Teechers Online: Blackeyed Theatre

The Performance

I am a huge fan of Teechers and have taught it many times over the years. I really enjoyed this performance; the cast worked as a fantastic ensemble and brought Godber's characters to life with skill, enthusiasm and originality. Teechers is as relevant now as it was when Godber wrote it and the modern tweaks to the text, the cultural references in addition to the music choices put this production firmly in the ‘relevant now’ category. This works on two levels: relevant, engaging and entertaining for a modern audience, while still delivering a pertinent message.

There are three actors with a simple set that comprises three tables and three chairs and yet we are transported to Whitewall School and the teachers and students that inhabit it. There is so much to enjoy in this production, Mrs Parry is as hilarious as I have ever seen and a modern take on bouncy Miss Prime stood out. I especially liked Nicole Black's interpretation of Doug the caretaker and Oggy Moxon's speech performed as a rap is brilliant. The addition of choreography to the play is a further element that makes this performance feel contemporary.

As an alternative to going to see a live show this would be a fantastic choice for GCSE or A Level students. Firstly, it's great theatre, but there is so much to talk and write about in this show that I would highly recommend it for teachers of KS4 and KS5.

Resource Pack

The resource pack is aimed at KS3 and 4, although as it states the tasks can be adapted so that as a teacher you can extend it for use with KS5. The pack largely focuses on work for before students watch the show. It contextualises the play, introduces Godber and asks a range of useful questions to get students thinking about the play's themes before they watch the play. It also touches on Brecht and epic theatre which is pertinent for GCSE and A Level. There are not many tasks for after students have seen the play, so more activities here would be a good addition to the pack.

John Godber Interview

The ten-minute Godber interview is, as you would expect, a great resource for students. It gives insight into Godber's journey with Teechers as well as some context from his point of view. It's always extremely useful for students to be able to access the playwright and hear them speak about their work – it also helps that Godber is so engaging.

Q&As

Another part of the online package is the cast Q&A session. Students rarely get access to a cast Q&A and even if there is the option for meeting the cast after a show, the information would not be available in this format. The Q&A session runs at just under an hour and is extremely informative. It covers how the actors created their characters, which is particularly useful as they all multi-role, but the actors also discuss how their characters changed and developed and the struggles they had with creating characters and how they overcame this. It's particularly helpful for students to hear actors verbalise this, as many students will have struggled with creating their characters and often find it hard to express these difficulties.

The actors discuss the importance of building the layers of a character and knowing their story, even if it isn't used on stage. The actors also discuss their rehearsal techniques and how they improvised and devised around the text. Again, students need to be able to write about the rehearsal process and hearing actors discuss this is extremely helpful. The actors move on to contextualise the play in terms of Brecht. This reference to a practitioner is further help to students, as having watched their performance they have seen the techniques in practice, and this would really help students examine their own work in this way.

The website also includes a Q&A and commentary with the director Adrian McDougall, as well as interviews with the lighting and costume designers, choreographer and stage manager. All of the interviews are interesting and very useful for students. Everyone gives information on how they started their career and how their jobs work, which would be a useful insight for any students wishing to pursue the same career. The designers also cover the technical details of their role in the play; this is particularly relevant for design students. The director's interview tackles his choices as well as a range of interesting details, including references to Brecht and Godber's use of theatrical devices.

There is a lot included in access to Blackeyed Theatre's Teechers online. It's fantastic for the performance alone, but the interviews with cast and crew really offer an insight into the mechanics of a whole production onstage and backstage. It's this that students don't often have access to, and certainly not in this depth. The information included will also be relevant to other productions, as it will lead students to thinking in ways they may not have previously. I highly recommend this performance and supporting material.

https://blackeyedtheatre.co.uk/future-shows-2/teechers-online/