Casting has been announced for Lone Flyer – The Last Flight Of Amy Johnson at Newbury’s The Watermill Theatre – the second in the autumn season of work featuring shows with smaller cast sizes, reduced capacity inside the auditorium and socially distanced seating.
Hannah Edwards (most recently seen in the West End as ‘Myrtle Wilson’ in the Immersive Great Gatsby) will play ‘Amy Johnson’ and Benedict Salter (whose previous Watermill credits include The Importance of Being Earnest and A Little Night Music) will support her, playing a series of other roles. Directed by Watermill Associate Lucy Betts, Ade Morris’ powerful play about one of the most inspirational women of the twentieth century was first staged at the Watermill in 2001.
Lucy Betts said, “I’m delighted to be back at The Watermill directing Lone Flyer. We explore the life of a young woman overcoming the constraints placed upon her to achieve extraordinary things. Amy Johnson’s story of hope and adventure is a joy to tell at this unusual and unpredictable time.”
To ensure the safety of all, strict social distancing measures have been implemented, and this includes significantly reducing the number of audience members that can be welcomed in the theatre at any one time. The auditorium has been reconfigured to allow for social distancing between audience members. Seating bubbles will be able to accommodate groups of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, with all seats in a bubble purchased in one transaction. Social distancing between bubbles will be observed in the auditorium. Audience members will be required to wear face masks. There are hand sanitiser stations, a one-way system for accessing the toilets and signage to indicate routes and procedures. To enhance audience safety, a fogging machine will be used to regularly sanitise all public areas at The Watermill, and to avoid recirculating air in the auditorium, the theatre will be heated before audience members arrive and then fresh air will be continuously fed through the theatre during performances.
The Watermill Theatre will be operating in accordance with government guidance at the time of the performance and will be constantly reviewing and adapting to the government’s guidelines. In the event that a show is unable to go ahead i.e. because of a local lockdown for example, patrons will be contacted as soon as possible via email or phone and offered a transfer or a refund for their tickets.
Lone Flyer – The Last Flight Of Amy Johnson was due to run Thursday 22 October to Saturday 21 November. Following the announcement of a national lockdown all performances from 5th November are cancelled.
