Her Majesty The Queen to visit Chichester and Midhurst

Her Majesty The Queen is to visit Chichester Festival Theatre during a trip to West Sussex later this month.
Her Majesty the QueenHer Majesty the Queen
Her Majesty the Queen

Her Majesty will visit the theatre on Thursday, November 30, and on the same day will visit Canine Partners National Training Centre, in Midhurst, according to her official engagements calendar.

She will be accompanied by the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, Susan Pyper and the Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Harry Goring.

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They will be greeted at the festival theatre by Daniel Evans, artistic director and Rachel Tackley, executive director; Chichester MP Gillian Keegan; and leaders of West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council.

The Queen will watch a special performance by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, including a scene from their forthcoming Christmas production Beauty and the Beast.

Songs from CFT’s acclaimed production of Fiddler on the Roof will be performed by stars Omid Djalili, Simbi Akande, Lucinda Lawrence and Rose Shalloo.

After the performance, The Queen will be entertained to lunch in the theatre restaurant, with guests including Dame Patricia Routledge who first appeared at the theatre in 1969 and is also a Chichester resident.

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Her Majesty first visited the Theatre on July 31, 1962 during its inaugural festival season, when she and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh attended a charity performance of Uncle Vanya, directed by Sir Laurence Olivier, the theatre’s first artistic director.

She and the Duke returned in 1964 for a performance of Othello with Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith.