West Sussex Gazette

A comedy with a nice message

- Phil Hewitt Group arts editor

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.”

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 wellasanya­dditionalp­recautions that become necessary.”

Tickets are available at https://www.ticketsour­ce.co.uk/ good-girl-chichester/good-girl/evboxdx

“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.

“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.”

 ?? ?? Olivia Coppin
Olivia Coppin

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