Summer Musical 2026
The new Summer Musical 2026 at The Watermill Theatre is announced!
TUESDAY 26 MAY – SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2026
TICKETS ON SALE TO BULRUSH, FERN, WATER LILY & WILLOW MEMBERS Tuesday 2 December
FRIENDS & REEDS MEMBERS Tuesday 16 December
General on sale Thursday 8 January
BOOK ONLINE AT WATERMILL.ORG.UK OR VIA THE BOX OFFICE ON 01635 46044
Licensed by Music Theatre International
Joint CEOs, Artistic Director Paul Hart and Executive Director Claire Murray, and the whole team at Newbury’s Watermill Theatre are delighted to announce that the 2026 summer musical will be a brand-new production of the family classic CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, playing from Tuesday 26 May to Sunday 13 September 2026, with a national press night on Thursday 4 June 2026.
Soar far above the clouds and across the seas with a fantasmagorical new Watermill Theatre production of the iconic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Delve into the hearts and imaginations of eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, his children Jeremy and Jemima, and Truly Scrumptious as they set off on an audacious adventure in a car with a big personality.
With music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman, adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams, and based on the MGM motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be directed by Paul Hart, with the Watermill’s signature storytelling, inventiveness and actor-musicianship at its heart.
This new production will feature classic songs played live by an ensemble cast, including “Truly Scrumptious”, “Hushabye Mountain” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”.
The creative team will include set and costume designer Katie Lias, musical supervisor and orchestrator Stuart Morley, choreographer Anjali Mehra, puppet designer, maker and director Marc Parrett, and lighting designer Jai Morjaria, with further creatives and casting to be announced in the spring.
Following three consecutive sell-out and critically acclaimed summer musicals — The Lord of the Rings, Barnum, and Jesus Christ Superstar — the last of which is one of the most successful productions in the Watermill’s history and won the prestigious 2025 UK Theatre Award for ‘Best Musical Production’ – the Watermill will once again transform its beautiful theatre and gardens into a spectacular world of music, magic and imagination.
Paul Hart said “We are beyond thrilled to announce we will be staging one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre ever made in a version unlike anything seen before. We’ll be giving audiences the opportunity to step inside the creative mind of Caractacus Potts who sets out to do the impossible and create a flying car for his beloved children. How the hell are they going to do that at the Watermill? All will be revealed…”
Claire Murray said, “The summer musical is the linchpin of our year. From The Lord of The Rings to Barnum and Jesus Christ Superstar, we’ve seen audiences grow and diversify over the last three years, and we can’t wait for every generation to see this much-loved classic in a new version for 2026. Transforming our site and placing actor musicianship at the heart of the show, audiences can expect a truly scrumptious experience full of imagination and pure joy!”
Tickets will go on sale to Bulrush, Fern, Water Lily and Willow members from Tuesday 2 December, Reeds and Friends from Tuesday 16 December with memberships available from £35 a year. General on sale will follow on Thursday 8 January.
The Watermill Theatre is also launching a search for young performers to join the company of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The theatre is seeking local young people to play Jeremy, Jemima and the children of Vulgaria, with all applicants required to have unbroken voices and live within one hour of Newbury.
For the roles of Jeremy and Jemima, the young people must be aged between 9 and 12 and under 4’7”.
All other young people must be aged between 9 and 14.
First-round auditions will take place by self-taped video submission, with selected candidates invited to in-person recalls at the Watermill on Sunday 18 January 2026.
Summer Musical 2026 –
Full details and guidance are available at https://www.watermill.org.uk/events/chitty-audition and applications close at 9am on Friday 11 December 2025.
The Watermill Theatre
The Watermill Theatre is a unique producing powerhouse of residential and artistic facilities which provide a crucible for creativity, innovative storytelling, and artistic excellence.
The Watermill’s mission is to make theatre that is surprising, inventive, and exciting and to enable access for everyone.
A hallmark of its work is the artistry of actor-musicianship, in both new writing and reinvigorated classics.
The theatre nurtures and celebrates talent and creativity in its company, community, and in the wider sector and it holds wellbeing, equity, and sustainability at the heart of its culture.
The Watermill Theatre is a small but mighty 200- seat theatre, set in idyllic gardens and nestled on the banks of the river Lambourn in rural West Berkshire, southeast England.
In 2024, the Watermill was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Theatre of the Year’ jointly with the National Theatre.
This award, recognising excellence in British theatre, was bestowed on the Watermill Theatre for its continued ambition as an independent charity, and the success of their 2023 production of The Lord of the Rings.
This multi award-winning production, the Watermill’s most ambitious to date, has subsequently transferred to Chicago, Auckland, and Australia (tour) before it returns to the UK in October 2025.
Reaching far beyond the 200 seats in its auditorium, the Watermill’s productions regularly transfer to the West End or tour the UK and internationally, including Calamity Jane, Spike, Bleak Expectations, Amelie the Musical, Tell Me on a Sunday, and Crazy for You.
With a core belief in the transformative power of the arts, the Watermill Theatre also runs a comprehensive outreach programme, working with children and young people, those from low- income backgrounds, and isolated or displaced communities.
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