Teechers Leavers 22

John Godber’s “Teechers” back in the 80’s helped breath a whole new theatrical experience across theatre as part of the infamous Hull Truck Theatre Company and its groundbreaking multi-character situations played by a limited number of actors.  In 2023, Godber updated this iconic script to encompass modern issues “such as the pandemic, isolation, safeguarding and digital poverty” and achieves this to great effect.

Charlemont Dramatic Society thoroughly rose and met the challenge of this rapid, quick-fire style of performance head on and produced a thoroughly exhausting and thrilling evening’s entertainment. By nature, Danielle Cook and Richard Mayes stripped back setting of this multi-location play made you concentrate on the quality of the performances, and an appreciative audience were over-loaded with awesome observations and cruelly accurate familiar archetypal school personalities brought to life by three extremely talented performers.

Louis Elsmore playing Salty, Sadie Moon as Gail and Amy Tomlinson as Hobby were a delight to watch, their teamwork, their comedy timing, their pathos and their sheer talent brought the story and the idiosyncrasies of these caricatures to life, often having to return to characters as the story develops and being able to immediately get back into the character, sometimes for only a couple of lines, and then almost as immediately entertain us with a completely new role. They also have the uncanny ability to each play the same character and be able to have a consistent approach to the role making it hard to tell which actor is speaking at the time – a truly enviable quality.

With poignant and political themes sharing the stage with the TikTok generation songs and dances, “Teechers Leavers 22” has that awe-inspiring quality to have you roaring with laughter one minute and an instant change of emphasis immediately makes you guilty for doing so.

This was truly a team effort, which was most evident. From the imagination of the Directors to the performances on stage, to the backstage and technical teams as well as bringing an appreciative and entertained audience on board for a utterly enjoyable theatrical experience.

My thanks to everyone at CADS Theatre Club for their generous and warm welcome topped of with a superb performance enjoyed by all.

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