Featuring a cast of over 20 actors, the new production will be co-directed by Chichester’s new artistic director Jonathan Church and Philip Franks.

As with the original 1980 Royal Shakespeare Company production, directed by Trevor Nunn, the literary classic will be staged in two parts, running at Chichester’s Festival Theatre June 24–Sept. 2.

The RSC version had a total running time of nine-and-a-half hours and featured Roger Rees in the title role, David Threlfall as Smike and Ben Kingsley (now Sir Ben) as the villainous Squeers.

Edgar’s work includes Albert Speer and Playing With Fire, both for the National. In 2004 another two-part project by the author, Continental Divide, an examination of modern American politics, was first staged in the USA at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival before traveling to London.

The Festival Theatre’s season also includes Entertaining Angels, a new comedy by Richard Everett starring Penelope Keith, and a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. There will also be a new production of David Hare and Howard Brenton’s Pravda, the play’s first major British revival in 20 years. Chichester’s smaller Minerva Theatre sees a productions of Rattigan’s In Praise of Love, Noel Coward’s Tonight at 8.30 and Strindberg’s The Father.