Original Play PRESSURE by David Haig Premieres Tonight

June 1944, the eve of the D-Day landings. A weatherman has to make a prediction that could win or lose the Second World War, and change the course of history. Everything is in place for the biggest military invasion ever known in Europe. Only one crucial question remains: will the weather be right on the day? American celebrity weatherman Colonel Krick confidently predicts sunshine, while - with equal conviction - Dr Stagg forecasts a storm. As the world watches and waits, Eisenhower must decide which of these calculations to trust.

Seventy years on, Pressure tells the little-known but true story of Dr James Stagg, a Scottish meteorologist summoned to the Allied Headquarters in Portsmouth to advise General Eisenhower. It will be staged less than 20 miles away at Chichester during the 70th anniversary month of the D-Day landings.

Pressure is a new play by David Haig, who also features in the cast as Dr James Stagg. His plays include My Boy Jack for both stage and film. Recent credits include The Madness of George III (UK tour and West End), Yes, Prime Minister (Chichester and West End) and King Lear (Theatre Royal Bath). Screen credits include The Thick of It and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The cast also includes Malcolm Sinclair, Laura Rogers, Tim Beckmann, Anthony Bowers, Alister Cameron, Gilly Gilchrist, Scott Gilmour, Robert Jack and Michael Mackenzie.

John Dove is Associate Artist at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh where his credits include Of Mice and Men, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons and The Man Who Had All the Luck. Other theatre credits include the award-winning Anne Boleyn (English Touring Theatre). Design is by Colin Richmond whose credits include The Taming of the Shrew, Wendy & Peter Pan and Titus Andronicus (all for the RSC) and Beautiful Thing (West End and tour). Lighting Design is by Tim Mitchell Associate Lighting Designer at Chichester. His Chichester credits include The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (also West End), the Olivier Award­nominated production Kiss Me, Kate (also West End), and the Olivier Award­nominated production of Singin' in the Rain (also West End and UK tour). Sound Design and Music is by Philip Pinsky whose credits include Union, Dark Road and Time and the Conways (all for the Royal Lyceum). Video Design is by Andrzej Goulding whose credits include Union (Royal Lyceum), Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse) and From Morning Till Midnight (National Theatre).

Pressure is sponsored by Pall Corporation and is a co-production with Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, where it runs from 1 - 24 May.

Pressure runs at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester from today, 31 May - 28 June. Evenings 7.45pm (except for the Press Night, Thursday 5 June, 7.00pm), matinees 2.45pm. Tickets: Previews/Press Night: £18, £22. All other performances £24, £33. To book, go to cft.org.uk or contact the Box Office on 01243 781312.

An allocation of tickets for 16 - 25 year olds priced at just £8.50 for all performances of Pressure will be released on Friday 2 May. These may be booked on 01243 781312, online at cft.org.uk/850 or in person.

There will be a talk entitled Pressure: D-Day on Friday 6 June, 6pm, hosted by novelist and broadcaster Kate Mosse, who will be joined by Andrew Charlton-Perez, Associate Professor of Meteorology at Reading University. Tickets are free, booking essential. There will also be the chance to meet some of the Pressure company at a post-show discussion on Thursday 12 June, and David Haig will be in conversation with Kate Mosse for a short post-show interview on Monday 16 June.

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