Chichester Festival Theatre
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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 | 50°50′35″N 0°46′39″W / 50.843048°N 0.777390°W |
| Designation | Grade II* listed |
| Capacity |
Festival Theatre: 1206 Minerva Theatre: 283 |
| Construction | |
| 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
- 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
Further reading
- Chichester Festival Theatre at Fifty by Kate Mosse, 2012
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