WOMAN IN MIND By Alan Ayckbourn
WELCOME
KATHY BOURNE AND DANIEL EVANS PHOTOGRAPH BY SEAMUS RYAN
FESTIVAL 2022
A warm welcome to this performance of Woman in Mind. Chichester audiences are no strangers to Alan Ayckbourn’s work; indeed, it’s hard to imagine any theatre audiences, whether in the UK or internationally, being unfamiliar with at least a few of Alan’s remarkable plays. The fact that he was the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement Awards speaks for itself. We are especially delighted to offer this new production of one of his most dazzlingly inventive and heart-stopping plays. It is also a special pleasure to welcome Jenna Russell, who plays the title role, and director, Anna Mackmin. Jenna is beloved of audiences from the West End to Broadway in wide-ranging and award-winning roles, notably those of Stephen Sondheim; she is making
a long overdue Chichester debut. Anna is once again taking up the reins of her directorial career, having written an award-winning novel. We wish them both, and the superb ensemble cast, a very enjoyable time in Chichester. Even though autumn is upon us, there are two more Festival 2022 productions still to open. A musical version of Local Hero, based on the Bill Forsyth film, is written by David Greig with songs by the legendary Mark Knopfler; and there’s a treat for all the family in The Famous Five: A New Musical, a co-production with Theatr Clwyd, based on the Enid Blyton novels. In November, we launch into our lively Winter season – a collection of some of the best touring productions currently on offer in the UK. We hope you enjoy this performance and to see you again soon.
Executive Director Kathy Bourne
cft.org.uk
Artistic Director Daniel Evans
F E S T I VA L 2 0 2 2
LOCAL HERO Book by David Greig, Music & Lyrics by Mark Knopfler Based on the Bill Forsyth film CFT Artistic Director Daniel Evans directs a new musical version of this funny and enchanting story, featuring new songs by the legendary Mark Knopfler (formerly of Dire Straits).
MINERVA THEATRE 8 October – 19 November #LocalHero
cft.org.uk
F E S T I VA L 2 0 2 2
Music & Lyrics by Theo Jamieson, Book by Elinor Cook Based on the books by Enid Blyton The Famous Five go on a daring mission with the future of the planet at stake! An exciting and heart-warming family treat celebrating adventure, bravery and friendship, directed by Tamara Harvey. A co-production with Theatr Clwyd
FESTIVAL THEATRE 21 October – 12 November #FamousFive
cft.org.uk
CFYT Celebrates! was a fundraising concert on Sunday 31 July 2022, designed to showcase the very best of the talent it has produced over many years. But this hugely emotional event – which brought the audience to their feet not once but many times throughout the performance – reminded us of the huge debt we all owe to Chichester Festival Youth Theatre and to the simply extraordinary Dale Rooks who has been the modest and self-deprecating life force behind it. Through personal testimonies on stage, amazing performances, and filmed commentary from past members, we saw how thousands of young lives have been transformed by their experiences. We heard how CFYT had given them confidence, self-assurance, friendship, the ability to communicate, and the power
to be their best – while entertaining some 20,000 people every Christmas with their spectacular shows. These festive events which elsewhere might be simply an excuse for friends and family to buy tickets have become both a tradition and an institution here in our city of Chichester. Some of those young people have gone on to achieve spectacularly in the world of arts – while others have embraced their transferable skills to become everything from graphic artists to paramedics and teachers of distinction. But in a closing, unscripted piece of film there was one thing they all wanted to say. ‘Thank you.’ And they said it to one person in particular, Dale Rooks, who I know from personal experience has fought with every fibre of her being for every single person
CELEBRATING
CHICHESTER FESTIVAL YOUTH THEATRE By Gary Shipton Director and Editor in Chief of Sussex World and the Chichester Observer
who has ever trod the Youth Theatre boards. The concert itself featured a host of alumni performers. Let me mention a few of the stand-outs. Bradley Trevethan, Sam O’Hanlon, Megan O’Hanlon, Alice O’Hanlon. There was a sumptuous ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ sung by Polly Maltby and Ella O’Keeffe – who alternated the Dorothy role in The Wizard of Oz in 2019. Anna Foye’s ‘La Vie En Rose’ brought a tear to the eye such was its emotional power and subtlety while Nick Howard Brown exacted every nuance of humour from his pitch perfect and utterly delightful ‘Reviewing the Situation’ from Oliver! – aided by the enormously talented Katy Ellis on violin. No wonder Felix Mosse has gone on to enjoy such incredible success given his spine tingling ‘Empty Chairs’ from Les Misérables.