Watermill Theatre hopes to raise funds with Tolkien musical

A theatre is using a production of Lord of the Rings to raise money after it lost funding from Arts Council England.

The Watermill Theatre in Newbury is hoping for success with its musical production of the JRR Tolkien classic.

The arts space lost £464,000 of funding last year, despite government promises to redistribute more money across England.

The theatre has also opened a fundraising campaign, called Propel, in conjunction with the Greenham Trust.

The organisation said it would match every donation, pound for pound.

The Watermill Theatre is a historic mill with grain storage areas converted into dressing rooms

Claire Murray, executive director of the Watermill, called the run, which includes puppets and 20 cast members, "our most ambitious project yet".

She said: "It's a challenge for an organisation of our size to lose that amount of money from our budget but we are determined that we won't diminish in our ambitious.

"We've been heartened by the support from our audiences and this is an opportunity for us to welcome more people to the watermill so they can see how special it is."

The musical production will include puppets and 20 cast members

The immersive production encompasses all three books, and will be staged both inside the mill and in the grounds surrounding it.

Paul Hart, the director of the play and the artistic director of the Watermill, said the three-month production was the "boldest thing we can do".

He said: "We thought what's the best way of getting new audiences in and but also giving the people who are loyal to us for so many years the opportunity to see something epic."

With 220 seats, Mr Hart promises audiences will be "right close to the action".

The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale will run at the Watermill Theatre until 15 October.

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