Chichester Festival Theatre

Chichester Festival Theatre
Construction
The Festival Theatre is on the left, the Minerva to the right.
Chichester Festival Theatre Location of Chichester Festival Theatre
Address	Oaklands Park, Chichester, West Sussex
Coordinates
Designation	Grade II* listed
Capacity	Festival Theatre: 1206 Minerva Theatre: 283
Opened	1962
Architect	Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya
Website
http://www.cft.org.uk

Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, Sussex, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989.

The inaugural Artistic Director was Sir Laurence Olivier, and it was at Chichester that the first National Theatre company was formed. Chichester's productions would transfer to the NT's base at the Old Vic in London. The opening productions^[1] in 1962 were: The Chances by John Fletcher (first production 1638) which opened on 3 July; The Broken Heart (1633), by John Ford, opened 9 July; Uncle Vanya (1896), by Anton Chekov, opened 16 July. Among the actors^[2] in the opening season were: Lewis Casson, Fay Compton, Joan Greenwood, Rosemary Harris, Kathleen Harrison, Keith Michell, André Morell, John Neville, Laurence Olivier, Joan Plowright, Michael Redgrave, Athene Seyler, Sybil Thorndike and Peter Woodthorpe.

The Festival Season usually runs from April to September and includes productions from classics to contemporary writing and musicals.

During this time the theatre also puts on outdoor promenade performances and organises other festival events including cabaret and comedy nights. A range of events is designed to add to the experience of visiting the theatre, including platform events, family days, tours and talks.

The theatre is currently run as a registered charity and is chaired by Sir William Castell. It is a Grade II* listed building. ^[3]

Artistic directors 1
2014 season 2
Further reading 3
References 4
External links 5

Artistic directors

Sir Laurence Olivier (1962–1965)
Sir John Clements (1966–1973)
Keith Michell (1974–1977)
Peter Dews (1978–1980)
Patrick Garland (1981–1984)
John Gale (1985–1989)
Michael Rudman (1990)
Patrick Garland (1991–1994)
Sir Derek Jacobi and Duncan C. Weldon (1995–1997)
Andrew Welch (1998–2002)
Martin Duncan, Ruth Mackenzie and Steven Pimlott (2003–2005)
Jonathan Church (2006 to date)

2014 season

Stevie - by Hugh Whitemore
Pressure - by David Haig
Miss Julie - by August Strindberg, in a new version by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Black Comedy - by Peter Shaffer
Amadeus - by Peter Shaffer
Guys and Dolls - music and lyrics by Frank Loesser book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Taken at Midnight - by Mark Hayhurst
Gypsy - book by Arthur Laurents music by Jule Styne lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune - by Terrence McNally
An Ideal Husband - by Oscar Wilde
The Hundred and One Dalmatians - by Dodie Smith in a new adaptation by Bryony Lavery

References

^ Festival - The Stage is Set, 1962
^ Festival - The Stage is Set, 1962
^ "Name: CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE List entry Number: 1323693". Historic England. Retrieved 26 June 2015.

External links

The Chichester Festival Theatre website
The Art of Chichester Festival Theatre:A Celebration at Pallant House Gallery 3 March - 3 June 2012

'Chichester Festival Theatre at Fifty' launch, June 2012

Categories

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Chichester Festival Theatre