Always on
This project successfully funded on 16th December 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
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This project successfully funded on 16th December 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
“Keep the wheel turning at The Mill! Your donation today will help save live theatre.”
Dame Judi Dench, Patron of this appeal, says:
“The Mill is a jewel of British theatre. Supporting it means keeping something precious alive for future generations.”
For over 40 years, The Mill at Sonning has been the UK’s only Dinner Theatre — a place where audiences laugh, cry, eat, drink, and share unforgettable nights.
The Mill is more than a theatre. It is a Grade II listed building, with a waterwheel that milled flour right up until 1969. Today, the wheel still turns, a living reminder of our history — but heritage needs constant care, and the building and wheel are always in need of repair.
Unlike many theatres, we do not receive public subsidy. We survive solely on our box office, and each year we employ over 80 professional actors, musicians, directors, and creatives from across the UK. And we employ over 100 local people backstage, in the workshop, in the kitchens and restaurant. Everything — from sets and props to costumes — is designed and made on site, keeping craft skills alive.
Artistically, The Mill commissions new plays every year, stages award-winning productions, and is regularly reviewed by the national press. We were named UK Theatre’s Most Welcoming Theatre for 3 years running, and in 2023 our production of Gypsy won Best Musical at the UK Theatre Awards.
At the same time, The Mill is also a pioneer of green energy. A syphonic turbine harnesses the river to generate our electricity, and a geo-thermal system keeps us warm in winter. This marriage of the Arts, Heritage and Sustainability makes The Mill truly unique.
After a long hot summer with rising costs and a struggling box office, we really need your help now to keep the wheel and The Mill turning. The Mill is more than a theatre—it’s a family. Stand with us now and help keep the magic of live theatre alive.”
Supporting us means protecting history and keeping theatre alive for the future.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made