The upcoming Chichester Festival Theatre season features a glittering array of talent from stage and screen, including Geraldine James, Sarah Parish, Munya Chawawa, Rupert Penry-Jones, David Haig, Priyanga Burford, Jemima Rooper and Hadley Fraser.
Chichester Festival Theatre has announced a bold and ambitious 2026 season featuring eight world premieres, a Shakespearean classic reimagined for the 90s, and the venue’s first-ever staging of much-loved Lerner & Loewe musical My Fair Lady.
Artistic Director Justin Audibert and Executive Director Kathy Bourne revealed the line-up today, that stretches from March to October 2026, blending new writing with major literary and film adaptations.
David Haig and Hadley Fraser in Magic
One of the season’s most anticipated world premieres is Magic, written by and starring the award-winning David Haig (Killing Eve).
Directed by Lucy Bailey (Witness for the Prosecution), the play marks the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death. Haig stars as Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, opposite Hadley Fraser (The Lehman Trilogy) as the legendary illusionist Harry Houdini.
Read more the world premiere of Magic.
Christopher Hampton adapts Atonement
In another major coup for the Festival, Ian McEwan’s prize-winning novel Atonement will receive its world premiere stage adaptation in Chichester.
The production is adapted by the Oscar and Olivier Award-winning playwright Christopher Hampton, whose illustrious career includes Les Liaisons Dangereuses, which is revived at the National Theatre this year, and The Philanthropist.
Geraldine James in 45 Years
The Minerva Theatre will host the world premiere stage adaptation of 45 Years, based on the critically acclaimed 2015 film by Andrew Haigh. Marking her Chichester debut, Geraldine James (The Jewel in the Crown) stars as Kate in this tense and moving drama.
Find out more about 45 Years in Chichester.
A Chichester first: My Fair Lady
For the first time in its history, Chichester will produce Lerner & Loewe’s glorious musical My Fair Lady. This musical masterpiece, based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, will be directed by Rachel Kavanaugh (Clueless), who previously helmed Chichester’s Half a Sixpence and Shadowlands.
Chichester Festival Theatre 2026. My Fair Lady, Magic, 45 Years
“As we announce our brand new season, six previous Chichester Festival Theatre productions are playing in London or around the country – reaching 472,000 people in 2025. It’s a powerful testimony to the quality and appeal of the shows we make here that many go on to delight audiences far beyond West Sussex.” – Justin Audibert and Kathy Bourne
Chichester Festival Theatre 2026 Lineup
- Magic (24 April – 16 May)
- Eclipse (8 May – 6 June), starring Sarah Parish (WIA) and Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks)
- Atonement (29 May – 20 June)
- 45 Years (12 June – 11 July)
- My Fair Lady (6 July – 5 September)
- Atlantis (18 July – 15 August)
- a small and quiet light (21 August – 12 September), starring Priyanga Burford (An Enemy of the People)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (18 September – 17 October), starring comedian Munya Chawawa and Jemima Rooper (Geek Girl)
- Antigone Exits (26 September – 17 October)
- Hey! Christmas Tree (5 – 27 December)
- Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure (14 – 30 December)
Related News
Siân Phillips, Miriam Petche and Jasper Talbot to lead world premiere of Atonement at Chichester Festival Theatre
Ian McEwan’s Atonement is finally coming to the stage
Geraldine James to star in World Premiere stage adaptation of 45 Years
Houdini vs Conan Doyle: David Haig’s new play Magic to premiere at Chichester
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