WHAT’S the chances? Dawn Sievewright and Frankie McCann grew up within a mile of each other in Bishopbriggs, but didn’t know each other.

Over the years the ladies both attended theatre schools, and attended several courses and auditions at the same time.

But were still not aware of the others’ existence.

Now the pair have discovered their shared memories, thanks to both being cast in a new musical theatre show, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour.

Produced by the National Theatre of Scotland, it’s adapted by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall from Alan Warner’s cult novel.

And it looks to be great fun. Featuring six Catholic schoolgirls from Oban who head off for a day out to a choir competition in Edinburgh, the girls soon reveal the characters beneath the uniforms.

Dawn, 27, and Frankie, 25 are excited to have landed the roles of Fionnula and . . .

But first they explain why there world’s didn’t collide much sooner.

“We lived close to each other but went to rival schools,” says Frankie, smiling.

Dawn rewinds on how her career developed.

“My mum is a Latin dance teacher so I’ve been dancing since I was a three years old,” she says.

“And my dad was a sound engineer with bands.

“I always knew I wanted to perform.”

She adds, grinning; “ I needed people to look at me all the time.”

Dawn went on to study at the Dance School of Scotland in Knightswood and onto drama college in London,where she lived for ten years.

She has since appeared in the touring version of Quadrophenia and Legally Blond in the west end, and she was in the original cast of Glasgow Girls.

Frankie studied at Gamta. But as a young girl she had no plans to enter showbiz.

“I didn’t know I could sing at all when I was young but once on holiday in a hotel in Salou, when I was nine, I sang karaoke, a Whitney song, My Love Is Your Love.

“My parents were completely taken aback and said; ‘Where did that come from?’ and promptly put me into stage school.

“By the age of sixteen I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Frankie has since appeared at the National Theatre in London and in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Both girls, they learned, would audition for shows at the same time, attend workshops for the likes of TV shows such as Britannia High and theatre pieces such as Avenue Q.

“But we never really knew each other,” says Dawn.

“It’s only since working on this show we realised how our paths had crossed.”

The Bishopbriggs ladies are having a great time rehearsing their roles in Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, described as being ‘ A play about singing, sex and sambuca.’

“The schoolgirls are under the charge of Sister Condron, whom we call Sister Condom,” says Dawn.

“She takes us to Edinburgh but we just want to have a really good time.”

Frankie adds, grinning; “The girls hit the bar after the competition and the uniforms come off and the shortest skirts possible, high heels, tiny tops go on. “

The stories of each of the girls is told. Is there a single moral tale?

“Well, the single theme of the play is what it’s like being young, it’s about being alive and living to the max,” says Dawn.

Frankie, whose mum is from Hong Kong, concurs; “These girls are coming to the end of their school lives, and it’s about them being desperate to get on with it.

“The audience gets to learn each of the girls’stories.”

That’s certainly the case. Dawn’s character, for example, has a big question about her sexuality.

“But the underlining theme of the play is the support the girls show for each other,” says Frankie, who plays Kylah.

The girls are all on stage together all the time. It’s symbolic of the relationship, the support system they set up.

And of course the theatre show, which also stars Kirsty Maclaren, Karen Fishwick ADD ADD, tell their story of their day, the events which have happened, through song.

“There are choir songs in their but there’s also the likes of music by ELO such as Mr Blue Sky and Don’t Bring Me Down,” says Dawn.

“But it’s not a juke box show at all,” says Frankie, adding to her theatre pal’s thoughts.

The actresses will be able to call upon their own school experience to bring reality to the roles.

But not too much, given they attended stage schools and weren’t desperate to leave?

“Yes, you can still find things to rebel about,” says Dawn.

Did the actresses in the show bond in the way of the young ladies in the theatre show?

“Yes, we’ve had our nights out,” says Frankie, grinning.

“But you know the great thing about playing schoolgirls? It’s nice to be reminded what it’s like to be a teenager again.”

• Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, Platform, Easterhouse, August 15, the Traverse Theatre Edinburgh, August 18-30, the Tron Theatre Glasgow, September 8-12.