Siân Phillips, Miriam Petche and Jasper Talbot to lead world premiere of Atonement at Chichester Festival Theatre

Chichester Festival Theatre has confirmed the cast for its upcoming world premiere of Atonement, Ian McEwan’s seminal novel adapted for the stage by Academy Award-winner Christopher Hampton.

Directed by Adam Penford (Punch, The Sound of Music), the production marks the first major stage version of the Booker Prize-shortlisted masterpiece, famously adapted into the 2007 Oscar-winning film starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. The play runs from 29 May to 20 June 2026.

The Leading Cast

Leading the company is Dame Siân Phillips as the older Briony Tallis. Phillips returns to Chichester following a career of celebrated stage roles, including her Olivier-nominated performances in Marlene and Cabaret.

Miriam Petche, best known for her breakout role in the HBO/BBC series Industry, will play Cecilia, while Jasper Talbot stars as Robbie. Talbot returns to Chichester after his The Stage Debut Award-nominated turn in Redlands, followed by recent performances in Inter Alia at the National Theatre and The Line of Beauty at the Almeida Theatre.

The company is completed by Isabella Dempster as young Briony, alongside James Backway, Tom Chapman, Yanexi Enriquez, Debra Gillett, Gabin Kongolo, Natasha Magigi, and Jonathan Oliver.

The creative team also includes designer Anthony Ward, video designer Andrzej Goulding, movement and intimacy director Ben Wright, lighting designer Aideen Malone and composer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite.

The Story

Stretching from the “blazing summer of 1935” through the Second World War to the present day, Atonement follows 13-year-old Briony Tallis. After witnessing a passionate encounter between her sister Cecilia and the housekeeper’s son, Robbie, Briony’s “disastrous desire for drama” leads to an accusation that fatally alters multiple lives—a mistake she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone for.

A major season for Chichester

Atonement forms part of Chichester Festival Theatre’s newly announced Festival 2026 season, which runs until October and includes eight world premieres alongside a new production of My Fair Lady and a 1990s-set A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

With six previous Chichester productions currently playing in London or on national tour, the venue has become an established launchpad for the West End. Given the global reputation of McEwan’s novel and the high-profile creative team attached, Atonement is likely to be closely watched when it premieres this summer.