George Clooney among celebrities who help to save Sonning theatre from closing

  • Meridian

  • ITV News Reporter Juliette Fletcher has been to see how The Mill theatre is preparing for curtain up.

A theatre in Berkshire has received donations by a number of A-List celebrities, including George and Amal Cooney, to ensure it can re-open for this year's winter season.

The Mill at Sonning, near Reading, has been so well supported by visitors, actors and playwrights after it found out it had not been allocated any money from the Government's Culture Recovery fund.

Like many venues, The Mill has been hit hard by the pandemic. Staff have been furloughed and the stage has been quiet, but now its future is looking brighter. 

Now the theatre at the Mill is gearing up to re-open its doors at the end of the month, which is partly down to the support of playwright Ray Cooney and also Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife Amal.

Sally Hughes is the Artistic Director at the theatre.

Once a working mill, the building was later converted to a dinner and show theatre which opened in 1982. It's been a successful venue, staging plays and musicals ever since.

Staff are working in the auditorium to block off rows of seats with tables to maintain social distancing and create space.