Chichester Festival Theatre’s Festival 2024, the first season programmed by new Artistic Director Justin Audibert, has been announced by Audibert and Executive Director Kathy Bourne, including seven world premières, a summer musical, and modern classics.
In the Festival Theatre, there will be: The Other Boleyn Girl by Mike Poulton, based on Philippa Gregory’s novel, directed by Lucy Bailey; Coram Boy, adapted by Helen Edmundson from the novel by Jamila Gavin directed by Anna Ledwich; Lionel Bart’s musical Oliver! directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne in a new revision by Cameron Mackintosh; Redlands, a new play by Charlotte Jones, inspired by the Rolling Stones’ Chichester trial, directed by Justin Audibert; Cinderella by Philip Wilson, with music by Jason Carr, directed by Jon Pashley.
In the Minerva Theatre, the programme comprises: The House Party by Laura Lomas, adapted from Strindberg’s Miss Julie, directed by Holly Race Roughan in a co-production with Headlong in association with Frantic Assembly; Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker directed by Justin Audibert; The Promise by Paul Unwin on the pioneering post-war Labour government, directed by Jonathan Kent; The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, adapted by David Eldridge from the John le Carré novel directed by Jeremy Herrin; a co-production with Told by an Idiot of The Cat and the Canary, adapted by Carl Grose from the play by John Willard, directed by Paul Hunter; a festive family story created especially for CFT by Michael Morpurgo, Hey! Christmas Tree, written for the stage by Vicki Berwick and directed by Dale Rooks.
The company includes Rachelle Diedericks, Philip Franks, Adam Gillen, Shanay Holmes, Billy Jenkins, Alex Kingston, Simon Lipkin, Freya Mavor, Ian McDiarmid, Will Merrick, Nadia Parkes, Lucy Phelps, Jack Riddiford, Aaron Sidwell, Andrew Woodall.
Audibert and Bourne said that in addition to the new season, "we’re also excited to launch our plans for The Nest, a new space for emerging and community artists, in 2025; and to have appointed the brilliant Miranda Cromwell and Hannah Joss as Associate Directors."