"Story of remarkable courage" shared in CFT summer line-up including My Fair Lady and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Chichester Festival Theatre will offer its first-ever My Fair Lady this summer alongside A Midsummer Night’s Dream reimagined among the Sussex raves of the 1990s.
The CFT summer season, which has been announced today, will also see a dive into the world of Arthur Conan Doyle and a stage adaptation of Ian McEwan’s Atonement.
The season will also tell a story of remarkable courage – that of SOE operative Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, a British agent in France during the Second World War. It will be one of eight world premieres this summer/autumn – all at a time when six previous Chichester productions are playing in London or touring the country.
The season was confirmed this morning by CFT artistic director Justin Audibert and by CFT executive director Kathy Bourne.
Classic musicals and dramas:
•Chichester’s first-ever production of Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady will be directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, with set & costume design by Peter McKintosh and choreography by Stephen Mear
•Justin Audibert and Hannah Joss co-direct Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, set amidst the Sussex raves of the 1990s, with Munya Chawawa as Bottom and Jemima Rooper as Titania
World premieres:
•David Haig plays Arthur Conan Doyle in his own new play Magic, with Hadley Fraser as Harry Houdini, directed by Lucy Bailey in the Festival Theatre
•Eclipse by W1A & Twenty Twenty Six writer and director John Morton launches the Minerva season
•Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement is adapted for the stage by Christopher Hampton, directed by Adam Penford
•Geraldine James makes her Chichester debut in 45 Years, adapted for the stage from Andrew Haigh’s film by Hannah Patterson, directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah
•Atlantis by Emily White, about a family battling climate change, is directed by Guy Jones in a co-production with Theatr Clwyd
•a small and quiet light by Stephanie Street, with Priyanga Burford as the SOE operative Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, will be co-directed by Diyan Zora and Elin Schofield, in a co-production with Orange Tree Theatre
•Antigone Exits by Nina Segal, bringing Greek tragedy blazing into the 21st century, is directed by Jeff James
For family audiences:
- Roald Dahl’s The BFG, adapted by Tom Wells, comes to Chichester direct from Stratford-upon-Avon to open Festival 2026, directed by Daniel Evans
- Hey! Christmas Tree, written by Vicki Berwick, based on a poem by Michael Morpurgo, with music and lyrics by Eamonn O’Dwyer, returns following its 2024 premiere, directed by Dale Rooks
- Chichester Festival Youth Theatre present Stiles & Drewe’s Peter Pan – a musical adventure for Christmas
Justin Audibert said: “As we announce our brand-new season, six previous Chichester Festival Theatre productions are playing in London or around the country. It’s a powerful testimony to the quality and appeal of the shows we make here that many go on to delight audiences far beyond West Sussex.
“Festival 2026 features no fewer than eight world premieres, as well as our eagerly anticipated summer musical and Shakespeare’s most popular comedy. In the Festival Theatre are five shows with spectacle and theatricality at their very heart, including Chichester’s first ever production of My Fair Lady.”
Kathy Bourne added: “In the intimate Minerva, five new plays explore family and our place in the world on a very human level. All ask searching questions about ourselves and our society, while often making us laugh too. They’ll be brought to life by a superb group of directors, designers and actors.
“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the RSC, Singapore Repertory Theatre and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, and Roald Dahl Story Company on The BFG; and with Theatr Clwyd and Orange Tree Theatre on later productions this season.
“Our new studio space The Nest, which opened in 2025, has brought something utterly different and unique to Chichester’s nightlife, with a constantly refreshed programme.”
Booking: Priority booking for Friends & Champions of Chichester Festival Theatre opens: Saturday, February 21 (online and booking forms only); Tuesday, February 24 (phone and in person).
Booking for groups and schools opens: Thursday, February 26. General booking opens: Saturday, February 28 (online only); Tuesday, March 3 (phone and in person).
Tickets from £10 available on cft.org.uk or 01243 781312. Prologue: £5 tickets for 16-30s. 10,000 £5 tickets are available for 16 to 30-year-olds across all Festival 2025 productions; sign up for free at cft.org.uk/prologue.