Chichester Festival Theatre summer season 2023 unveiled today - all you need to know

The Sound Of Music will be the big musical this summer as Chichester Festival Theatre today unveils the final season from the venue’s artistic director Daniel Evans.
By Phil Hewitt
Published 16th Feb 2023, 08:03 BST
Updated 16th Feb 2023, 08:25 BST
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Performers this summer will include Eileen Atkins, Gina Beck, Rory Bremner, Sebastian Croft, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Joshua James, Danny Mac, Alexandra Roach, Zizi Strallen, Lia Williams, Greg Wise and Susan Wokoma.

The season’s two other musicals will be Assassins and Rock Follies. There will also be three new plays: Never Have I Ever by Deborah Frances-White, The Inquiry by Harry Davies and a new adaptation of The Jungle Book by Sonali Bhattacharyya for Chichester Festival Youth Theatre.

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Click here for your full guide to the main-house season at Chichester Festival Theatre

The Sound of Music will see Gina Beck return to the CFTThe Sound of Music will see Gina Beck return to the CFT
The Sound of Music will see Gina Beck return to the CFT

Click here for your full guide to the Minerva season at Chichester Festival Theatre

The rest of the season will comprise great modern and classic dramas: Lia Williams and Joshua James in Noël Coward’s The Vortex, directed by Daniel Raggett; Eileen Atkins and Sebastian Croft in Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles, directed by Richard Eyre; Mom, How Did You Meet The Beatles? by Adrienne Kennedy and Adam P Kennedy, directed by Diyan Zora, in a UK premiere; Rory Bremner in James Graham’s Quiz, directed by Daniel Evans and Seán Linnen; Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge; and Chichester Festival Youth Theatre with Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at West Dean Gardens.

Kathy Bourne, CFT executive director, said: “This year, we have an outstanding range of plays and musicals, including a handful of world premieres and renowned plays which have never been performed at CFT before. For example, we’ve never staged a play by the great Arthur Miller; nor have we staged Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most-loved musical. Contemporary, 20th century or classical, every piece has something to say about the world around us today. A company of exceptional actors are already lining up to join and seven directors are making their Chichester debuts.”

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Priority booking for Friends of CFT opens: Feb 25 (online/booking forms only); Feb 28 (phone/in person). General booking opens: March 4 (online only); March 7 (phone/in person). cft.org.uk; 01243 781312; tickets from £10

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Related topics:Chichester Festival TheatreDaniel EvansPerformersGina BeckChichester Festival Youth Theatre