THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE By Martin McDonagh
KATHY BOURNE AND DANIEL EVANS PHOTOGRAPH BY SEAMUS RYAN
WELCOME
A warm welcome back to the Minerva Theatre, and to this new production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane. We are over the moon to be working in partnership for the first time with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre – and we’re thrilled that their Artistic Director, Rachel O’Riordan, is directing this production. As the play’s original director, Garry Hynes, vividly recalls in this programme, The Beauty Queen of Leenane caused a sensation in the theatrical world on both sides of the Irish Sea and the Atlantic when it debuted in 1996. Since then, Martin McDonagh has, of course, gone on to conquer Hollywood with screenplays including Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and In Bruges, along with many other award-winning plays, all combining his trademark ability to startle audiences with black and sometimes shocking humour alongside
a never-failing, clear-eyed view of our human yearning for connection. Rachel has assembled an outstanding, all-Irish cast – Adam Best, Ingrid Craigie, Orla Fitzgerald and Kwaku Fortune. We welcome them all and wish them an enjoyable time in Chichester and then at the Lyric, where they will play immediately following the Minerva run. We have two remaining plays in the Festival 2021 season. Suhayla ElBushra’s new adaptation of Andrea Levy’s great novel, The Long Song, runs in the Festival Theatre from 1– 23 October; don’t miss the chance to see this ebullient and life-affirming play which finds humanity, humour and hope in the darkest of times. And following Beauty Queen in the Minerva is a revival of David Storey’s modern classic Home : a deeply humane study of hearts, minds and England. We very much hope that you will return to see both productions, and that you enjoy today’s performance.
Executive Director Kathy Bourne
cft.org.uk
Artistic Director Daniel Evans
WORLD PREMIERE
THE LONG SONG A new adaptation by Suhayla El-Bushra Based on the novel by Andrea Levy Adapted from Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel, The Long Song is set in Jamaica during the last turbulent days of slavery. Charlotte Gwinner directs this ebullient and life-affirming play which finds humanity, humour and hope in the darkest of times.
1 – 23 October #TheLongSong
cft.org.uk
COMING SOON
HOME By David Storey Josh Roche directs a major revival of David Storey’s award-winning classic: a heartrendingly funny, haunting and deeply humane study of hearts, minds and England.
8 October – 6 November #Home
cft.org.uk
LEAP
Our Learning, Education and Participation (LEAP) programme is a beacon of excellence and inspiration to our local audience, providing
ACTORS & CREATIVES INSIGHT
A new pilot project from the LEAP team, Actors and Creatives Insight, is delivering creative learning experiences to students in local schools through interactive and lively workshops, giving them an insight into different areas of the arts. A public call-out to professionals from any discipline of the arts in the local area received an enthusiastic response from 20 talented artists. Between them, they will be leading over 100 workshops during the summer term at primary and secondary schools across the region, from Lancing to Hampshire. The project was the brainchild of actor Edward Bennett, who appeared at Chichester Festival Theatre as Benedick in Much Ado
About Nothing and Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost in 2016. Edward, who now lives near Chichester, is himself delivering a number of workshops, which respond to curriculum needs – from Shakespeare for English students to directing techniques. Other workshops on offer include technical, movement, mask, physical theatre and composing. The project has been enabled by the government’s Culture Recovery Fund grant, helping CFT transition back to full activity, employ freelance artists and maintain our commitment to the community. We intend to evaluate and develop the project for the future.
‘I could see the confidence in the pupils building throughout the session. They learnt vital teamwork skills and their wellbeing was significantly affected in a positive way’. Teacher, The Academy Selsey
‘I learnt how to apply knowledge and skills from theatre to multiple real-life scenarios and roles’. Year 10 student, Felpham Community College
COMMUNITY
opportunities for over 62,000 people throughout the year. We create and deliver practical workshops, projects and special events for everyone,
regardless of age, culture and social background, ensuring all are given an opportunity to be engaged and excited by the arts.
KEEPING YOUNG CARERS CONNECTED
Young Carers Connect is CFT’s major project to help reconnect young carers in West Sussex with vital support services, their education, fellow young carers, and creative activities. Every day, more than 6,000 young caregivers in West Sussex under the age of 18 take on substantial responsibilities. Covid-19 left many isolated and unable to access support or their schoolwork because they couldn’t afford a computer or internet access. After a successful fundraising appeal, CFT has now distributed 300 laptops to young carers most in need, through their schools and The West Sussex Young Carers service. Young Carers Connect also provides internet
access, a programme of online arts activities to entertain and inspire, and safely connects young carers with each other. Free bursaries are also available to any young carer aged 5-25 in West Sussex to join their local Chichester Festival Youth Theatre group (run in nine locations across the county). Young Carers Connect has been made possible by the generous support of The G D Charitable Trust and many private donors. To find out more, please visit cft.org.uk/young-carers-connect
‘We cannot thank CFT and all of their kind donors enough for this amazing offer. 12 of our families will be able to access online learning at home and will be able to complete all of their homework. Being part of the Young Carers Connect project also enables them to take part in virtual creative activities with CFT. What an amazing project.’ Andrew Strong, Headteacher, Portfield Primary Academy
cft.org.uk/leap
FOOD AND DRINK Enjoy delicious food and drink at our welcoming café and restaurant. Whether you’re having a meal before the show, simply relaxing with a coffee or powering up using our free Wi-Fi, we can’t wait to welcome you.
DINE BEFORE THE SHOW
GREAT COFFEE IN A GREAT LOCATION
Enjoy a contemporary British menu featuring local and seasonal ingredients, a selection of excellent wines and top-notch service in our stylish and award-winning restaurant The Brasserie – the closest restaurant to the Theatre.
A great spot for barista coffee, freshly made sandwiches, delicious cakes and a range of drinks. Our newly revamped Café on the Park is now open with extra outdoor seating overlooking Oaklands Park and new family friendly areas in our spacious foyer.
★★★★★
‘This was the first time the restaurant had opened after lockdown. The staff obviously delighted to be back, and the food excellent’. Richard B, via Bookatable 2020
Open Monday to Friday from 10am and from 9am on Saturday so ParkRunners can stop by for much needed refreshment.
Visit cft.org.uk/eat for opening times, reservations, menus and more.
THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE By Martin McDonagh
I am delighted to be co-producing Martin McDonagh’s extraordinary play with Chichester Festival Theatre in our first partnership. The Beauty Queen of Leenane is funny, but it is also savage. It speaks of an Ireland that is in transition; pre-Good Friday Agreement, and well before the vote on marriage equality or bodily autonomy. Ireland was in a liminal space in 1995 – and in this play, the characters are also trapped between their situation and their aspiration. The co-dependent relationship which defines Maureen and Mag resonates strongly in a post-colonial Ireland; real independence feels impossible for both mother and daughter. The humanity of McDonagh’s text is as vital as its rage. It is a wonderful play. Rachel O’Riordan Artistic Director Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
KWAKU FORTUNE RACHEL O’RIORDAN INGRID CRAIGIE
THE BIRTH OF
BEAUTY QUEEN Garry Hynes, Artistic Director and co-founder of Ireland’s Druid Theatre Company, directed the 1996 premiere of Martin McDonagh’s first play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane in a co-production between Druid and London’s Royal Court Theatre. Two years later, her production opened in New York and she became the first woman to receive the Tony Award for Best Director. She went on to direct the premieres of McDonagh’s A Skull in Connemara and The Lonesome West – known, along with Beauty Queen, as The Leenane Trilogy. 25 years on, as Rachel O’Riordan – also an Irish director – was starting rehearsals for this revival at Chichester, we asked Garry Hynes about the play’s significance.
What are your memories of first encountering Martin and his work? I first encountered Martin on the page. Having left Druid in 1990, I had come back to the company (supposedly on a temporary basis: that was about 30 years ago!), and started reading plays that had been sent in. I found one particular play which was A Skull in Connemara MARTIN McDONAGH IMAGE COURTESY OF EUAN KERR
and became immediately interested in it. I asked who the writer was and whether he was writing for Druid at the time, but all we had was a name. He’d sent in another couple of plays as well, The Lonesome West and The Beauty Queen of Leenane, so I read them, too. When I thought about who might have written these plays, I couldn’t figure it out.