Theatre News

Chichester Festival Theatre announces winter 2015 season

Dame Penelope Keith will appear in a one-woman show by Anton Burge

Robert Powell in King Charles III, Penelope Keith and Alan Bennett
Robert Powell in King Charles III, Penelope Keith and Alan Bennett

• Penelope Keith stars in one-woman play Mrs Pat.
• World premiere of Walter & Lenny about Leonard Bernstein and Dean of Chichester Catherdral, Walter Hussey.
• 60th anniversary production of The Mousetrap.
• Tours including Hetty Feather, Dinosaur Zoo and Olivier Award-winning King Charles III visits Chichester.
• Alan Bennett double bill Single Spies directed by Rachel Kavanaugh.
• Revival of Bryony Lavery's adaptation of A Christmas Carol

Chichester Festival Theatre have announced their winter 2015 season, with highlights including a one-woman show starring Dame Penelope Keith and an Alan Bennett double bill.

Keith returns to Chichester in the world premiere of Mrs Pat from 15 October – 7 November. The one-woman play by Anton Burge is about the celebrated 19th and 20th century actress Mrs Patrick Campbell and is directed by Alan Strachan.

Also receiving its world premiere is Walter & Lenny, a play devised by Peter McEnery which documents the friendship between composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein and the Dean of Chichester Cathedral, Walter Hussey. Directed by Julia St John, this new production marks the 50th anniversary of the Cathedral performance. The play runs from 11 – 14 November.

As well as brand-new work, the season includes the 60th anniversary production of a classic thriller, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap from 23 – 28 November. Following acclaimed seasons at the Almeida Theatre and in the West End, the Olivier award-winning drama King Charles III runs from 30 November – 5 December. Also seen recently on the West End, Jacqueline Wilson's Hetty Feather runs from 27 – 31 January and interactive show Dinosaur Zoo runs from 16 – 20 February.

The award-winning double bill by Alan Bennett, Single Spies, which chronicles the lives of Guy Burgess and Anthony Blunt, directed by Olivier-nominated Rachel Kavanaugh, runs from 4 – 13 February.

Following its highly acclaimed promenade production of Running Wild this summer, the Youth Theatre returns to the Festival Theatre stage with a revival of its much-loved production of A Christmas Carol from 18 December – 2 January, adapted by Bryony Lavery and directed by Dale Rooks and Jake Smith.

For comedy lovers Pam Ayres performs on 14 February, following her latest book, You Made Me Late Again! and Stewart Lee brings his new live show A Room With A Stew to Chichester on 20 February.

Priority booking for Friends of Chichester Festival Theatre opens Monday 14 September with public booking open from Monday 21 September.