Review: Teechers

Yesterday, I headed back to school for an education like no other — as Rowntree Players produced an outstanding production of John Godber’s Teechers.

This play unearths memories of high school days gone by, as the trio of actors took to the stage to deliver a Grade A lesson in multi-rolling and characterisation.

Teechers is at Joseph Rowntree Theatre from Thursday 16 to Saturday 18 March.

Set within the troubled walls of Whitewall School, East Yorkshire, Teechers is a comedy that centres around three unforgettable characters: Hobby, Salty and Gail — who with the help of their new drama teacher Miss Nixon create their own devised performance, presenting to us a play within a play.

These leading characters may be outspoken and problematic at times but they also have an endearing quality, and as a spectator you can’t help but ultimately root for their success.

The script has been modernised too which includes mentions of Zoom, Covid, Wordle and there’s even the occasional TikTok dance thrown in for good measure; these references landed well within an audience of all ages.

What I felt was especially pertinent, was watching this performance on a day where teachers across the country could be seen striking — and despite Teechers being a comedy play, there is an underlying social commentary that can not go unnoticed.

It was a small cast of just three, and they each had a plethora of uniquely devised roles up their sleeves, differentiating clearly as they portrayed each student and teacher represented throughout the text. Sara Howlett, Sophie Bullivant and Laura Castle have my upmost respect for their continuous energy and superb stage presence as they performed such an extensive amount of text without a single break between them.

Sara Howlett switched perfectly between the intimidating youth Hobby to the newly qualified Miss Nixon; it was impressive to watch the teacher grow in confidence as she found her feet and overcame all obstacles and insults presented to her. Howlett gave great depth to this character, enabling us all to fondly reminisce on teachers that positively impacted our own educational journey, no matter how long ago that may have been.

Sophie Bullivant brought fire to the role of Salty, and despite the name had an air of sweetness to her character as she was the first to warm to Miss Nixon. Sophie’s monologue towards the end of the show was a particularly prominent moment within the performance. As she spilled her truths on the schooling system, she entranced everyone in the audience as she delivered her lines with great power — again I’m sure resonating with many.

YorkMix Radio‘s own Laura Castle played the charismatic Gail, and as with the rest of the cast also plays a multitude of roles — you’d think she’d run out of accents but each time a fresh portrayal was given; a personal favourite being Doug the caretaker who’s interactions with Miss Nixon were hysterical. Castle is a exceptional performer with a extensive skill set, and she is a joy to watch.

Credit must be awarded to the creative team and volunteers at Joseph Rowntree Theatre for their phenomenal technical design and execution, especially their use of lighting, which enabled the piece to flow flawlessly.

The set may at first look simple with the familiar use of chalkboards and desks but these soon became a playground for the actors, with props and accessories planted with precision enabling the text to come to life. Jamie McKeller should be proud of his impeccable direction — in particular his work on the scene changes and use of the set. He has created a strong female-led piece of theatre that brought great depth to John Godber’s work.

If you want to see a powerful trio of female comedy performers command the stage of Joseph Rowntree Theatre, then take yourself back to school this week — you won’t regret it!

Teechers is at Joseph Rowntree Theatre until Saturday 18 March. Tickets are £12 and are available here.