10 things coming up in the Chichester/Bognor area!

Things you won't want to miss...
Bill Ward in Shakespeare in LoveBill Ward in Shakespeare in Love
Bill Ward in Shakespeare in Love

1 Theatre. Hugh Dennis, Lesley Garrett and John Marquez star in The Messiah, written and directed by Patrick Barlow at Chichester Festival Theatre from November 12-17. A travelling theatre troupe of two actors and an opera singer arrive by camel in the ancient town of Chichester to masterfully enact the greatest story ever told...

2 Theatre. Shakespeare In Love plays Chichester Festival Theatre from November 20-24, based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, adapted by Lee Hall. Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block... the deadline for his new play – a comedy called Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter – is fast approaching, he’s struggling to finish the first line of a sonnet and he’s in dire need of inspiration. Then he meets the beguiling Viola de Lesseps, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant. Viola is prepared to do anything – including risking the frosty disapproval of Queen Elizabeth I – to fulfil her illicit dream of performing on the London stage and pursuing a passionate affair with the greatest playwright of the age.

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3 Art. Neville Smith is once again exhibiting. Neville has always been delighted and invigorated by the South Downs, the spectacular views, the skies and the light. He is presenting his watercolour exhibition at Rackham Old School, Rackham, near Storrington, RH20 2EU on Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18, 11am-4pm. Admission and parking free. There is also a collection of signed prints for sale.

4 Music. Gordon Giltrap will be in both concert and conversation for a special date in Chichester’s St John’s Chapel on Saturday, November 17 at 7.30pm (tickets on 01243 783185). The night marks the launch of his biography Perilous Journey.

5 Speakers. The latest Chichester Speakers Festival runs on November 16 and 17 at The Assembly Rooms in North Street, Chichester To book tickets and for more information, ring the booking line on 0333 666 3366 or visit www.chichesterspeakersfestival.com.

6 Theatre. The University of Chichester’s musical theatre students take to the Alexandra Theatre stage in Bognor this week with rip-roaring classics Kiss Me Kate and Anything Goes. Kiss Me Kate premieres at The Alexandra Theatre, Regis Centre, Bognor Regis, PO21 1BL on Thursday, November 15 and runs every evening at 7.30pm until Saturday, November 17, with a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday. Anything Goes opens on Thursday, November 22 and runs every evening at 7.30pm until Saturday, November 24, with a 2.30pm matinee on the Saturday. Tickets for Kiss Me Kate & Anything Goes are available from: The Regis Centre box office on 01243 861010.

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7 Art. After 65 one-man exhibitions in London and the south-east, landscape artist Mervyn Goode makes his Chichester debut with an exhibition running at the city’s Oxmarket Gallery until November 18.

8 Art. The Moncrieff-Bray Gallery winter exhibition near Petworth runs from Saturday, November 3-Sunday, November 25 and by appointment until Christmas. Elspeth Moncrieff, who set up the Moncrieff-Bray Gallery in 2005, is promising a stunning collection of paintings, print-making, sculpture and ceramics.

9 Art. Behind The Mask by Philip Jackson offers an exhibition at Augustus Brandt in Petworth running until November 24. Philip is one of Britain’s most respected and commissioned sculptors and has produced some of our country’s best-known public works.

10 Theatre. It’s now in its 40th year, and the audiences are loving it just as much as ever. Mike Sterling is delighted to step into the shoes of Juan Perón opposite Lucy O’Byrne as Eva as Evita at Southsea’s Kings Theatre November 13-17 (02392 828282).

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