Sammy Lacey - Crossing Lines

Dir. Daniel Hill | Des. Ryan Dawson Laight | SND Des. David Lewington

1914. A West Sussex city. War looms and a community gathers to celebrate the brave young men marching for freedom.

1939. Under the shadow of invasion, the city’s young are offered up once more to a conflict on foreign soil.

2019. The same city and a new threat is looming. Borders are collapsing. Communities uprooted. People are on the move. There is only one route to safety and only one means of communication, via the airwaves… but can they be trusted?

Stories connect across time and across technologies as history haunts the present and the city’s young race to escape the dark forces poised to destroy the country they know. Using audio technology and live action, this promenade performance through the streets of Chichester asks: can an individual alter history by changing the channel?

Crossing Lines will take place across the heart of Chichester, with locations including Chichester Cathedral, Pallant House Gallery, The Novium Museum and the Bishop’s Palace Gardens. The audience will follow the action on foot.

Chichester Festival Youth Theatre’s renowned biennial outdoor productions include Grimm Tales (2017) and the award-winning Running Wild (2015).

CFT’s new Writer-in-Residence, Anna Ledwich adapted Beauty and the Beast for CFYT in 2017 and was co-Artistic Director of Theatre on the Fly at Chichester in 2012. Director Daniel Hill has devised and directed over 40 productions for young people, including promenade productions of Alice’s Adventures and Wind in the Willows.

Photo by Pete Jones