SHADOWLANDS By William Nicholson
DANIEL EVANS AND KATHY BOURNE PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHAN PERSSON
WELCOME
Welcome to Shadowlands. It is a great pleasure to be presenting this new production of William Nicholson’s muchloved play, which began life as a television drama in 1985 before becoming an award-winning stage success on both sides of the Atlantic, and then a notable feature film in 1993. William is Sussexborn and still lives in the county; watch out for his forthcoming film Hope Gap, which began life as The Retreat from Moscow in the Minerva Theatre in 1999. We are also delighted to welcome Hugh Bonneville back to the Festival Theatre. One of the UK’s most treasured actors, whose screen work includes Downton Abbey, W1A and Paddington, Hugh’s performance in Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People in Festival 2016 was rightly acclaimed; we are thrilled he is back in his local Theatre to play C.S. Lewis. Liz White makes an equally welcome Chichester debut as Joy Gresham;
a familiar face to TV audiences for series such as Life on Mars, Ackley Bridge and The Halcyon, her extensive theatre work includes Electra at the Old Vic, and Port and A Woman Killed with Kindness at the National Theatre. Hugh and Liz lead a distinguished cast, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. Rachel’s versatility has been seen to great effect at Chichester where she’s helmed shows as various as Half A Sixpence, Single Spies and The Winslow Boy. C.S. Lewis remains one of Britain’s most widely read authors; on 3 May, members of the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre will be reading poems and extracts from his work in the Festival Theatre Foyer and you can listen for free. Following Shadowlands into the Festival Theatre will be David Hare’s explosive drama Plenty, with Rachael Stirling and Rory Keenan leading the cast in Kate Hewitt’s new production. We hope you’ll return for that, and that you enjoy today’s performance.
Executive Director Kathy Bourne
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Artistic Director Daniel Evans
COMING SOON
Rachael Stirling Rory Keenan
PLENTY By David Hare Kate Hewitt directs Rachael Stirling as Susan Traherne, a former secret agent who battles for her own body and mind as Britain loses its role in the world, in a post-war ‘land of plenty’. She is joined by Rory Keenan as Raymond Brock.
7 – 29 June #Plenty
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S U M M E R 2 019
Josie Lawrence Hyoie O’Grady Amara Okereke
OKLAHOMA! Music by Richard Rodgers Book & Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs Original choreography by Agnes de Mille Directed by Jeremy Sams, a love-struck crew of spirited ranchers lead us through the glorious score of this exuberant musical, from Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’ to the show-stopper Oklahoma.
15 July – 7 September #OklahomaMusical
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LEAP
LEARNING, EDUCATION AND PARTICIPATION Our Learning, Education and Participation department works with people of all ages and abilities, offering opportunities to get involved with CFT beyond the work you see on our stages. A wide range of practical workshops, talks, tours and performances aims to excite and inspire everyone who takes part.
COMMUNITY
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
Enjoy developing artistic, personal and social skills through our workshops, projects, productions and award-winning Youth Theatre for young people of all abilities. Chichester Festival Youth Theatre | Holiday Activities | Arts Award
EDUCATION
Our work with local schools, colleges and universities is designed to inspire and enrich students’ learning, while the next generation of arts professionals is nurtured through our training and apprenticeships programme. In-school workshops and projects | Work Experience | School Theatre Days
Learn about life behind the scenes, discover more about productions, develop creative skills, socialise and share experiences with others through workshops and community projects for anyone aged 18 +. Get Into It! workshops | Talks and Discussions | Heritage projects | Dementia Friendly activities
FAMILIES
We’re always delighted to welcome our youngest visitors and their grown-ups to the Theatre. Families can explore and have fun with workshops, productions, events and activities. Family Foyle sessions | Little Notes | Fun Palaces | Family workshops
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SHADOWLANDS By William Nicholson
FINDING JOY
Clive Staples Lewis (known to his friends as Jack) was one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He wrote more than 30 books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his work continues to attract thousands of new readers. He’s perhaps bestknown as the author of the Narnia Chronicles, which began with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – some readers remain unaware that the seven books are a Christian allegory framed as children’s stories. Both as a Christian apologist and a children’s author, Lewis achieved best-seller status. To this day he’s seen as the champion of a conservative religious outlook that many may find uncongenial. For his entire professional life, however, he was a university teacher, first at Oxford and then, as a professor, at Cambridge. He lectured on medieval and Renaissance literature. The Discarded Image, based on his lectures about how medieval humanity viewed the world, is perhaps his best book: it tells of medieval astronomy, philosophy and reading.
His Oxford History of English Literature in the 16th Century is one of the most readable works of literary scholarship ever written.
Behind the story of how C.S. Lewis became a Christian, lay buried heartbreak. There was always a slight disconnect between Lewis the scholar and Lewis the popular evangelist. Behind the story of how he became a Christian – which he described in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy – lay buried heartbreak. The loss of his mother through cancer when he was only nine forced him and his brother Warnie into a state of emotional arrest. His bereaved father sent the two boys from Northern Ireland to English boarding schools, which made things worse.
LEFT: C.S. LEWIS, 1919 IMAGE COURTESY OF ALAMY ABOVE: WARREN (BROTHER), ALBERT (FATHER), AND C.S. LEWIS, c.1908.