Eastbourne homecoming in epic anti-war musical Oh What a Lovely War

From producers Blackeyed Theatre the revival marks the 60th anniversary of Joan Littlewood’s classic, a cornerstone of modern musical theatre and one of the greatest stage satires. And significantly for Chioma, it brings her back to the town where she grew up and where her family still lives.

“I was born in Eastbourne and I competed locally in music and arts festivals for quite a few years. I was doing drama at school but I was also very academic. I did everything. I was also very sporty. But drama was something that I always wanted to do and especially music. As I said, growing up I did a lot of competitions. I was learning the piano from the age of three. Apparently my parents bought me a toy keyboard that was actually a keyboard and I would play every day to the point where mum said that we needed to get me some lessons. My mum hid the keyboard from me just to see if I would miss it and I did and so I got the lessons! I wanted to be a film and TV composer from the age of seven so that career journey was quite clear to me. It was just about cultivating the skills that I needed until I could get to the point where I could actually do something about it. I have a degree. I went to Rose Bruford and did the actor-musicianship course. I could never say whether I wanted to do music or acting and I just couldn't make the decision but when I found out that they did the course, I didn't have to pick and I still haven't had to make that decision!

“I graduated in 2019 just before the pandemic hit. That summer I was contracted to do a job at the Watermill theatre as an actor musician and that was great. I was able to do that in conjunction with graduating and I also did panto but then everything was brought to a standstill with the pandemic. Before that I had got a really good taste of what I'd been training to do and what I wanted to do and then it was the massive halt and in some ways that was more difficult. Before the pandemic it was already so hard to be able to finish your degree and to get an agent if that was what you wanted and also find an opportunity for the first job which I had done. Then it all stopped and it just felt like theatre was something that was not needed at all. We only needed those people that could actually keep us alive and it was just like ‘Oh my god!’ But I stayed creative and that really helped me and it also helped me put into perspective why it was important for me to continue to want to be in this industry.”

Now comes Oh What A Lovely War, her biggest tour so far: “And the fact that it is in celebration of its 60th anniversary is also really important. It's a great show but it is also so important and so relevant to how we will deal with dire situations. The themes are just so prominent and so relevant still.”