Chichester Festival Theatre has announced its 2026 season, running from April through to October across three performance spaces. With 10 productions across the main Festival Theatre and the Minerva Theatre, it is one of the more varied programmes the theatre has put together in recent years: a world premiere of an Ian McEwan adaptation, a debut stage play by the creator of W1A, a musical with a rave-culture twist, and one of the most anticipated musicals of the summer anywhere in the south of England.
This guide covers every show in the season, explains the £5 Prologue scheme for under-30s, and gives you the practical information you need to plan a visit. If you are thinking about things to do in Chichester, CFT belongs at the top of your list.
Key Information
Season at a Glance
| Show | Theatre | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| ~~The BFG~~ | Festival | ~~9 Mar — 11 Apr~~ (closed) |
| Magic | Festival | 24 Apr — 16 May |
| Eclipse | Minerva | 8 May — 6 Jun |
| Atonement | Festival | 29 May — 20 Jun |
| 45 Years | Minerva | 12 Jun — 11 Jul |
| My Fair Lady | Festival | 6 Jul — 5 Sep |
| Atlantis | Minerva | 18 Jul — 15 Aug |
| a small and quiet light | Minerva | 21 Aug — 12 Sep |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Festival | 18 Sep — 17 Oct |
| Antigone Exits | Minerva | 26 Sep — 17 Oct |
What's On Now: Magic (24 April — 16 May)
The season's current production is one of its most intriguing. Magic is a new play written by and starring David Haig, exploring the real-life conflict between Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1920s. Haig plays Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes and, by the end of his life, a passionate believer in the supernatural. Hadley Fraser plays Harry Houdini, the escape artist who spent much of the decade publicly dismantling mediums and exposing fraudulent spiritualist claims.
The friendship and eventual rupture between these two men is a genuinely compelling story, and the timing is pointed: 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Houdini's death. Directed by Lucy Bailey, Magic runs on the main Festival Theatre stage through 16 May.
Top tip: If you have any interest in the Sherlock Holmes stories or the history of stage magic and the occult, this is the show to prioritise. It is a world premiere and will not appear elsewhere first.
Coming Next: Atonement (29 May — 20 June)
The most anticipated production of the summer, and arguably of the season as a whole. Christopher Hampton, who adapted Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Atonement for film, now brings Ian McEwan's novel to the stage in a world premiere directed by Adam Penford. The story of Briony Tallis, the false accusation she makes as a child, and the decades-long fallout across the Second World War and beyond, is one of the defining English novels of the past 25 years. Casting is to be confirmed.
Summer Highlight: My Fair Lady (6 July — 5 September)
The blockbuster of the season. Lerner and Loewe's musical comedy about Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins comes to the Festival Theatre for the first time, in a production directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with choreography by Stephen Mear and design by Peter McKintosh. My Fair Lady has everything the main house does well: scale, spectacle, a score with half a dozen songs that audiences already know, and a running time that justifies the evening out.
Demand for this one will be high. If you are planning a summer theatre visit to Chichester, book as early as you can. Weekday matinees will be the easiest seats to get.
Autumn: A Midsummer Night's Dream (18 September — 17 October)
The most unusual production in the season. Justin Audibert and Hannah Joss co-direct Shakespeare's comedy in what the theatre describes as an immersive production, set against a 1990s rave backdrop. Comedian and rapper Munya Chawawa makes his theatrical stage debut as Bottom, with Jemima Rooper as Titania. The casting and concept suggest something energetic and deliberately unexpected. It will not be a conventional Dream.
The Minerva Theatre — Five New Plays
The smaller Minerva Theatre stages five new works across the season, all in the 250-seat in-the-round space that suits intimate drama well.
Eclipse (8 May — 6 June)
John Morton, the creator of Twenty Twelve and W1A, writes and directs his debut stage play. Eclipse is set in a Devon rectory where a family has gathered while their father lies dying in the adjacent room. Sarah Parish and Rupert Penry-Jones lead the cast. Morton's television work is precise and dry, with a fine eye for the social unease that surfaces in formal situations. Worth seeing.
45 Years (12 June — 11 July)
Adapted by Hannah Patterson from Andrew Haigh's 2015 film, and directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah. The story follows a couple in the week before their 45th wedding anniversary, when a letter arrives that begins to unravel the certainties of their marriage. Geraldine James makes her Chichester debut in the lead role.
Atlantis (18 July — 15 August)
A new play by Emily White, directed by Guy Jones, in a co-production with Theatr Clwyd. Full casting to be confirmed.
a small and quiet light (21 August — 12 September)
Written by Stephanie Street and co-directed by Diyan Zora and Elin Schofield, this production stars Priyanga Burford. The play is based on the life of Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, the SOE agent and wireless operator who worked behind German lines in occupied France during the Second World War. She was captured and executed at Dachau in 1944. Khan was born in Moscow to an Indian father and American mother, raised in Paris and London, and is one of the remarkable and still under-known figures of British wartime history. The subject alone makes this one to watch.
Antigone Exits (26 September — 17 October)
Written by Nina Segal and directed by Jeff James, Antigone Exits is a contemporary adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone. Full casting to be confirmed.
£5 Prologue Tickets
One of the most practical schemes in Sussex theatre. If you are aged 16 to 30, you can buy tickets for every CFT production for just £5. There are 10,000 Prologue tickets available across the 2026 season, and the seats are distributed throughout the house rather than restricted to poor sightlines.
How to use it:
- Register for free at cft.org.uk/young-people/prologue — you will need your date of birth
- When booking online, look for black stars on the seating plan: these mark Prologue seats
- You can book up to two Prologue tickets per show
- Bring photo ID on the night
If you know anyone aged 16 to 30 who has not used this scheme, point them towards it. At £5 a ticket for main-stage productions, it is a genuinely good deal.
Getting there
Chichester Festival Theatre is in Oaklands Park, on the northern edge of Chichester city centre, a short walk from the main shops and a 20-minute walk from the railway station.
By train
Chichester station is served by direct trains from London Victoria (approximately 90 minutes), Brighton (approximately 50 minutes), and Worthing (approximately 30 minutes). From the station, the theatre is a 20-minute walk across the city centre, or a short taxi ride.
By car
The theatre is well signposted from the A27 and A286. The nearest parking is Northgate Car Park (PO19 6AA), a council-run paid car park on Avenue de Chartres, directly adjacent to the theatre. It is not a theatre-operated car park. Check current tariffs before you travel, as council car park prices change.
By bus
Several Stagecoach services stop near the theatre. Check bustimes.org for current routes from your starting point.
Planning Tips
- Book early for Magic and My Fair Lady. Magic is already in its run; if you want a seat for the remaining weeks, book now. My Fair Lady will be the most popular production of the summer.
- Weekday matinees are the most reliable way to find availability if a show is selling fast.
- The theatre restaurant and bars open before performances and in the interval. Pre-booking the restaurant is advisable on busy nights.
- Priory Park is immediately next to the theatre and is a pleasant place to arrive early and walk through before the show.
- Access: The theatre provides wheelchair access, hearing loops, and audio-described performances for most productions. Check the individual show pages at cft.org.uk for accessible performance dates.
For more things to do in the city, see our guide to Chichester. If you are travelling from elsewhere in the county, see also things to do in Worthing and things to do in Horsham.
All show dates and details were confirmed against cft.org.uk and theatresoutheast.com in April 2026. Check cft.org.uk for the latest information before booking.