Back to school for tale of "self-identity and the dunkability of a Bourbon biscuit”

Chichester actress Olivia Coppin returns to her old school to deliver Good Girl, a solo show about “morality, self-identity and the dunkability of a Bourbon biscuit.”
Olivia CoppinOlivia Coppin
Olivia Coppin

With the lifting of lockdown, she can confirm performances at Chichester High School Theatre from December 10-12. Each performance starts at 7.30pm, with an approximate running time of an hour.

Olivia stressed: “The show will adhere to all government guidelines and social-distancing rules as previously planned, as well as any additional precautions that become necessary.”

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Tickets are available at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/good-girl-chichester/good-girl/e-vboxdx“We’re hoping to squeeze some joy back into 2020 with the return of live theatre!” Olivia said.

“It’s based around a young woman who is a personal assistant, and she abides by all the rules. She does everything that she believes makes her a good person until one day she snaps. A fatal accident calls everything into question. She begins to think that there might be a different way of living her life.

“It is very much a comedy, but it has got a nice message. Essentially the crux is that it is worth your time and your energy to be kind to everyone in society.”

Olivia returned to Chichester earlier this year. She studied at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, graduating in 2017. She then did a year at the Royal Central College of Speech and Drama, studying for their acting diploma.

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“And then I did two years trying to pursue acting and writing and trying to get any auditions that came up. It was OK. It was a struggle because it is such a saturated industry, and I didn’t have an agent. Finding auditions was tricky and I did a lot of unpaid plays and short films and bits and bobs and working as a temp receptionist.

“In January this year I decided to come back to Chichester for various reasons. I trained as a yoga teacher so that I could do that on the side while still trying to pursue acting and writing. But it was actually perfect timing. I managed to shack up with my family for the first lockdown which was really, really lovely. We were all very lucky to spend some quality time together. It also gave me time to write and to get the creative juices flowing.

“I wrote this play about a year ago. I started writing in lockdown which gave me a chance to tweak it. I also got some good feedback which was super helpful.

“And one of my best, best friends, Hannah Stride (also ex-Chi High School for Girls) is directing. We have had to do all our rehearsals on Zoom, and it has been working surprisingly well.

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“Hannah is amazing at the way she manages to get her message across. I am very much not a director, but she is and she is great at bringing things out. She finds so much in it that it baffles me every time.

“She finds so many new things. I am just in awe of the way that she manages to pull it out. It helps that we are best friends and that we are so close. She can be completely honest with me.

“We just get on so well. Maybe it wouldn’t work with all best friends, but she can be very honest and direct, but she does it in such a lovely way. Ultimately she is there to make it better.

“I approached her to be part of the project, and I wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t trusted her instincts entirely.”

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