Chichester Festival Theatre is mourning the loss of Dame Patricia Routledge DBE, who has died at the age of 96. She first appeared at the Festival Theatre in 1969 and acted in many productions over the following five decades. A Chichester resident and active member of the local community, she was Patron of Chichester Festival Youth Theatre and President of The Nest Appeal.

During HM Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the Festival Theatre on 30 November 2017, Dame Patricia performed a speech from Noël Coward's Cowardy Custard. She was appointed DBE in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to theatre and charity.  

Justin Audibert and Kathy Bourne, Artistic and Executive Directors of CFT, said: 'If Chichester Festival Theatre is particularly renowned as a stage for great actors and great performances, Dame Patricia Routledge was the embodiment of that principle. She was not only a national treasure, she was a Chichester treasure too - a stalwart supporter of the city and community, and of the Festival Theatre whose stage she graced for five decades. As Patron of Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, and President of our fundraising appeal to build our new third space The Nest, she was also enthusiastically involved in the plans for its future.

'Patricia Routledge was a supreme actress. Her talents were particularly associated with comedy, though her range was far greater than that. The first of her memorable leading roles at the Festival Theatre was in 1969, opposite Alastair Sim in The Magistrate - a huge hit which transferred to the West End, as did their 1973 reunion in Dandy Dick. From Emilia in Othello to Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals, and Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest to performing for HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 and her last public performance here, discussing her life in musical theatre in Facing the Music in February 2020, Patricia never gave less than her all.

'She is irreplaceable, inimitable and unforgettable.'

Patricia Routledge's Chichester roles included: the Mother-in-Law in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Agatha Posket in The Magistrate (also West End) and Lady Fidget in The Country Wife (1969); Georgiana Tidman in Dandy Dick (also West End, 1973); Made in Heaven and Emilia in Othello (1975); Come for the Ride (one woman show, 1989); Peggy Schofield in A Woman of No Importance and Miss Ruddock in A Lady of Letters (both Talking Heads, 1991); Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals (also West End) and Miss Dyott in The Schoolmistress (1994); Beatrix Potter in Beatrix (also UK tour, 1996); Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest (also Theatre Royal Haymarket, Australian tour, Savoy, 1999);  The Duchess in Wild Orchids (2002); Miss Protheroe/Doreen in Office Suite (also UK tour, 2007); and Admission: One Shilling and Facing the Music.