The Nest Appeal
Support usThe Nest Appeal
Nurturing the next generation of artists is vital to ensure that theatre in the UK maintains its international reputation for excellence. I am delighted to support Chichester Festival Theatre – a place dear to my heart – as they embark on creating this exciting new space.
Sam Mendes CBE
Incubating, hatching and showcasing the creative talent of the future
Do you remember The Tent, Theatre on the Fly and The Spiegeltent? These venues offered space for us to do something a little bit different to our usual programming. With an increasingly urgent need for more space to develop creative projects and support emerging artists, we are planning a new venue to do just that.
The great artists, performers, writers and curators of 2040 and 2050 need to be nurtured now: our investment in them is, at heart, an investment in a future that we believe can be brighter and better with culture and creativity at its core.
Let's Create Strategy, Arts Council England, 2020
With sustainability at its heart, we have found an ideal structure previously located at the Pleasance Theatre in London and used at the Edinburgh Festival. Usable year-round and fully wheelchair accessible, this 119-seater studio will have a thrust stage to match our sister theatres and removable stacked seating giving us plenty of flexibility.
Nestled in the trees beside the Festival Theatre, what better name for this space to incubate creativity in our community, hatch new work in progress and nurture growing artists, than The Nest.
I think this is a most exciting project and I am privileged to be associated with its potential success. Chichester Festival Theatre has been a significant part of my working life and to continue my support gives me enormous satisfaction
Dame Patricia Routledge DBE | President of the Nest Appeal
We now have planning permission! We need to raise at least £1,500,000 to make this dream a reality and have just reached the halfway point. Now we need your help to get us across the finish line.
Donate today and sign up to receive regular updates on our Appeal and ways you can get involved in fundraising events.
If you'd like to discuss supporting this project or learn more about it, we'd love to hear from you. Please email Sarah Mansell, Appeal Director or call 01243 212869 to chat to a member of our team.
Donate today and help us feather our nest!
Help us seed the wildflower roof
Help us recover the bench seating inside
Help us buy materials for the timber balustrade
Help us clad the building
We would like to thank the following major donors
Platinum
Backstage Trust
Mark and Sandy Foster
Charles Holloway OBE
Liz Juniper
Denise Patterson DL
Gold
Caro Newling OBE
Salomon Oppenheimer Philanthropic Foundation
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
John & Susie Wells
Angela Wormald
Silver
David and Jane Cobb
Veronica J Dukes
George Galazka
James and Anne McMeehan Roberts
Dame Patricia Routledge DBE
David and Sophie Shalit
Bronze
John and Joan Adams
Nick & Audrey Backhouse
Gay and Roger Bradley
Bernard Buckley and Christopher Casburn
Clive & Frances Coward
Yvonne and John Dean
David and Sue Foster
Sally and Vaughan Lowe
Nigel and Julia Maile
The Miles Foundation
Jacquie and Martin Ogilvie
Douglas and Lyana Peniston
Nigel & Viv Robson
Kate and John Siebert
Tricia Sloane
Dave and Christine Smithers
Hannah and Alf Strange
Howard M Thompson
And all those who wish to remain anonymous