ABTT presents a visit to
Chichester Festival Theatre
Friday 15th May 2015
Followed by an ABTT Industry Supporters’ Group Forum (Open to all members)
Venue: Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6AP
Website: http://www.cft.org.uk/
Time: Meeting at 1:00pm in the Minerva Brasserie
1:00pm: Gather for tea/coffee/biscuits in the Minerva Brasserie
1:15pm: Festival Theatre for and introduction and overview by:
Alan Finch, Executive Director, Chichester Festival Theatre
Dan Watkins, Renew Project Director, Chichester Festival Theatre
Lucy Picardo, Project Architect, Haworth Tompkins
Sam Garner-Gibbons, Technical Coordinator and Head of Lighting, Chichester Festival Theatre
Alex Wardle, Theatre Consultant, Charcoalblue
2:00pm: Guided Tours to include the new backstage building and lighting bridges, as well as a peek at
the 65,000 litre (approx) water tank installed for the current production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Way Upstream.
ABTT Industry Supporters’ Group Forum:
3:00pm: Gather for tea/coffee/biscuits in the Roddick Room
3:15pm: ISG Spring Forum: Chichester Festival Theatre ‘The Reunion’ (Open to all members)
Led by Irving Wardle, a discussion of the theatre making in the Chichester Festival Theatre.
Q&A with the Project Team & ISG Forum participants, incl. Jonathan Church and Edward Petherbridge.
4:30pm: Departures
Image credit Philip Vile
‘Everything we are doing is for the audience. Otherwise it has no purpose’. Jonathan Church
A Festival Theatre is Born
Chichester Festival Theatre was founded by a former city mayor, Leslie Evershed-Martin, following an idea he had
whilst watching a television programme in 1959 about the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre Festival in Stratford Ontario,
Canada. Working tirelessly he gained the support of Chichester City Council, identified a suitable site for a
seasonal festival theatre in a form inspired by the revolutionary design of the Canadian theatre, motivated local
individuals and businesses and raised the £105,000 needed.
Following the Stratford model, the architects, Powell and Moya, developed a theatre that arranged the auditorium
around a stage that thrust itself into the centre of the audience, combining ancient Greek and Roman precedents
with elements of Elizabethan theatre. The Theatre opened its doors in 1962 under the leadership of its inaugural
Artistic Director, Sir Laurence Olivier.
Restored, Refreshed, Renewed
In November 2005 Jonathan Church was appointed Artistic Director, alongside Executive Director, Alan Finch.
During the theatre’s celebratory 50th Anniversary year in 2012 this directorship saw the Renew project begin, with
the demolition work commencing in October.
This modern upgrade of the Grade II* listed building – undertaken as the building was operating on a scale way
beyond what was envisaged when it originally opened in 1962 – has incorporated essential repairs, a new
extension, increased seating capacity, enhanced access and public facilities, greatly improved visitor and
backstage areas, and made the necessary alterations to achieve greater energy efficiency.
The £22 million refurbishment was made possible by Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund, local
businesses, trusts and individuals, as well as West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council.
It reopened in June 2014, ready for the first production of the Festival Season in July. A temporary auditorium,
Theatre in the Park, was erected for the 2013 season.
The Team
Architect
Main Contractor
Project Manager
Theatre Consultant
Structural Engineer
Mechanical & Electrical Engineers
Acoustician
Landscape
Quantity Surveyor
Mechanical & Electrical Contractor
Stage Engineering Systems
Stagelighting & Audiovisual Systems
Haworth Tompkins
Osborne
Deloitte
Charcoalblue
Price & Myers
Skelly & Couch
Gillieron Scott
Camlin Lonsdale Landscape Architects
Gardiner & Theobald
Working Environments
Delstar
LSI
Awards
Chichester Festival Theatre’s Renew Project has been shortlisted for a RIBA South-East Regional Award 2015,
one of sixteen buildings shortlisted in this region, which covers Kent, Surrey and both East & West Sussex (the
winner to be announced on Thursday 23 April). It is also one of eight shortlisted venues in the Building
Conservation category of the 2015 RICS South East Awards (to be announced on Thursday 14 May) and recently
received a Commendation in the Civic Trust Awards 2015.
Further Information
Chichester Festival Theatre History
Haworth Tompkins
Chichester Festival Theatre Renew
Charcoalblue
Directions and RSVP below
Getting there:
Car
Chichester is easily accessible by road. The M27 and A27 run along the coast, linking Hampshire, Sussex and
Kent. The M3, A3, A29, A259 and A24 connect Portsmouth, Southampton, Mid-Sussex and London. Find
Chichester Festival Theatre on Google Maps.
Rail
Chichester Station is a 20-minute walk from the Theatre, with regular direct links to London Victoria, Brighton,
Portsmouth, Southampton, and Gatwick Airport. Trains to London Waterloo connect at nearby Havant. Call 08457
484950 for timetables and other details or visit nationalrail.co.uk.
Walking from the station (20 minute walk)
Head out of the main entrance towards The Globe Pub, walk past the pub with it on your left and walk straight on
South Street until you come to The Cross (stone monument), which indicates an intersection of four streets.
Continue straight ahead up North Street. At the top of North Street is a ring road, take the pedestrian underpass to
North Gate Car Park and continue through the car park to reach the Theatre on the far side.
Parking
Car: Northgate Car Park is a 900-space pay-and-display car park next to the Theatre (free after 6pm). On matinee
days the car park is very busy, so please allow plenty of time. Visit Chichester District Council for other available
car parks.
Parking for disabled patrons: Blue Badge holders can park anywhere in Northgate Car Park free of charge.
There are 9 non-reservable spaces close to the Theatre entrance.
Bus
The number 60 operated by Stagecoach stops near the Theatre. Please visit Stagecoach for more information.
Coach
The coach drop-off point is outside the Festival Theatre with a coach park in Via Ravena.
Bicycle
Chichester Festival Theatre is now linked to the city’s cycle lane network and their new bike park accommodates
26 bicycles – located just off the Theatre’s access road, off Broyle Road. chichester.gov.uk/cycling
Please book with the office by Monday 11th May via email or call the office:
(With the subject heading “CHICHESTER”)
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 7242 9200
Post: ABTT, Fourth floor, 55 Farringdon Road, London, EC1M 3JB