In the Company of Copperfield

In the Company of Copperfield

“…like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is DAVID COPPERFIELD.”
Charles Dickens

I really love Dickens’ declaration in the preface to the 1867 edition of David Copperfield. When I found out that Theatre Royal Bath’s next big community production would be this story, I was thrilled. Even more so when I discovered it was being devised and directed by Olivier Award-winner Sally Cookson.

No wonder Dickens cherished it above all his other works: it is semi-autobiographical, full of echoes of his own life. And in the pages of the book, in the story of David Copperfield, I see echoes of my life too.

Like David, I lost my father very young. Like David, my mother remarried. It was a marriage that was destined to wound. My stepfather, like David’s, turned out to be violent and cruel. Like David, I was sent to a school where fear stalked the corridors. And like David, I learned early on that survival depends on something deeper: the search for belonging, the search for connection, the discovery of family beyond the home.

That is the beating heart of David Copperfield. 

David gathers people around him who become his lifelines: the Peggottys in their upturned boat on the Yarmouth shore; the incorrigibly hopeful Micawbers; the loyal Tommy Traddles; the eccentric, troubled, and profoundly kind Mr Dick. These aren’t just characters on a page, they also illustrate that love and belonging can be chosen, nurtured, and built.

I see the same truth in my own life. My friendships, the work I’ve devoted myself to, the very way I stand upright have all been shaped by the people I’ve gathered around me - my chosen family, my community. Sometimes we are lucky enough to stumble across belonging by chance. But its deepest roots seem to grow when we endeavour to create it together.

And that is what excites me most about this production.

For three months - May, June, and July - more than a hundred of us came together, not simply to wait for a script, but to build a story. We worked together, we played together, we laughed, we sang, we tested ideas, and we heard each other’s voices. We moved across the rehearsal room floor and found rhythms together. 

We began to stitch ourselves into a company. 

These months weren’t just preparation - they were the heart of our work. We were learning what it means to be a community: how we could see ourselves in the story of David Copperfield, and how his story could reflect our own realities.

That sense of togetherness is at the centre of everything we’re making. David Copperfield isn’t just a novel about one man’s journey; it’s a story about the power of connection. And this isn’t just a play for those of us in the cast and the wider company - it is a play for Bath. It will be staged in the main house of the historic and iconic Theatre Royal, a theatre that has gathered and connected the people of Bath for generations. 

What we create together on stage is also created with those who will fill the seats - an audience who will laugh and breathe and lean in with us. This is how a community play becomes more than a performance: it becomes a shared act of belonging.

Right now, we pause for the summer - while the directing team of Sally, Sophie and Lydia prepare for what lies ahead, and while Mike Akers puts pen to paper to craft a new version of this incredible story – our incredible story. The rest of us wait, holding our anticipation like a breath. 

September will bring us back together. We’ll discover who will play which parts, and how our schedules will shape the coming autumn and winter months, and how our company will take shape. 

Step by step, voice by voice, we will move towards February, when the curtain rises and the city gathers.

When that moment comes, we’ll be offering more than a play. We’ll be offering a community. A story of love, of belonging, and of connection. A reminder that, like David Copperfield, we can all find our way in the world when we find each other.

Through this production I have found those things myself — connection, belonging, an extended community, and a family forged through this creative endeavour. And as we prepare to dive back in, I look forward to building something beautiful and special, creative and connected.

And what a privilege it is to be part of that now.

Pip. x
(Phil Maguire)

Listen to Pip read his writing in the video below!