Chichester students on 9 to 5 tour
Theatre As if going on stage weren’t pressure enough, the University of Chichester’s “triple threat” students are going to be assessed by their tutors as well when they take to the road.
They are touring a new production of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical, kicking off with dates at Bognor’s Alexandra Theatre and concluding at the Theatre Royal Winchester.
But it’s a pressure the students can certainly cope with. It’s all part of preparing them for the big wide world out there. The students are all in their final year on their musical theatre course (the triple threat being acting, dancing and singing), and they are just months away from setting out on their careers for real.
Sophie Spencer, aged 27, who plays Violet, is feeling well prepared.
“The course has been amazing,” says Sophie, originally from Bracknell. “It has been such an incredible experience. It has been tough. We have lots and lots of contact hours, and it is from 8am Monday to Friday, doing all three…. But it has been great. It is as close to a drama school as you can get without having to pay huge amounts of money. I just really loved the atmosphere here and wanted to go here. The facilities are really great. We are based in Bognor Regis. We have got the dance studios and we have got the practice rooms. It is really lovely – and it is by the sea!
“And I think by the end of it I will have gained the ability to go out into the industry as a performer and as a professional. One of the great things here is that they give you so many different tools to success. It is not just about performance. You can take different modules. I did a stage management module. You get great allround knowledge, and all the creatives you work with are just fantastic.”
Sophie came to it all a little later, which has proved to her benefit “I knew a lot more what I wanted. I got offered a place at uni when I was 18, but I didn’t feel that I was quite ready. I did a bit of everything to see what I wanted to do, but I kept coming back to performing. I was lucky with the jobs that I did before coming to Chichester, but it is always good to test yourself to see what you want to do.”
9 to 5 The Musical tells the story of Doralee, Violet and Judy – three workmates pushed to boiling point by their sexist and egotistical boss. Concocting a plan to kidnap and turn the tables on their despicable supervisor, will the girls manage to reform their office – or will events unravel when the CEO pays an unexpected visit? Inspired by the cult film, the new touring production is about teaming up, standing up and taking care of business…
Sophie is playing Violet: “She is a single mum. She is a widow. She is one of the senior supervisors in the office, but she is constantly undermined by her boss who is very sexist. It is late 70s and there is still that discrimination in the workplace. She is a real testament to hard work, but she has had enough. She does rebel… but in the weirdest way!”
The show premieres at The Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis on Friday, March
22. The complete tour is: Friday, March 22nd, 7.30pm Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis; Saturday, March 23, 2.30pm Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis; Saturday, March 23, 7.30pm Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis; Sunday, March 24, 7.30pm Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells; Tuesday, March 26, 7.30pm White Rock Theatre, Hastings; and Sunday, March 31, 7.30pm Theatre Royal Winchester.