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CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE ANNOUNCES NEW AUTUMN SEASON

CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE ANNOUNCES NEW AUTUMN SEASON

Artistic Director Daniel Evans and Executive Director Kathy Bourne today announce a live, socially distanced season of drama, music, comedy and cabaret at Chichester Festival Theatre, running from late October to early January. It includes:

  • Sarah Kane’s CRAVE, directed by Tinuke Craig, staged in a socially distanced Festival Theatre for 10 performances and live streamed to digital audiences
  • For Christmas, a series of festive concerts to launch the yuletide season, followed by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre in a new version of PINOCCHIO by Anna Ledwich, directed by Dale Rooks
  • Michael Ball, Sheila Hancock and Patricia Routledge in conversation with Edward Seckerson
  • Cabaret and comedy including Frisky and Mannish, The Black Cat Cabaret, Barely Methodical Troupe, Rich Hall, Suzi Ruffell, Russell Kane and Rosie Jones
  • Music ranging from a celebration of Sondheim with West End stars, to a song recital by Kate Royal, a new concert from Joe Stilgoe and a portrait of Rachmaninoff with Henry Goodman and Lucy Parham
  • Prologue ticket scheme upper age range extended: £5 tickets now available for 16 – 30s

Artistic Director Daniel Evans and Executive Director Kathy Bourne said: ‘It’s always a pleasure to welcome audiences to a new Chichester season, but it’s with particular joy that we welcome them to this very special Autumn season, after six long months of our Theatre being dark and empty.

‘In putting together this eclectic mix of drama, music, cabaret and comedy, we hope there is something to entice people of all ages to experience once more the uniquely uplifting exhilaration of live performance. The season includes some distinguished names in drama and music, alongside ground-breaking contemporary performers.

‘We’ve worked long and hard to put all the necessary measures in place for our audiences’ and artists’ health and comfort, and to make their visit Covid-safe. While social distancing is in place, we are having to explore other forms of live performance to ensure the Theatre’s future sustainability. For now, we are celebrating that Chichester Festival Theatre’s doors are opening again.’


AUTUMN 2020

CRAVE by Sarah Kane
Directed by Tinuke Craig
Festival Theatre, 29 October – 7 November
Live Stream, 31 October – 7 November
Press performance: Monday 2 November, 7.30pm (60 minutes)
Originally due to play in the Spiegeltent this autumn, Crave will be staged to a live, socially distanced audience in the Festival Theatre and – in a first for Chichester – simultaneously live-streamed to global digital audiences.
This unique production will feature a sensory sound and videoscape created by director Tinuke Craig, designer Alex Lowde and sound designer Anna Clock. The cast includes Erin Doherty and Alfred Enoch.
In a damaged world, four characters search for the light. Angry, funny, defiant, kind and cruel, Crave is a deeply personal meditation on the meaning of love. Pulsing with loss and longing, its resonance will be doubly powerful as we begin to reconnect our lives after the loneliness and seclusion inflicted by a global pandemic.
Erin Doherty makes her Chichester debut. Currently playing Princess Anne in series 3 & 4 of The Crown, she has played leading theatre roles, including at The Old Vic, Young Vic, Royal Court and Manchester Royal Exchange. Born and brought up in West Sussex, she was named an Evening Standard Rising Star and a Screen International Star of Tomorrow in 2018, and featured in The Elle List 2020.
Alfred Enoch also appears at Chichester for the first time. Having played Dean Thomas in seven Harry Potter films, his theatre credits include Red (West End & NT Live), Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse), Tree (Young Vic) and Timon of Athens (National Theatre); television includes Sherlock and How To Get Away With Murder.
Sarah Kane is considered to be one of the most influential playwrights of the 20th century. She came to prominence in 1995 with her seminal first play, Blasted. Over her short career she wrote five plays and a film. Crave premiered in August 1998 at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. Today, her plays are performed around the world.
Tinuke Craig’s production of random/generations was a highlight of Festival 2018; since then, her work includes The Color Purple (Curve Leicester).
The production will be designed by Alex Lowde, with sound by Anna Clock and casting by Charlotte Sutton.
Crave contains strong language and is recommended for ages 16+.

CELEBRATING SONDHEIM: Sunday In The Park With Daniel
Festival Theatre, 1 November, 3pm & 7pm
Following the huge success of Concert in the Park, CFT Artistic Director Daniel Evans hosts another dazzling cornucopia of music and song to celebrate musical legend Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday. He will be joined on the Festival Theatre stage by stars from the West End to perform numbers from some of Sondheim’s major and lesser-known works.
Gabrielle Brooks wowed audiences at CFT’s Concert in the Park whilst Clive Rowe was last seen in Chichester in Me and My Girl. Jenna Russell starred opposite Daniel Evans in Sunday in the Park with George in London and on Broadway, for which they both won Olivier Awards. Hannah Waddingham makes a welcome return following Kiss Me, Kate (2012).
Proceeds from this fundraising concert will support Chichester Festival Theatre’s work with vulnerable young people.

FACING THE MUSIC
Festival Theatre, 11, 18 & 25 November, 2.30pm
Three distinguished and much-loved performers join writer and broadcaster Edward Seckerson to discuss their lives in musical theatre, illustrated by treasured recordings.
Patricia Routledge – Wednesday 11 November
Sheila Hancock – Wednesday 18 November
Michael Ball – Wednesday 25 November

MUSIC FOR NOVEMBER NIGHTS
Festival Theatre, 11, 18 & 25 November, 7.30pm
‘I’LL TELL YOU HOW THE SUN ROSE’: A song for each hour of the day
11 November
Acclaimed soprano Kate Royal brings the UK premiere of a new song recital programme to Chichester. This selection of 24 songs, by Mahler, Liszt, Schumann, Vaughan Williams, Britten and many more, follows a young man from dawn to dusk and through the trials of a lonely night.
Kate Royal has sung for The Royal Opera, Paris Opera, Berlin Philharmonic, Glyndebourne Festival, Metropolitan Opera New York, and has appeared in recital at the Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Vienna Konzerhaus. ELÉGIE: Rachmaninoff – A Heart In Exile 18 November Olivier Award-winning actor Henry Goodman returns to Chichester with concert pianist Lucy Parham. Elégie chronicles the life of composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff in words and music. The concert includes many of his best-loved works for solo piano, alongside a fascinating narrative drawn from the composer’s letters and diaries.
Henry Goodman’s previous Chichester appearances include Yes, Prime Minister (2010) and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (2012/13); he was due to play the title role in The Life of Galileo in Festival 2020.

JOE STILGOE – OUT OF THE SHED
25 November
After performing 67 online shows to over 150,000 worldwide viewers during lockdown,
Joe Stilgoe has emerged from his shed with a new intimate show – his own songs, classics from Jimmy Webb to Joni Mitchell to Stevie Wonder to Cole Porter – and the spotlight back on his first love, the piano.

FRISKY AND MANNISH: PopLab
Festival Theatre,12 November, 8pm
Cult musical comedy duo Frisky and Mannish bring their latest extravaganza to Chichester.
Join them in their PopLab to peek down the microscope at all their latest research projects. Have they found an effective vaccine for the contagious virus sweeping through the pop world? Just how can Coldplay be so popular even though everyone you ask says they hate them?
Pioneers of ‘popmusicy-seriocomic-mashparodic-stereophonic-LOUD-vaudevillian-sketchcabaret-throwback-current-oldfangled-newfashioned-bapsbotty-infotainment’, Frisky and Mannish’s twisted pop cabaret is a hilarious ride through musical parodies while skewering topical happenings. Ages 16+

A NIGHT AT THE MUSICALS
Le Gateau Chocolat & Jonny Woo
Festival Theatre, 13 & 14 November, 8pm
Following two sell-out shows in last year’s Chichester Spiegeltent, Olivier Award-winning
Le Gateau Chocolat and Queen of the Alternative Drag scene Jonny Woo take to the Festival Theatre stage to drag you through the back catalogue of fabulous musicals, from Gypsy to Grease, Annie and The Lion King.
Hilarious hijinks and shady shenanigans abound in this raucous night of ballsy ballads, delightful duets and slaughtered show tunes; a tortured love letter to the glorious genre of musical theatre. Ages 16+

COMEDY NIGHTS
Festival Theatre, 17 & 24 November, 7.30pm
Two blissful nights of superb stand-up comedy.
Rich Hall, Suzi Ruffell, Andrew Ryan
17 November Renowned for his expertly crafted tirades and quick-fire banter with audiences, the award-winning Montana native Rich Hall returns to Chichester. The working-class comedian of her generation, Suzi Ruffell has had five sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival, racking up critical acclaim. Acting as MC is Andrew Ryan, one of the most in-demand acts on the UK comedy circuit. Ages 14+

Russell Kane, Rosie Jones, Charlie Baker
24 November Multi award-winning comedian, presenter, actor, author and scriptwriter Russell Kane is best known for the flagship BBC Sounds podcast, Evil Genius. Rosie Jones has become a must-see act on the comedy circuit and has starred on many TV shows. MC Charlie Baker’s talents as a stand-up comedian, actor and highly acclaimed jazz-singer have earned him sell-out runs at Edinburgh as well as numerous TV appearances. Ages 14+

THE BLACK CAT CABARET: SALON DES ARTISTES
Festival Theatre, 19 – 21 November, 8pm
Salon des Artistes is an evening of five-star variety from London’s much-loved bohemian show troupe The Black Cat Cabaret, returning to Chichester following their-sell-out appearances at last year’s Spiegeltent season.
Inspired by the artistic Salons of vintage Montmartre, this is a chance to spend the evening with a diverse array of exceptional performers from the cabaret and Fringe circuit as they come together to share their latest creations. Comic chansons, superior showmanship, thrilling acrobatics and an enchanting house band are presided over by the incomparable emcee Miss Frisky (Frisky & Mannish). Ages 16+

BARELY METHODICAL TROUPE: SHIFT
Festival Theatre, 26 – 28 November
Thu & Fri 7pm, Sat 3pm & 7pm
Barely Methodical Troupe are at the forefront of a new kind of highly entertaining physical performance. Their sold-out production Bromance at the Spiegeltent last year rave reviews from audiences of all ages; this is a new chance to catch this remarkable and ground-breaking company.
Shift explores shifting perceptions and realities through power-based acrobatics performed mixing show-stopping circus tricks with the emotional punch of theatre. Ages 8+

A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Festival Theatre, 30 November – 3 December
Mon – Wed 7.30pm, Thu 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Prepare to unwrap Christmas with a delightfully festive evening of seasonal words and music. West End singers Rebecca Caine and Rebecca Trehearn, matched with five fine musicians, will join CFT Artistic Director Daniel Evans and a special guest to sing a range of traditional carols, and share some favourite yuletide poems and prose with some surprises.
A joyous and warming start to the season, with a free glass of mulled wine or fruit punch for every member of the audience.
Rebecca Caine’s career has been divided between opera (including Glyndebourne and ENO) and musical theatre. She created the role of Cosette in Les Misérables; other West End appearances include The Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady.
Rebecca Trehearn’s many West End appearances include Show Boat (Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical), City of Angels and Ghost; she’s also a frequent guest on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night.

Chichester Festival Youth Theatre

PINOCCHIO by Anna Ledwich
From the original novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Music by Tom Brady
Directed by Dale Rooks
12 – 31 December, Festival Theatre
Press night: Wednesday 16 December, 7.00pm
Chichester Festival Youth Theatre present a brand new version of this classic tale, written especially for them by CFT’s Writer-in-Residence Anna Ledwich. Director Dale Rooks, whose work at Chichester includes The Butterfly Lion, The Midnight Gang and Running Wild, will bring her trademark visual flair and gift for storytelling to this darkly magical reinvention.
Geppetto the boatmaker tosses aside a piece of wood; it’s only good for the fire. To his amazement, a voice answers him back. Geppetto picks up the wood and begins to carve – and a small wooden boy is revealed. A puppet, which he names Pinocchio.
And that’s when the mayhem begins. Pinocchio can’t stop getting into trouble, despite the best efforts of the Blue Fairy and the Cricket to keep him on track. His intentions may be good – he truly wants to go to school like real boys and girls – but the temptation to discover the wonders of the world and make his fortune keep getting in the way.
Pinocchio encounters a host of fascinating characters, from Punch and Judy to the wily Fox and Cat and the strange Sea Monster, as he journeys to Wonderland and the world beneath the sea. But he discovers that it isn’t easy hiding the truth – especially when your nose gets longer with every lie you tell…
Anna Ledwich’s previous work at Chichester includes The Butterfly Lion (2019), Crossing Lines (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2018).
With music and orchestrations by Tom Brady, Pinocchio will have set design by Simon Higlett, costumes by Ryan Dawson Laight, lighting by James Whiteside, musical direction by Colin Billing, sound by Gregory Clarke and movement by Lauren Grant.
Recommended for ages 7+.

There will be a Polish-translated performance of Pinocchio on 21 December at 7pm and a Relaxed Performance on Sunday 27 December at 2pm.

Also booking for the Spring:
OMID DJALILI: THE GOOD TIMES TOUR
Festival Theatre, 21 March, 7pm Multi award-winning comedian and actor Omid Djalili is back in Chichester and bringing back the Good Times. Intelligent, always provocative and entertaining, Omid’s legendary stand-up performances are a captivating comedy masterclass. He gained rave reviews as Tevye in 2017’s Fiddler on the Roof and recently compered CFT’s Concert in the Park. Ages 16+

 

 

 

 


BOOKING INFORMATION
Priority online booking for Friends of Chichester Festival Theatre opens: Wednesday, 30 September from 9am
General online booking opens: Friday, 2 October from 9am
cft.org.uk 01243 781312
Tickets from £10

Social distancing necessitates the auditorium being reduced to less than 50% of its normal capacity. Audiences are invited to consider donating the cost of an ‘empty’ £10 seat to support the Theatre’s activities, as well as our employment of freelance artists during the pandemic.

Prologue: £5 tickets for 16 – 30s
£5 tickets are available for 16 to 30 year-olds for all shows throughout Autumn 2020; sign up for free at cft.org.uk/prologue.
Twitter: @ChichesterFT | Facebook: ChichesterFestivalTheatre | Instagram: ChichesterFT | YouTube: ChichesterTheatre #Autumn2020

Autumn 2020 sponsors
Crave is sponsored by Genesis Town Planning
A Merry Little Christmas Celebration is sponsored by itd Consultants
Pinocchio is sponsored by Henry Adams and Mercer
Seaward Properties sponsor our brand new season

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