An adaptation of Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus was one of the choices for Keith Michell's first season as Artistic Director in 1974. Oedipus unknowingly fulfilled a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, bringing disaster to his city and family. The production matched all the gore and emotion of the Greek tragedy with a contemporary soundtrack from chart-topping electronica band Tangerine Dream (below) - a mash up that surprised many!

Despite poor ticket sales, on account of its heavy themes, the play is remembered positively by audience members including Kate Mosse who described it as "an extraordinary piece of theatre, an evening where something changed in my understanding of the possibilities of the stage" (Chichester Festival Theatre at Fifty). A statue of Oedipus by Trude Bunzl (above) stands on the terrace outside the Minerva Brasserie, donated to the Theatre in 1984 by the sister and brother-in-law of the artist.

Cast list for Oedipus Tyrannus 1974

Individual production programmes were not introduced consistently until 1995. The cast list spells the title of the play incorrectly as 'Oidipus' not 'Oedipus'.