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),
Artistic director the artistic director may also manage the day-to-day operations of the company, but in many (particularly larger) companies, the artistic director is often exempt from routine administrative duties, freeing him or her to concentrate on the art. In those cases, decisions about administration, business issues, finances, fundraising, board relations, donor relations, publicity, and marketing devolve to the responsibility of the general manager, chief operating officer, managing director, etc. or are discussed collaboratively. Artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally