Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, Sussex, England, is a theatre designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. The smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989. The inaugural Artistic Director was Sir Laurence Olivier, and it was at Chichester that the first National Theatre company was formed. Chichester's productions would transfer to the NT's base at the Old Vic in London. The opening productions in 1962 were: "The Chances" by John Fletcher (first production 1638) which opened on 3 July; "The Broken Heart" (1633),
Bristol Old Vic "new bristol old vic". In 2005 Reade became the sole artistic director. Artistic highlights during these times included the production of A. C. H. Smith’s "Up The Feeder, Down the Mouth and Back Again" during Andy Hay’s tenure, and some well-received Shakespeare productions under David Farr and Simon Reade. In July 2007, the board of trustees took the controversial decision to close the theatre for refurbishment. Many members of the theatre profession feared for the future of the Old Vic. Following several public meetings in the winter of 2007/2008 a newly formed board of trustees appointed Dick Penny, the director