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),
The Old Vic Tunnels of innovative and surprising arts events. In 2010 the Old Vic Tunnels opened with the Lambeth Palace, an underground cinema built to screen the UK premiere of Banksy’s film "Exit through the Gift Shop", followed by the first major theatre production in the space – "Ditch", by Beth Steel, a High Tide and the Old Vic Tunnels co-production. The Old Vic Tunnels was home to the British premiere of "Scorched", a Dialogue and the Old Vic co-production by award-winning playwright Wajdi Mouawad. The Old Vic Tunnels was presented the Big Society Award by David Cameron in 2011. The last professional