Publications
Theatricals in Sussex one hundred years ago [at East Grinstead], by E. Risdon, published 1860 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 12, notes & queries, p.266) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2097] & The Keep [LIB/500231] & S.A.S. library View Online
Chichester Theatre and George Frederick Cooke, by Lord William Pitt Lennox, published 1876 in Celebrities I have Known (vol. 2, article, pp.269-282) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7021]
The history of the theatres of Brighton: from 1774 to 1885, by Henry C. Porter, published 1886 (viii + 206 pp. + xiv , Brighton: King and Thorne) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503793] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The Roman Amphitheatre at Chichester, by Miss G. M. White, published 1936 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. X no. 2, article, pp.139-142) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2315][Lib 9331] & The Keep [LIB/500181]
The Chichester Amphitheatre: Preliminary Excavations, by Miss G. M. White, published April 1936 in The Antiquaries Journal (vol. 16 issue 2, article, pp.145-159) View Online
Abstract:The discovery of the Roman amphitheatre at Chichester was made by a local resident, Mr. Raymond Carlyon-Britton, to whom the writer is indebted for permission to use that knowledge.
Believing that an amphitheatre would be a normal adjunct of a Roman town of the size and importance of Chichester, Mr. Carlyon-Britton began an examination of the outskirts of the city in 1934, with the result that, early in 1935, the writer was shown the site which has since proved to be that of the amphitheatre. It lies outside the city on the SE. (fig. 1), just over 200 yards from the walls and divided from them by the now covered course of the Lavant stream, and about 250 yards from the East Gate, where Stane Street branches off north-eastwards. The line of approach from the East Gate to the amphitheatre has not been determined; a road may have led to it directly from the East Gate, or branched off, beyond the Lavant stream, from the road which no doubt ran eastwards along the coast.
Believing that an amphitheatre would be a normal adjunct of a Roman town of the size and importance of Chichester, Mr. Carlyon-Britton began an examination of the outskirts of the city in 1934, with the result that, early in 1935, the writer was shown the site which has since proved to be that of the amphitheatre. It lies outside the city on the SE. (fig. 1), just over 200 yards from the walls and divided from them by the now covered course of the Lavant stream, and about 250 yards from the East Gate, where Stane Street branches off north-eastwards. The line of approach from the East Gate to the amphitheatre has not been determined; a road may have led to it directly from the East Gate, or branched off, beyond the Lavant stream, from the road which no doubt ran eastwards along the coast.
The Old Theatre, Worthing: The Theatre Royal, 1807-1855, by Mary Theresa Odell, published 1938 (Worthing Art Development Scheme, Aylesbury: George W. Jones) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2848] & West Sussex Libraries
Mr. Trotter of Worthing and the Brighton Theatre. (The Theatre Royal, 1814-1819.) [With illustrations], by Mary Theresa Odell, published 1944 (Worthing Art Development Scheme, 102 pp., Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries
More about the Old Theatre, Worthing, Its Plays, Players & Playbills, Its Proprietor & His Playhouses, by Mary T. Odell, published 1945 (Worthing Art Development Scheme, Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Festival of Sussex: Music, Drama, Art, published 1951 (pamphlet, Festival of Sussex) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5270]
Some Playbills of the Old Theatre, Worthing (Theatre Royal 1807-1855) , by Mary Theresa Odell, published 1953 (Worthing Art Development Scheme, Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Duke Street Theatre, Brighton, 1790-1806, by S. Rosenfeld, published 1954 in Theatre Notebook (vol. 8, no. 3, article, pp.60-61)
The Chichester Theatre, by Francis W. Steer, F.S.A., published 1956 (Chichester Papers no. 9, 11 pp. & 4 leaves of plates, Chichester City Council) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries
Sources of Information on 18th and Early 19th Century Theatres in Sussex, by Francis W. Steer, published 1958 in Theatre Notebook (vol. 12, no. 2, article, pp.58-64) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5318] & The Keep [LIB/502385]
The Impossible Theatre: The Chichester Festival Theatre Adventure by Its Founder, by Leslie Evershed-Martin with a foreward by Larence Olivier, published 20 April 1971 (144 pp., The History Press, ISBN-10: 0900592176 & ISBN-13: 9780900592171) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The first thrust: the Chichester Festival Theatre, by Ronald Hayman, published 1975 (215 pp., London: Davis-Poynter, ISBN-10: 0706701526 & ISBN-13: 9780706701524) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The Theatre Royal, Brighton, by Antony Dale, published 5 June 1980 (182 pp., Oriel Press Ltd., ISBN-10: 0853621853 & ISBN-13: 9780853621850) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503777] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Worthing Theatres, 1790-1984, by D. Robert Elleray, published 1985 (Worthing Society)
Bungalow Town: Theatre and Film Colony, by N. E. B. Wolters, published 1 October 1985 (pamphlet, 64 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0951101900 & ISBN-13: 9780951101902) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9454] & West Sussex Libraries
Chichester Festival Theatre 1986: 25 years Silver Jubilee season, 11th April, 27th September, published 1986 (112 pp., Chichester: Chichester Festival Theatre) accessible at: British Library
The Miracle Theatre: The Chichester Festival Theatre's Coming of Age, by Leslie Evershed-Martin, published 1987 (192 pp., Newton Abbot: David & Charles, ISBN-10: 071539021X & ISBN-13: 9780715390214) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries
New theatre complex at Glyndebourne; Architects: Michael Hopkins & Partners , by Hugo Cole, published 6 December 1990 in Country Life (vol. 184 no. 49, article, p.115)
The Original Theatres of Chichester, by Emlyn G. Thomas, published 1991 (article) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11226]
The Theatre Royal, Brighton, by Christopher Robinson, published October 1993 (Theatre Royal, ISBN-10: 0952227606 & ISBN-13: 9780952227601) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503778] & West Sussex Libraries
Two fools from Sussex, by Cameron Louis, published 1996 in Records of Early English Drama (vol. 21, no. 2, article, pp.16-18)
From c. 1506.
The Playhouse on the Park: A History of Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, by Edward Thomas, published October 1997 (140 pp., Friends of Devonshire Park Theatre, ISBN-10: 0953176509 & ISBN-13: 9780953176502) accessible at: Eastbourne Heritage Centre & East Sussex Libraries
The crowd roars: tales from the life of a professional stuntman, by The Great Omani [Ron Cunningham], published 1999 (111 pp., Brighton: QueenSpark Books, ISBN-10: 090473370X) accessible at: British Library
Ron Cunningham is a Brighton resident.
Records of Early English Drama: Sussex, edited by Cameron Louis, published 2000 (403 pp., Toronto: Brepols Publishers/University of Toronto Press, ISBN-10: 2503509053 & ISBN-13: 9782503509051) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/501905] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Mr Phipp's Theatre: The Sensational Story of Eastbourne's Royal Hippodrome, by John Pick and Mark Jones, published 13 March 2006 (214 pp., Entertainment Technology Press Ltd, ISBN-10: 1904031382 & ISBN-13: 9781904031383) accessible at: Eastbourne Heritage Centre & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:The story of Eastbourne's Royal Hippodrome Theatre dating back to 1883 it the oldest theatre in the town, designed and built for the theatre manager and impresario George Beaumont Loveday by the eminent theatre architect C J Phipps. Today the venue continues to host one of the longest running summer seasons in the country for years.
Mr Phipp's Theatre: The Sensational Story of Eastbourne's Royal Hippodrome, by John Pick and Mark Jones, published 13 March 2006 (216 pp., Entertainment Technology Press Ltd, ISBN-10: 1904031382 & ISBN-13: 9781904031383) accessible at: Eastbourne Heritage Centre & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:The story of Eastbourne's Royal Hippodrome Theatre dating back to 1883 it the oldest theatre in the town, designed and built for the theatre manager and impresario George Beaumont Loveday by the eminent theatre architect C J Phipps. Today the venue continues to host one of the longest running summer seasons in the country for years.
Sussex Theatres - An Illustrated Survey and Gazetteer, c.1750-2000, by D. Robert Elleray, published 1 December 2006 (64 pp., Worrthing: Optimus Books Ltd., ISBN-10: 095331328X & ISBN-13: 9780953313280) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15760] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Haunter Theatres of East Sussex, by Tina Lakin, published 14 July 2008 (96 pp., ISBN-10: 0752447556 & ISBN-13: 9780752447551) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:The history of East Sussex theatres is particularly fascinating due to the sheer variety of venues that hosted plays, opera shows and musical entertainment. Tina Lakin's interest in the rise and fall of the many piers in the county where extravagant balls and concerts were held, led her to discover the weird and sometimes tragic tales that have arisen in these spectral structures. Included in the book is a history of entertainment, from Greek tragedies to the rise of the music hall and circus acts through to the modern-day tattooist shows and successful events at Glyndebourne. From the spectre of a waif-like orphan searching for the glamour of the theatre, a phantom orchestra playing on a seaside promenade to the ghost of an unrequited backstage love affair the tales will both surprise and mystify the reader.
Illustrated with over fifty unusual images, the tales will enchant the lovers of ghost stories and those interested in the rise and decline of entertainment on Britain's south-east coast. Accompanied by interesting pictures of bygone times as well as some contemporary images, a complete history of area's theatrical hauntings are gathered here. This collection of thought-provoking eerie tales is sure to appeal to anyone with an interest in the paranormal or theatre history.
Illustrated with over fifty unusual images, the tales will enchant the lovers of ghost stories and those interested in the rise and decline of entertainment on Britain's south-east coast. Accompanied by interesting pictures of bygone times as well as some contemporary images, a complete history of area's theatrical hauntings are gathered here. This collection of thought-provoking eerie tales is sure to appeal to anyone with an interest in the paranormal or theatre history.
Backstage Brighton: Theatre-going in Brighton & Hove, published 4 October 2010 (100 pp., Brighton: QueenSpark Books, ISBN-10: 0904733734 & ISBN-13: 9780904733730) accessible at: The Keep archive of QueenSpark Books
Abstract:In 1900 Brighton had more theatres than anywhere in the UK outside London. Backstage Brighton from QueenSpark Books celebrates theatre and theatre-going in the city, past and present.
If you ever wondered what once stood on the site of the Brighton Centre or why the Sallis Benney Theatre is so-called, alongside first person memories of venues from those who were there, then you'll be enthralled by the book's fascinating journey through the history and heritage of Brighton & Hove's many theatrical venues.
'The Grand was cheaper and more working class than the Theatre Royal. You could get a seat and entertainment for about a shilling. There were about 300 seats, and there were some real characters playing there, like Max Miller. The most expensive seat was one and six, but up in the gallery used to be nine pence. All the yobs used to go up there because it was so cheap. They used to throw sweet wrappers and everything down on people.' Bill Richards (Local resident)
If you ever wondered what once stood on the site of the Brighton Centre or why the Sallis Benney Theatre is so-called, alongside first person memories of venues from those who were there, then you'll be enthralled by the book's fascinating journey through the history and heritage of Brighton & Hove's many theatrical venues.
'The Grand was cheaper and more working class than the Theatre Royal. You could get a seat and entertainment for about a shilling. There were about 300 seats, and there were some real characters playing there, like Max Miller. The most expensive seat was one and six, but up in the gallery used to be nine pence. All the yobs used to go up there because it was so cheap. They used to throw sweet wrappers and everything down on people.' Bill Richards (Local resident)
Roman activity at the Chichester Festival Theatre site Oaklands Park, Chichester, by Alice Thorne, published 2012 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 150, article, pp.109-122) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 18615] & The Keep [LIB/500368] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:An archaeological excavation within the grounds of the Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Chichester, West Sussex has revealed evidence of predominately late 2nd- to late 3rd-century activity some 300m north of the northern gate of the Roman walled city. Several Roman features, including a late 3rd-century cremation burial, were identified. An earlier excavation in the vicinity of the site located evidence of a possible timber-silled building also of Roman date.
Beyond theatrical marketing: play banns in the records of Kent, Sussex and Lincolnshire, by Matthew Sergi, published 2014 in Medieval English Theatre (vol. 36, article, pp.3-23)
Haworth Tompkins finds a way to extend the listed Chichester Festival Theatre, published 2014 in RIBA Journal (vol. 121, no. 9, article, pp.12-19)
A possible extension of Henslowe's and Alleyn's Sussex Network?, by Paul Quinn, published 2017 in Early theatre (article) View Online
A people's theatre for Brighton ? an interview with Naomi Alexander, by Naomi Alexander and Jenny Hughes, published 2017 in Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance (vol. 22, no. 1, article, pp.172-181)