Relevant, humorous lessons
Teechers, based on John Godber’s play, directed by Richard Finn Bats Theatre, Wellington, until May 4 Reviewed by Ewen Coleman
THE New Zealand educational system has come in for a lot of criticism of late. It is not, therefore, inappropriate that a Kiwi adaptation of John Godber’s Teechers is playing at Bats Theatre.
Written in the early 1980s, Teechers made scathing comments about English comprehensive schools and was based very much on the English class system and the education of the underprivileged compared with the privileged.
So although there are many differences between the English and our educational systems, students are nevertheless the same everywhere, especially the attitudes of those in low decile schools. And although giving the play a New Zealand context loses some of the cutting edge of Godber’s original, there is still sufficient to resonate with students, teachers and parents alike.
It is the end of the school year at Whiti High School and three students, Salty (Kade Nightingale), Hobby (Chelina Roberts), and Gail (Trish Cherry), decide to put on a play about their last year at school for their drama teacher, Mr Nixon, the only teacher they have really enjoyed taking lessons from.
So in the hour-long show we are shown a series of incidents that portray not only what does or doesn’t go on in the school, but the range of characters, both students and teachers, that inhabits its precincts.
A play within a play with the actors playing characters who in turn play a multitude of other characters makes great demands on the actors and all three in this production, all students from the Whitireia Performance Centre, bring great commitment and bucketloads of energy to their performances. There is also a genuine sense of believability about the characters, with the actors never turning them into caricatures.
The physicality of their performances are the most striking, with each actor having great dexterity and fluidity to move from scene to scene and character to character.
And although some of the scene changes are a little ragged and the actors don’t always nail the individual characters as securely as they might, there is nevertheless enough in the production to make it very entertaining and often very funny.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness His Own Steam: The Work of Barry Brickell,
Haute Cuisine,
The Company You Keep,
Star Trek Draw, Barry Brickell Draw, Haute Cuisine Draw or Company You Keep Draw, write to Culture, The Dominion Post, PO Box 3741, Wellington, 6140, or email entertain@dompost.co.nz with the name of the draw and the page number in the subject line. Put your name, address and daytime contact number in the email’s body. Entries close at 9am on May 9. Tenacious D winner: Lee Bremner,
FILM FESTIVAL
info: reelbrazil.co.nz. Honeysuckle Rose Jump The fourth Reel Brazil Film Festival is on at Wellington’s Paramount and runs until May 12. The lineup includes romantic comedy In
screening on May 7 and 11, as well as
Star
His Own Steam: A Barry Brickell Survey,