Never Have I Ever By Deborah Frances-White
Justin Audibert and Kathy Bourne Photograph by Peter Flude
Festival 2023 A warm welcome to the second world premiere of Festival 2023 in the Minerva, Never Have I Ever by Deborah Frances-White. There are few things that engender more pleasurable anticipation in theatre than witnessing the birth of a new play, especially from a voice new to the stage. Widely known as a writer, comedian, and host of the global hit podcast The Guilty Feminist, Never Have I Ever is Deborah’s first play and we are thrilled to be giving Chichester audiences the opportunity to see the premiere of this explosively funny piece. Directed by Emma Butler, formerly resident director at the Almeida Theatre, the remarkable four-strong cast are all appearing at Chichester for the first time too, returning to the stage in a break from high profile screen careers. Alex Roach’s work includes Utopia, No Offence and Y Golau/The Light in the Hall, while Amit Shah’s
roles include Happy Valley, Crashing and Klokkenluider. Greg Wise’s screen credits include The Crown, Sense and Sensibility and A Private War, and Susan Wokoma’s work includes Chewing Gum, Enola Holmes and Cheaters. We warmly welcome them all. Following Never Have I Ever comes another world premiere to end the Festival season in the Minerva: Harry Davies’ The Inquiry, with a cast led by Deborah Findlay, John Heffernan and Malcolm Sinclair. Over in the Festival Theatre, there’s another chance to see James Graham’s celebrated comedy Quiz, and Arthur Miller’s powerful 20th century classic A View from the Bridge. We hope you enjoy this performance and to see you again soon.
Justin Audibert Artistic Director
Kathy Bourne Executive Director
Quiz By James Graham
Rory Bremner, Britain’s top satirical impressionist, stars as Chris Tarrant alongside Charley Webb, Lewis Reeves and Mark Benton, in James Graham’s thrilling, entertaining and provocative drama, directed by Daniel Evans and Seán Linnen. Get ready to answer the ultimate 50:50: guilty or not guilty?
Festival Theatre 22 – 30 September Tickets from £10 Book at cft.org.uk
A View from the Bridge By Arthur Miller
A visceral and compelling masterpiece of fierce passions and unspoken desires, in a striking new production with Headlong, Octagon Theatre Bolton and Rose Theatre. Directed by Holly Race Roughan, the cast includes Kirsty Bushell, Nancy Crane, Rachelle Diedericks, Luke Newberry and Jonathan Slinger.
Festival Theatre 6 – 28 October Tickets from £10 Book at cft.org.uk
Asphaleia Asphaleia is an organisation located in Worthing which offers young people a place of safety, supporting and encouraging those that need their services. CFT has been working in partnership with Asphaleia since 2018, delivering weekly sessions for young unaccompanied asylum seekers based in West Sussex. Recently, Poppy Marples and Jess Smith, our experienced theatre practitioners, have led a programme of dynamic, creative and nurturing workshops with these inspiring young people. Focusing on wellbeing and arts skills such as puppetry and physical theatre, the workshops also support the young people in learning English. These sessions enable them to make friends, develop confidence
socially, and build skills. We currently work with 24 young people who are also completing a Bronze Arts Award. ‘The sessions with Asphaleia are always full of lots of laughter and provide a safe space for the young people to develop their skills. When I look back to our first session with this year’s cohort compared to now, the difference in their confidence, social and language skills is just incredible. I’m so proud of them all and it’s been a joy and privilege to work with them this year.’ Poppy Marples, Lead Practitioner
In July we welcomed 17 of the Asphaleia group – including unaccompanied young people from Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia – for a fun-packed day at CFT. Starting with a backstage tour, they enjoyed a certificate of achievement presentation and games on the park before watching a matinee of The Sound of Music. For almost all the participants it was their first time in a theatre.
In the young people’s own words: ‘I will never forget this day. It will be in my mind for ever.’ ‘Drama has helped me learning English, respecting each other and feeling strong in my mind.’ ‘Sometimes I am angry because I miss my family, Poppy asks how I feel and talking helps, drama makes me feel better.’ ‘I am proud we have learnt all together and enjoyed no matter what country.’
Discover new foodie experiences Street Food at CFT
Like some more?
Satisfy your on-the-go cravings with the new menu in our Street Food truck! Pre-order on arrival, click and collect from our sunny al fresco terrace.
Pop in for pizza, cracking cakes and barista coffee from the Café on the Park or de-stress with a drink in a deckchair when the sun shines. Bliss!
Dine with friends If you’re looking for a great spot to dine with your theatre pals, look no further than The Brasserie. Fantastic food featuring local, seasonal ingredients plus à la carte options, top notch service and excellent wine. It also happens to be the closest restaurant to the Theatre so there’s no need to rush to catch the overture.
For the full menu of food and drink, visit cft.org.uk/eat, email dining@cft.org.uk or call 01243 782219.
Never Have I Ever By Deborah Frances-White