Star Inn, Guildford – until 29 September
Reviewed by Antonia Hebbert
4****
Sit down! I said SIT DOWN. And stop talking, you lot at the back. I said STOP – where was I? Oh yes, Teechers, a play by John Godber that takes you straight back to the classroom. It’s the end of the school year at Whitewall comp, and three school-leavers, Gail, Hobby and Salty, are putting on a play as a tribute to their inspirational drama teacher. Rapid rewind to the start of the year, and we see new drama teacher Mr Nixon arrive, full of good intentions. Lauren James Ray, Sam Stay and Elle Banstead-Salim play the three main characters and everybody else, switching with incredible speed and ease between staffroom and classroom roles as they romp through a year of events in a local comprehensive.
The play’s writer John Godber was a drama teacher, and the characters are cringe-makingly convincing. The feeble teacher, the scaring teacher, the grumpy caretaker and the staffroom squabbles – they’re all mercilessly portrayed here. Pupils for whom school feels irrelevant and teachers are just background noise – they’re here too. Scenes rattle by at high speed (sometimes a touch too fast) with snatches of music and some nifty choreography. It’s sharp and funny, but makes a serious point about poorly resourced schools letting down teenagers and teachers alike. The set is suitably spare – just a blackboard, a couple of chairs and a box of tissues turns out to be all you need to re-create a rundown comprehensive.
One oddity is that the play was written in 1984, long before mobile phones and social media came into teenagers’ lives. That apart, it still feels raw and relevant – definitely required viewing for all new teachers, especially in the genial setting of the Star Inn. Harry Blumenau directs the production for the Guildford Fringe Theatre Company.