Actor backs call to support theatre’s funding campaign

ACTOR Simon Williams has joined fellow stars of the stage and screen in a plea to save a theatre that is “fighting for its life”.

Sally Hughes, the owner of the Mill at Sonning, is crowdfunding £125,000 to give it a cash injection ahead of the busy winter period and is being supported by Dame Judi Dench, Debbie McGee and Brian Blessed.

The theatre found itself in financial difficulty following increased maintenance costs and National Insurance contributions and a long, hot summer deterring audiences.

Williams, who starred in Upstairs, Downstairs and plays Justin Elliott in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers, is one of many faces to have appeared on stage at the Mill.

Occasionally, Williams has starred alongside his wife, actress Lucy Fleming, daughter of Peter Fleming and niece of James Bond creator Ian Fleming.

The couple, who live in Nettlebed, staged their production Posting Letters To The Moon at the Mill, where they read aloud wartime letters between Ms Fleming’s father and her mother, actress Celia Johnson.

Williams said: “I’ve worked at the Mill with my wife, which was a joy. I’ve worked with some really top-class actors and have had the pleasure of interviewing Dame Judi Dench on stage there.

“I think all actors who have worked there will all be right behind Sally as she leads the charge to save the theatre.

“It’s the best audience because it’s like a community coming to the theatre. It’s a wonderful audience at the Mill.”

The Mill’s unique experience offers a dinner service before every production, included in every ticket. Williams said knowing whether an audience is a “good” one is “somehow intuitive”, adding that audiences at the Mill benefit from having enjoyed “a good meal”.

He said: “If it’s a bad, wet night, or they’ve struggled to find a babysitter or they’ve just heard income tax is going up, they might not be in such a good mood. But it’s a community at the Mill. They come together as one person.

“The lights go down and the play begins. They let their troubles fall away. Everyone seems to know each other — it’s a shared experience.”

He said theatres are important for the social aspect they offer, which can foster connection.

Williams said: “Having a theatre to go to is so important to people. To find yourself, not watching television alone or reading a book alone, but experiencing a live performance, is crucial for your wellbeing.

“I think watching things with other people — sad things, controversial things, funny things, is very therapeutic.

“I love to go there because I love the food, and I love being entertained. It’s a glorious experience. I have never seen a bad performance there.”

The Mill at Sonning is described as an  “intimate” theatre which seats 217 in the semi-round, to allow the audience to feel “involved” in performances.

Williams said: “There is such a lot to be said for watching something in a smaller theatre. When you got to a 200-seat theatre, it’s a really close and intimate relationship. I would hate for Sonning to lose that. 

“The situation is dire. I just wish everyone could understand that the theatre is fighting for its life.” Having watched multiple members of his family perform at the Mill, the actor said if the theatre were to close, it would be a “personal loss”.

Williams said: “It was very touching to watch Lucy in The Reluctant Debutante, in a role which has been played by her mother [actress Celia Johnson] years ago. So that was very sentimental.

“I have laughed at the comedies, I have cried at the sad plays, I have seen friends perform and both of my children on stage there. It would be a terrible personal loss. We are doing everything we can to help them fight back.”

Williams questioned whether one way to boost finances could be to separate the dining and theatre experiences.

Currently, audiences can only buy a combined ticket for a meal and a show, pushing up the price of watching a production.

Williams said: “I often want to discuss with Sally whether she would separate the two so you can just see a play and not have dinner. Sometimes, young people can’t afford the ticket with the meal included.”

A playwright as well as an actor, Williams has had plays of his own staged at the Mill, including Double Death, Kiss My Aunt and Laying the Ghost.

He said: “You live with a play you’re writing, and you see the characters, you visualise them and know them so well. To see live people embodying them, you hand their lives over to them when you hand the play to the actors. They belong to them. It’s brilliant to watch. I owe the Mill a lot and I hope it survives.”

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