Chichester Festival Theatre is one of the UK’s flagship theatres, renowned for the exceptionally high standard of its productions as well as its work with the community and young people. Situated in a cathedral city in West Sussex between the South Downs and the sea, the Festival Theatre’s bold thrust stage design makes it one of England’s most striking playhouses – equally suited to epic drama and musicals. Its studio theatre, the Minerva, is particularly noted for premieres of new work alongside intimate revivals.

The annual Festival season runs from April to November, during which productions originated at Chichester reach an audience of over 230,000. Year-round programming continues through the winter with the Theatre presenting high-class touring productions, as well as a traditional Christmas show mounted by the renowned Chichester Festival Youth Theatre.

Recent transfers from Chichester (as originating producer) include Caroline, Or Change (London’s Hampstead Theatre and the West End’s Playhouse Theatre 2018/19); Ian McKellen in King Lear, which transferred to the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre in 2018 and was broadcast to cinemas internationally by NT Live; and Daniel Evans’s production of Quiz, a new play by James Graham, which also transferred to the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre in 2018.

Laura Wade’s new play The Watsons, adapted from the unfinished novel by Jane Austen, will run at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 20 September – 16 November 2019. Caroline, Or Change will transfer to New York’s Roundabout Theatre in spring 2020, with Sharon D. Clarke recreating her Olivier Award-winning performance as Caroline.

Rooted firmly in its community, the Theatre runs a Learning, Education and Participation (LEAP) programme that is a beacon of excellence and inspiration to its local audience, as well as being home to one of the country’s largest youth theatres with over 800 members.

For more information, visit cft.org.uk

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