The Art of Chichester Festival Theatre - a Celebration

Published: 13 April 2012
Reporter: Sheila Connor

Art of Chichester FTCoinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the Festival Theatre (the birthplace of the National Theatre), Pallant House Gallery presents a new exhibition celebrating the ways in which visual theatre artists have responded to the challenge of designing for the first purpose-built ‘thrust’ stage in the UK.

Featuring models, drawings, paintings, costumes, props and designs from the early productions, many of which are shown for the first time, the works have been assembled in a specially-constructed installation of the theatre park designed by scenographer Pamela Howard OBE.

Focussing on the early period of the Theatre (1962 -1988), the exhibition explores how the standards and practices of Chichester Festival Theatre influenced designers and interpreters. With the audience now able to see the performers from all angles for the first time, costumiers began to makes garments in meticulous detail with luxurious materials, and the innovative lighting rig, mirroring the pentagon roof shape, gave birth to lighting designers as artists in their own right.

Reviews, both good and bad, from many of the shows have been hung on banners from a ‘tree’, and there is the original bench from the first Uncle Vanya production where visitors can sit where Laurence Olivier sat and read literature from the shows.

Professor Pamela Howard began her career as a headdress maker for one of Chichester’s first productions in 1962 and now finds herself making daisies for children to ‘plant’ in the grass. Her installation provides the backdrop to the exhibits and brings the park setting into the Gallery.

You can find more information about the exhibition on the Pallant House Gallery web site.

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