Pump House Theatre Company

30/07/2026

** AUDITION NOTICE **
“Murder Through the Ether” by Chris McDermott
Directed by Haydn Davis

*Auditions* will be taking place for the Pump House Theatre Company’s Autumn production of a staged Murder Mystery, “Murder Through The Ether” by Chris McDermott, and directed by Haydn Davis, on Tuesday 8th and 15th September @ 7.30pm, in the Upper Rehearsal Room at the Pump House Theatre, 5 Local Board Road, Watford, United Kingdom, WD17 2JP.

*Performances*: Friday 27th and Saturday 28th November at 7.30pm and Sunday 29th November at 2.30pm, in the Colne River Room.

*Rehearsals*: Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7.45pm - 10pm in the Upper Rehearsal Room, beginning on Tuesday 6th October.

*Synopsis*: A 3 act Murder Mystery play. After the funeral of the wealthy patriarch Ronald ‘Knockers’ Johnson, his family and friends convene in a hotel for the weekend, to hear the reading of his Will.

*Contact*: If you wish to attend one, or both, of the auditions, email me at [email protected] and let me know which audition, and what character(s) you would be interested in auditioning for. Sides will be sent to you accordingly, and auditions will be based on character interactions and compatibility. You don’t need to learn the pieces by heart, but please be very familiar with them.

*Characters* (Playing ages are approximate)

*Rev. Cuthbert Wood*: A friend of the deceased, Ronald ‘Knockers’ Johnson. Appears to be indecisive and certainly wedded to God. His character is stereotypically that of the Derek Nimmo style vicar. (Playing age - Middle-aged)

*Eric ‘The Red’ Johnson*: A secondary science school teacher. He is a socialist who can be angry with the world. Many of his comments are acerbic. He has no love for his deceased brother, but, may have love for his deceased brother’s partner! (Playing age - Middle-aged)

*Edith Johnson*: The estranged wife of the deceased, Ronald, and has had two children by him, Robin and Ronnie. She is a strong character who has been taught many hard lessons by life. (Playing age - Middle-aged)

*Camilla Pavel*: She has been the deceased’s partner for the past five years. She is probably younger than Edith and has no children of her own. She has been Eric’s lover in the past. Could she possibly be considering returning to ‘pastures old’? (Playing age - Middle-aged)

*Ronnie Johnson*: The younger sibling of Robin. She is the sensible one and has trained to become an accountant. Ronnie has a close relationship with her mother and little respect for her dead father and her brother. She is a strong character, like her mother, and does not take any nonsense from her older brother. (Playing age - around 26)

*Robin Johnson*: Like his father, he has gone into the commercial world. Unlike his sister Ronnie, Robin believes that life is for the pursuit of pleasure. He makes light of things when, perhaps, he would do better to take them seriously. (Playing age - around 27)

07/07/2026

July’s what’s on watford now live featuring an interview with palace theatre producer extraordinaire the wonderful Andrea Lungay!

Theatre can be diverse, immersive and thought provoking, but fundamentally it is all about story telling. Our featured interview is with Andrea Lungay, founder of Hidden Views and assistant programming producer for Watford Palace Theatre.There is ...

20/06/2026

URGENT RAISE THE ROOF APPEAL

Dear friends of the Pump House Theatre Company - we're asking for your help to raise funds for our beloved theatre. Please help in any way you can from making a donation yourself to sharing this post. Thank you.

The Watford Pump House urgently needs to raise £450,000 before the end of June to be able to start our long planned essential improvement works.

The Pump House was created by converting an old Victorian building into a theatre more than 50 years ago. And like many very old buildings this iconic facility has reached the point where it needs some major refurbishment work to secure its future for the community for the next 50 years.

A few years ago we launched the Raise the Roof campaign which has successfully raised £850,000 so far to make essential building improvements including a new roof, additional seats, bigger dressing rooms, new studio/rehearsal space and improved facilities for those with accessibility needs.

Phase one of this project is to replace the failing theatre roof. Due to current building regulations the only way to do this is to rebuild the theatre section with new foundations, new steelwork and a new wall.

Building work was all set to start this summer but in the intervening time, in part due to rapidly increasing construction costs, an additional £450,000 needs to be raised before the end of June to undertake phase one. Further delays to starting in the current world economic climate risk the costs going up further.

So we’re asking everyone who knows and loves the Pump House if they can make a contribution. We know this is a big ask and we don’t make it lightly, especially as we know so many people have already made a donation. But we wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t an emergency.

The Pump House, which is a charity, is grateful for any amount people are able to give. But for those able to donate £1,000 or more we are offering a premium ‘Brick’ in its ‘Sponsor A Brick’ scheme which will give you prominent recognition in the new development.

No matter what the twist and turns we encounter in the coming months and years, this money will continue to be dedicated to the plans for the essential repairs and improvements to the Pump House Theatre.

Thank you for your support.

Donate today at:
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/raisetheroofPH

12/06/2026

Please join us in wishing Pump House Theatre Company members Siobhan Lambie-Philip and Kieran Walsh all the best for the forthcoming NODA AGM and celebration event this weekend when they will hear whether they have won the overall NODA London region award in their respective categories.

Siobhan is up for the Sybil Conway Award for Best Female Character in a Play and Kieran the Charles Sumner Best Male Character in a Play.

*NODA London region district nine (North-West London)

Photo/graphic credits: Cat Cross photography
Other photo credits: Wendy Moir

09/06/2026

We couldn’t be prouder of Kieran Walsh who only went and won NODA’s Charles Sumner Award for his powerhouse portrayal of Wyndham Brandon in the Pump House Theatre Company’s production of Rope by Patrick Hamilton in November 2025. Bravo Kieran!

Rope was Kieran’s first production with the Pump House and we’ve recently enjoyed his latest performance in Arthur Miller’s ‘A View from a Bridge’. Kieran trained with the London Academy of Music and Drama, The Royal Ballet and the British Ballet Organisation where he received his teaching qualification. He is a teacher and principal choreographer with The England School Of Dancing.

All that remains is to wish Kieran all the best at NODA’s annual AGM and celebration event on the 14 June 2026 when he is a contender for the overall London region award for best male character in a play.

*NODA London region district nine (North-West London)

Photo/graphic credits: Cat Cross photography

08/06/2026

IT’S A HAT TRICK!

We are thrilled to announce that the Pump House Theatre Company in Watford has won NODA’s best female character in a play award* for not just one but THREE years in a row!

Congratulations to Wendy Moir (Hangmen), Caroline Harris (The Girl on the Train) and Siobhan Lambie-Philip (Whose Life is it Anyway?) who have all won the prestigious Sybil Conway Award for Best Female Character in a Play over the last three years while performing in productions staged by the Pump House Theatre Company.

All that remains is to wish our latest winner from 2025, Siobhan Lambie-Philip, all the best in the NODA London region annual awards on the 14 June 2026 when she is a contender for the overall London region award for best female character in a play.

*NODA London region district nine (North-West London)

Photo/graphic credits: Cat Cross photography
Additional photo credits: Martin Smith, Siobhan Murphy photography, Wendy Moir.

07/05/2026

For all our followers - enjoy the latest episode of What's on Watford which features the growing art scene in Watford with new options to create, view and purchase art. The featured interview is with Steve Bockling, founder of the new Art in Herts gallery venue, and two local artists.

The podcast includes the usual rapid round up at the end which is a great way to find out what's coming up in May in terms of art, culture and events in the Watford area.

There is a growing art scene in Watford with new options to create, view and purchase art. Our featured interview is with Steve Bockling, founder of the new Art in Herts gallery venue, and two local artists.There is also a full round up covering s...

15/04/2026

Journey to Jazz special

For all our followers who are jazz fans if you haven't heard the latest What's on Watford podcast, episode 23 features an interview with Ilario Ferrari, an international Jazz composer, recording artist and multi instrumentalist.

This episode includes an exclusive rendition of Ilario's song 'Above the Clouds' recorded just for What on Watford.

Watford is hotspot for a wide range of Jazz music and attracts performers from around the world. Our featured interview is with Ilario Ferrari, an international Jazz composer, recording artist and multi instrumentalist.  This episode includes...

12/04/2026

It’s time now for us to leave the ship, but we wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who came and supported our production of A View from the Bridge last week.



Photo credit: Cat Cross photography