Teechers

It is absolutely fitting that the first production in Brighton and Hove Operatic Society’s newly created Arts Hub and theatre space in the wing of a school should be John Godber’s Teechers: the story of three pupils putting on a play for their drama teacher who is leaving. Not only that, but they have created between them a funny, moving and quirky version of this brilliant play that is next level professional quality.

Teechers is also a very challenging play to perform, as it requires usually three actors to almost turn themselves inside out in terms of acting ability. These three: Paul Fish, Hannah Williams and Grace Riach, meet this challenge head on and achieve magic with aplomb. Between them they create an array of different characters, sometimes each of them play the same character in different situations, from their base line original student persona, as they act out the year that their favourite and most inspiring teacher has been at their school and changed their lives.

This is Whitewall Comprehensive, in a special priority area in the North of England. The students have no aspirations beyond wanting to survive school and just leave, but worse, the teachers have completely given up on them. They may have started out as idealistic as new teacher Mr Nixon, but at the point we see them, they are all trying to leave themselves, doing nothing to teach or inspire the students, just seeing the school as virtually pointless (with the possible exception of Miss Parry who just wants to produce The Mikado). They do little to encourage Mr Nixon and in fact they seem bent on excluding him; no chair in the staff room for any new teachers: the established teachers just close ranks. The big posh school close by is the aim for them, whether like Mr Basford they send their own kids there, or they are desperate to work there. Playing all the characters, we see the hopes, dreams and lives of all the teachers and the students over the year, seeing Mr Nixon ground down and needing to leave for his own mental health if nothing else. But inspiringly, we see the dramatic and positive effect that he has on the students, whose lives are changed from having known him.

This play is crafty in that it looks deceptively simple to put on: three top opening school desks and some chairs on set, with the actors going into the desks for a prop or a simply costume addition. Basford has a Groucho Marx comedy glasses and nose addition so we instantly know it is that character whichever of the three play him; others have milk bottle bottom glasses, a beany hat and so on. The additions are simple and incredibly effective, aided by actors using their bodies differently for each character: we see how Basford stands, see the backwards slouched lean of Oggy, we know the over the glasses look from Miss Parry and the ways she holds her hands clasped together, we see Doug the caretaker in a contained and stiff frame while looking up the skirts of the girls whenever he has the chance. Each of the actors are dressed in a school uniform which has been adapted to their base character style, as every single person did who wore a uniform in school. They look like typical teenage school kids.

Yet we know that when something looks simple and easy it’s because the people involved are both incredibly skilled and talented, and they have worked hard to achieve this quality. This is true ensemble work: they flow seamlessly together, they are drilled and choreographed in certain places and this is really tight. The soundtrack is also super: used as part of the scene or to mark scene changes; all helping to set the play in the correct time period. The different rhythms within the piece are lovely, keeping the audience entertained, even while we laugh at the sometimes hilarious shenanigans we hear the deeper meaning in Godber’s piece: some children are abandoned through circumstance and finance, and this is as true now as it was when this play was originally written in 1984.

The play is also incredibly funny, with physical and situational comedy as well as words, so as well as meaningful, it’s also light. Each of us recognise something in the characters: whether it’s ourselves or remembering students or teachers at school, which forms a lovely connection with the audience. Andy Stoner and the three actors have done an incredible job of putting all this together: superb quality, phenomenal acting, great directing and vision. Congratulations to everyone at BHOS for choosing a super play to launch their new Hub, and for doing it with such style, flair and professionalism. Simply superb.

 

Susanne Crosby

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