Jez Butterworth’s acclaimed play Jerusalem will be revived at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury next spring, marking a key highlight of the venue’s 60th anniversary season. The production reconnects the story to its rural Wiltshire roots less than ten miles from the theatre.

Jerusalem, which centres on Johnny “Rooster” Byron—a defiant outsider clashing with local authorities in a small English community—will run at the Watermill Theatre from 19 March to 24 April 2027. The staging is a revival, based on Lisa Blair’s 2018 production at the same venue.

The new staging is co-directed by Paul Hart and Georgie Staight and will be presented in association with Fiery Angel. Detailed casting and creative team announcements are expected separately.

The Watermill Theatre, founded by David Gollins in 1965 with its first professional production in 1967, celebrates its 60th anniversary throughout 2027. Jerusalem’s return forms part of a broad anniversary programme marking six decades of artistic output and community engagement.

Other highlights of the 2027 season include the return of The Wipers Times by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, an outdoor staging of Alan Ayckbourn’s Way Upstream, and new productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, Robert Harris’ Enigma, and Michael Morpurgo’s Beauty and the Beast.

The Watermill’s decision to revisit Jerusalem underscores its ongoing commitment to plays with local resonance and British theatrical heritage, anchoring their anniversary celebrations in the landscape and stories of rural England.