Chichester Festival Theatre
Subscribe now to instantly view this image
Subscribe to the Architects’ Journal (AJ) for instant access to the AJ Buildings Library, an online database of nearly 2,000 exemplar buildings in photographs, plans, elevations and details.
Already a subscriber? Sign in
View of theatre in context
The first professional theatre built in the UK to provide a projecting open stage with the audience seated round it on three sides
The architects brief was for a festival theatre, with an open stage, at the lowest possible cost and, allowing for a relatively inexpensive range of seat prices.
The design takes the form of a hexagon. A lot of normal theatre accommodation has been included within the main structure by squeezing them within the buildings envelope. Temporary huts are used when extra space is needed.
The auditorium seats 1360, and is supported on six concrete ribs, with three of them cantilevering to form a covered entrance. The timber roof and lighting gallery are supported by a hexagonal ring girder formed from steel tubing.
The decor is neutral in mood to focus attention to the stage. The walls are in graduating shades of grey. The audience are led into the auditorium through a glazed foyer, providing a gradual transition from park to theatre.
Data
- Begun: May 1961
- Completed: 1962
- Floor area: 2,253m2
- Sector: Arts and culture
- Total cost: £95,064
- Funding: Fundraising, public subscription and commercial sponsorship
- Tender date: Apr 1961
- Procurement: RlBA with quantities.
- Address: Oaklands Park, Chichester, PO19 6AP, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Powell & Moya
- Project architect: Christopher Stevens
- Client: Chichester Festival Theatre
- Main contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine
- M&E engineer: Peter Jay
- Structural engineer: Charles Weiss
- Quantity surveyor: Davis Belfield
Suppliers
- Wood wool suppliers: C. F. Anderson
- Timber for stage and handrails: Akins Brewer
- Stage timber: E. Sherry Ltd