Archive Tag: Buildings & site

Archive: Founder’s Scrapbook (1964)

One scrapbook in a series collected by Chichester Festival Theatre’s founder, Leslie Evershed-Martin. He started collecting ephemera in the run up to the Theatre’s opening and continued until his death in 1991. They are presented as seen in their physical form.

Archive: Founder’s Scrapbook (1963)

One scrapbook in a series collected by Chichester Festival Theatre’s founder, Leslie Evershed-Martin. He started collecting ephemera in the run up to the Theatre’s opening and continued until his death in 1991. They are presented as seen in their physical form.

Archive: Oral history clips, The building in the 60s (2013-2015)

Cantilevers, Christopher Stevens
Project Architect on the 1962 Christopher Stevens talks about the day the props were removed from the building and the cantilevers had to support the building by themselves

Lending a hand in the Box Office, Patricia Kemp
Former Usherette and Head of Front of House in the Minerva Theatre Patricia Kemp describes lending a hand in the Box Office before the process was computerised

Wardrobe huts, Eileen Norris
Former Assistant Stage Manager Eileen Norris explains how CFT housed it’s Wardrobe department in the early years

Laurence Olivier and Door 6, Val Leggate
Usherette Val Leggate describes working front of house in the 1960s and how Laurence Olivier wanted things done

Wobbling windows, Christopher Stevens 
Project Architect on the 1962 build Christopher Stevens talks about how he and his team dealt with problems with the building

Prompt corner, Rosemary Chapman 
Assistant Stage Manager during the 1969 season Rosemary Chapman explains where she would sit during a performance to prompt any actors who forgot their lines

Collapsing seats, Christopher Stevens
Christopher Stevens talks about issues they had with the seating in the auditorium during the first season

Joyce Grenfell, Eileen Norris 
Former Assistant Stage Manager Eileen Norris describes meeting Joyce Grenfell in a rather unusual situation

Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interviews or click the files below to read the available summaries.

All interviews were recorded between 2013 and 2015, CFT digital archive

Interview summary Christopher Stevens PIOOH018
Interview summary Patricia Kemp PIOOH010
Interview summary Val Leggate PIOOH038
Interview summary Eileen Norris PIOOH036
Interview summary Rosemary Chapman PIOOH045

Archive: Photograph, architects’ model (1966)

A photograph of the model made by architects Powell and Moya for the first set of extensions built between 1966-67. The main addition is the scene dock towards the back of the Theatre, which was not incorporated in the original hexagon design.

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office.

Archive: Press cutting, Aspects of the New Chichester Theatre (1962)

An artist’s impression of Chichester Festival Theatre, including an exterior view and portrayal of the state-of-the-art lighting desk in the control room within the auditorium.

H36.6xW25.7cm, from The Illustrated News, 7 July 1962.

CFT archive held at West Sussex Record Office.

Archive: Architecture Plan, (c.1961)

One of Powell and Moya’s original architecture plans of the Festival Theatre auditorium with layouts of the stage, seating, control room and entrances and exits.

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office.

Archive: Photograph, Interior auditorium (1962)

Photograph of the newly completed auditorium showing seats and fully loaded rigging as well as the corner of the state of the art control room situated at the back of the auditorium. One of the vomitoriums can also be seen – an entrance into the auditorium used by cast as well as members of the audience. Vomitoriums are a key feature of auditoriums containing a thrust stage.

H20 x W20cm, Photographer unknown

CFT archive held at WSRO

Archive: Founder’s Scrapbook (1962) 1 of 2

This is the first scrapbook in a series collected by Chichester Festival Theatre’s founder, Leslie Evershed-Martin. He started collecting ephemera in the run up to the Theatre’s opening and continued until his death in 1991. This particular scrapbook is one of two which provide a personal insight into the opening of the Theatre in 1962. They are presented as seen in their physical form.

Highlights include a personal telegram from Vivien Leigh and the Queen.

Click here to download a comprehensive and fully searchable contents page for this scrapbook.

Private collection.

Archive: Card, Artist’s impression (1961)

This artist’s impression of what Chichester Festival Theatre would look like was created before it was built. This card was used as a Christmas card by Leslie Evershed-Martin and was put by him into one of his scrapbooks.

Leslie Evershed-Martin  scrapbook collection.

CFT archive held at West Sussex Record Office.

Archive: Postcard, cement bags (c.1961)

As part of early fundraising initiatives, people were encouraged to buy a bag of cement to help build Chichester Festival Theatre, concrete being a key material used in the original building. There was a display in the Chichester Festival Theatre shop at the Market Cross in the centre of Chichester. When someone brought a bag of cement they were given a card like this one to pass to a friend.

CFT archive held at West Sussex Record Office.

Archive: Photograph, Laurence Olivier on the building site (1962)

Photograph showing Laurence Olivier arriving onsite for the Topping Out ceremony – an event to mark a building project reaching its highest point.

Signed by Olivier and inscribed ‘Darling [illeg.], What are you looking so scared of, dear, Love always, L’

Photographer unknown

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office

Archive: Postcard, exterior of Chichester Festival Theatre (1962)

These postcards were sold in the Chichester Festival Theatre shop – an initiative set up by the Theatre Society initially to help raise funds for the building of the Theatre. This one shows the exterior of the Theatre from ground level. One of the large plains of concrete supporting the building on either side can clearly be seen. These would later be swallowed up by extensions.

H9 x W146cm, Photographer unknown

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office.

 

 

Archive: Photograph, construction of foyer (1962)

Photograph of the foyer of Chichester Festival Theatre under construction showing work taking place on the central bar.

H21 x W16cm, Photographer unknown

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office

Archive: Photograph, Laurence Olivier talking to Kenneth Tynan (c.1961)

Photograph showing Laurence Olivier presenting plans to build Chichester Festival Theatre to prominent critic, Kenneth Tynan. Television cameras can be made out on the left hand side.

H24.3 x W19cm, Photographer Reg Wilson, date unknown

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office

Archive: Photograph, Aerial view of Chichester Festival Theatre (c.1962)

Photograph showing an aerial perspective on the working Festival Theatre from the back and side. The ramp system needed to move sets in and out of the first floor auditorium can be seen as can the temporary huts erected to provide extra storage and wardrobe space. An empty Northgate carpark can also be seen as can St Paul’s Church in the background.

H21.8 x W23.8cm, Photographer Reg Wilson, date unknown

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office

Archive: Photograph, slatted staircase (1962)

The newly finished Chichester Festival Theatre from the outside, looking towards the staircase to doors 3 and 5.

H20 x W29.8cm, Photographer unknown

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office

Archive: Photograph, Architects’ model of Chichester Festival Theatre (c.1959)

Photograph of the original architects model of Chichester Festival Theatre presented by Powell and Moya to Leslie Evershed-Martin in November 1959. This model became an integral part of the efforts to garner support for the project, traveling with Evershed-Martin to a succession of meetings and events over the coming three years.

H16 x W21cm, Photographer unknown

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office

Archive: Photograph, construction of Festival Theatre auditorium (1962)

Chichester Festival Theatre in construction, showing the structure of the ceiling, suspension cables and rigging as well as the stage, the original semi-permanent set in the Juliet balcony and the top level band stand nearing completion as well as ladders up into the rigging.

Photographer; Charles Howard, 1 May 1962

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office

Archive: Photograph, construction of Festival Theatre auditorium (1962)

Chichester Festival Theatre in construction, showing the structure of the ceiling, suspension cables and rigging as well as the stage, the original semi-permanent set in the Juliet balcony and the top level band stand as well as the limited amount of backstage space.

Photographer; Charles Howard, 2 April 1962

CFT archive held at West Sussex Records Office

Archive: Oral history clip, Rosemary Chapman (2013)

Rosemary Chapman came to work at Chichester Festival Theatre in 1968 as an assistant stage manager on The Magistrate, and was put to work on sound. In this clip she looks back on that experience.

Rosemary Chapman by Gill Bushby 09 Dec 2014. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview or click the file below to read a summary.

Archive: Oral history clip, Christopher Stevens (2013)

Christopher Stevens was the project architect working for Powell and Moya on the original design of Chichester Festival Theatre. In this clip he looks back on the construction process.

Christopher Stevens by Fay Wilson 07 Dec 2014. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview or click the file below to read a summary.

Archive: Oral history clip, Jean Skaptason (2014)

Jean Skaptason came to Chichester to work in Festival Theatre’s costume workshop in 1962. She later joined the fledgling National Theatre company and came back to Chichester throughout the partnership between the Festival Theatre and the National Theatre under Laurence Olivier’s leadership. In these clips she looks back on working life in those first few years including working pressures, living arrangements and the relationship the Theatre had with the rest of Chichester.

Jean Skaptason by Karen Robinson 10 Dec 2013. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview or click the file below to read a summary.

Archive: Oral history clip, Gerard Soothill (2014)

Gerard Soothill’s parents were among founding members of the Festival Theatre Society, a society formed to help raise the funds needed to get the Theatre built and who were then given priority booking for theatre tickets. In this clip he looks back on the early societys efforts to raise funds in 1961 and 1962.

Gerard Soothill by Alex Habgood 29 Jan 2014. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview or click the file below to read a summary.

 

Archive: Oral history clip, Leslie Williams (2014)

Leslie Williams was breaking new ground in theatre education in the early 60s when he first came across Leslie Evershed-Martin and his plans to build a theatre in Chichester. In this clip he looks back on this moment.

Leslie Williams by Karen Robinson 20 Aug 2014. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview.

Archive: Oral history clip, Eileen Norris (2014)

Eileen Norris came to Chichester Festival Theatre as an aspiring director who wanted to witness Laurence Olivier work with great actors. She was employed nominally as an assistant stage manager but quickly became involved in helping to solve many of the problems faced by the fledgling Theatre over the course of its first few seasons, such as how to feed the cast and crew on a budget and how to help audience members out of their seats if they need medical assistance during a production.

In these clips she describes what she learned watching Olivier work on The Chances and The Broken Heart.

Eileen Norris by Rib Davis 20 Jun 2014. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview or click the file below to read a summary.

Archive: Oral history clip, Alison Anderson (2014)

Alison Anderson’s parents were next-door neighbours and good friends of Leslie and Carol Evershed-Martin and were enthusiastic supporters of the plans to found and build Chichester Festival Theatre. In these clips Alison Anderson reflects on the impression that the Evershed-Martins made on her as a child.

Allison Anderson by Gill Bushby 04 Sep 2014. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview or click the file below to read a summary.

Archive: Oral history clip, Adrian Whitaker (2014)

Adiran Whitaker joined CFT as a stage hand in 1973 and started working as a props maker in 1980. In these clips he describes how you make a severed head, why he wanted to make props, what props he made, making sofas, what his trianing consisted of and what life as a stage hand was like for him.

Adrian Whitaker by Karen Robinson 13 Feb 2014, CFT digital archive. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview.

Archive: Oral history clip, Karl Meier (2013)

Karl Meier looks back over a long career working backstage at Chichester Fetival Theatre covering his first memories of the Festival Theatre in the early 60s, joining the crew in the 70s and the kind of problems he has been asked to solve ever since. Clips include working with designers, how pulley systems work, turning sets around and paticular memories of Terra Nova, 1980.

Karl Meier interview by Sophie Shaw 28 Nov 2013, CFT digital archive. Email [email protected] for access to the full oral history interview or click the file below to read a summary.