The plays of John Godber are widely known and enjoyed amongst all GCSE and A-Level drama students, and Teechers particularly resonates with younger audiences due to the themes and topics. This is not to say that older audiences cannot also enjoy the teenage antics of the play. In fact, a majority of the audience here had long since left school.
This was my third time viewing this play, the last two times being well over 10 years ago; and this production was just as fun and resonant as the others. This updated version, Teechers Leavers '22, sees three school students; Gail, Salty and Hobby, in their final year at school, putting on a play about their school experience. This play has always been a testament to the three actors involved, as they multi roleplay dozens of characters each, seamlessly switching between them. In this production however, modern references such as Tic Tok and Lockdown had been included to keep the 1980s play relevant.
This touring production from Blackeyed Theatre was engaging, funny and at times sincere. The three actors; Michael Ayiotis, Ciara Morris and Terenia Barlow, all commanded the stage with great ease and worked seamlessly together as an ensemble. You feel like they really have been at school together for years as the chemistry between the three actors was evident. Each of the many characters they played showed great variety, allowing an audience to navigate each character’s story. And this was all done through voice and physicality alone, the only items on stage were three school desks and chairs. Very little was used in the way of props and costume; inviting the audience to use their imaginations.
Directed and produced by Adrian McDougall, Blackeyed Theatre’s artistic director. McDougall is clearly an innovative and competent director, allowing him to get the most out of the actors and their stage. The actors ran around the stage in a spontaneous and reckless manner, showing just how much work the production’s director has put into this show.
The sound and lighting on this production was second to none, with such intricate technological details and so many multimedia elements crammed into the 110 minutes' running time. Getting the sound and lighting wrong can ruin a good theatre show, but getting it spot on can elevate a production in so many ways. And in this case, they definitely got it spot on. Alan Valentine and Al Heslop must be commended here as the lighting designer and sound editor respectively.
As much as I howled with laughter for nearly the entirety of the production; this play has a deeper message. It speaks of the importance of drama in schools and how we shouldn’t quash the imagination of children, but rather encourage it. This production of Teechers Leavers '22 recognises the lack of funding from the government to public schools when it comes to the creative arts; stating that ‘every school should have drama at its heart’. A statement that I and the rest of the audience clearly wholeheartedly agreed upon. This play is not only a staple for teenagers, but also wildly important to many of our adults today. Therefore, this play must be seen wherever possible.
Reviewer - Megan Relph
on - 31.3.23
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