Sonning. Pic: Kevin Wilson

 

A BELOVED theatre will be reopening soon thanks to some help from actor George Clooney - and other well-known supporters.

The Mill at Sonning is to reopen its theatre on October 30 and will announce all its in-house =1054&posted_date=&posted_date_from=&posted_date_to=&pp=20&p=0]theatre productions for 2021.

Announcing the good news on its Facebook page, the Mill revealed also that the auditorium is to be named in honour of legendary playwright Ray Cooney, who has also leant incredible support for the venue during lockdown.

After nine months of closure due to the pandemic, The Mill at Sonning - the UK's only dinner theatre - is to reopen its stage later this month with a winter season of comedy, magic, cabarets and plays.

Since July, when the theatre celebrated its 38th birthday, The Mill has only been able to operate its adjoining restaurant with reduced seating, but this together with fundraising and donations from Mill Angel supporters and Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife Amal, who are near neighbours and regular attenders, have been a lifeline to ensure the venue's survival.

Artistic Director Sally Hughes singles out special praise for the playwright Ray Cooney, whose legendary farces are performed regularly at the venue.

"I owe the most enormous thank you to a very special man - the wonderful Ray Cooney," she said.


"When we had to close down he was straight in there with financial aid.
"He has called me every week during the last five months to see how we are getting on.

"Next year I will be producing a special gala night we are naming the auditorium after him."
The 2021 season will include a new production of Ray Cooney’s riotous comedy farce, ‘Two into One’, directed by Ron Aldridge, from August 5 - October 9.
The season launches with Alan Aykbourn’s classic comedy ‘Relatively Speaking’, which will run from March 24 - May 22.
Directed by Robin Herford, a long time associate of the playwright, it will be a restaging of the production that was playing to packed houses in March when all theatres were closed by the Covid pandemic.


That will be followed by the return of TV and film legend Brian Blessed to direct the crime whodunit ‘Busman’s Honeymoon’ by Dorothy L. Sayers (May 27 - July 31), featuring her greatest detective creation, upper crust sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey.

Brian Blessed said: “Dorothy L Sayers is one of the greatest writers of The Golden Age of British crime fiction.
"This is her masterpiece!"

The 2021 season will conclude with a spectacular production of Irving Berlin’s musical ‘Top Hat’ (October 16 - December 31) based on RKO’s motion picture.

The Mill will reopen with a much reduced capacity of 70 customers for dinner and show due to social distancing, but the venue has come up with an ingenious way to hide the empty seats that have to be left between bookings.
READ MORE: Will Reading become a 'hotspot' area?

"Our in-house master carpenter has built small tables that will slot over the empty seats.

"These can move depending on the size of each group and will be dressed with small lights, so the auditorium will look more like an intimate cabaret space than a traditional theatre," said Sally.

George and Amal Clooney help save a theatre near their £12million Berkshire mansion after it was forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Hollywood A-lister George, 59, and his barrister wife, 42, donated towards The Mill at Sonning Theatre, near their £12million mansion in Berkshire

The theatre will reopen with a much reduced capacity of 70 customers for dinner and show due to social distancing

The late Tim and Eileen Richards found The Mill - which was a derelict building - in 1977, and opened the theatre in 1982

It is now run by their daughter, artistic director Sally Hughes, who has received help from the Clooneys in the past

In 2018, Sally won approval for a development of five properties after the celebrity couple lodged no objections

The likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh have been vocal about the government's 'weak' response to help the theatre industry

George and Amal Clooney have helped save their local theatre after it was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hollywood A-lister, 59, and the barrister, 42, donated towards The Mill at Sonning Theatre, near their £12million mansion in Berkshire.

The playhouse is now set to reopen at the end of the month after being forced to close its doors at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

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Impressive: George and Amal Clooney have helped save their local theatre after it was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic (pictured in 2019)

Actor George and lawyer Amal backed the theatre - also a restaurant - which they regularly go to.

A theatre spokesman said in a statement shared to Facebook: 'The Mill at Sonning is to re-open its theatre on 30 October and announces all its in-house theatre productions for 2021.

'The auditorium is to be named in honour of legendary playwright Ray Cooney for his incredible support for the venue during lockdown.

'After nine months in lockdown, The Mill at Sonning, the UK's only dinner theatre, is to re-open its theatre on 30 October with a winter season of comedy, magic, cabarets and plays.

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Back on its feet: The Hollywood A-lister, 59, and the barrister, 42, donated towards The Mill at Sonning Theatre (pictured), near their £12million mansion in Berkshire

'Since July, when the theatre celebrated its 38th birthday, The Mill has only been able to operate its adjoining restaurant with reduced seating, but this together with fundraising and donations from Mill Angel supporters and Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife Amal, who are near neighbours and regular attenders, have been a lifeline to ensure the venue's survival.

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