Theatre Producers

CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE

Chichester has two extraordinary spaces, the Festival Theatre and the Minerva Theatre. The plays shown have to show off and use the strengths of the spaces and to serve the communities who created them. The two theatres are not proscenium arch spaces, with wings and fly towers, where the magic of theatre happens behind an imaginary fourth wall. At Chichester, the audience and artists are all in the same room; there is no feeling of 'them and us', they share the space and share the dramatic journey. It means that the actors can't hide or fake - the acting has to be truthful, open, brilliant. And the audience can't sit passively in the dark as they do in a cinema, or in some traditional theatres watching action in another room on stage. They should feel involved, excited, moved - part of one community with the artists.

Truthfulness is a vital quality for Chichester Festival Theatre - all the plays, whether new or classic, must be led by passion. There should be no sense of déjà vu. Above all, theatre must not be boring or predictable.

Chichester's theatre is art centred - the theatre is run by artists, Steven and Martin, and driven by the ensemble of artists and theatre makers who arrive for each festival. At the heart of the theatre is the education department, working all year round in schools and community centres, and of course, the Youth Theatre, making productions in the theatre, outdoors, in community venues around the region and beyond.

http://cft.org.uk