Jonathan Church to launch new production company following Chichester departure

Following the announcement of his departure from Chichester Festival Theatre after the 2016 Season, Jonathan Church has announced that he will be establishing a new, independent production company, Jonathan Church Productions Limited (JCPL), as a platform to continue the development of both his producing and directing output in the future.

Church new company is being supported by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres (DMT) who, as well as becoming a minority shareholder in the Company, will be providing JCPL with a development fund to enable Jonathan to create new work for West End theatres and beyond.

Church intends to build on the commercial and artistic success of his tenure at Chichester - whose latest London transfer is Gypsy starring Imelda Staunton - by creating artistically ambitious work in the West End, on tour across the UK and internationally. He will also continue the exploration of his directing career in tandem with his work as a producer, and aims to develop further creative relationships in the commercial sector.

Jonathan Church & Alan Finch to depart Chichester Festival Theatre in September 2016

Jonathan Church and Alan Finch have announced that they are stepping down as artistic director and executive director of Chichester Festival Theatre at the end of September 2016. 

Both Church and Finch joined Chichester Festival Theatre in 2005, overseeing the organisation’s 50th anniversary in 2012 and the recent £22 million redevelopment of the Festival Theatre.

Jonathan Church said: "It has been a privilege and a joy to have been the custodians of this very special theatre for the last decade and to have worked alongside some of the country's most skilled actors and creative teams.

"It will be painful leaving a theatre that feels like our creative home but regional theatres thrive on new ideas and new energies. I like to think we will hand this wonderful theatre over to its next caretakers in an excellent position to build further on its extraordinary history."