REVIEW: Teechers, The Arc, Trowbridge

REVISITING your schooldays may not be the catalyst for much love and laughter, but the cast of Teechers at The Arc produced just that result from potentially traumatic material.

The play, set in a disadvantaged comprehensive, brought to life the facts, foibles and hidden schoolday memories most of us carry through life.

Written by John Godber, the production provided a piercing insight into life in school as seen by surly teens and disenchanted teachers.

The beauty of the play lies in its simplicity the stark set, the minimal props and the demands of 21 roles carried by a mere three actors.

Certainly, between the three of them, the trio of Daniel Pape, Fiona Wass and Emma Barron had their work cut out. But what a startlingly good job they made of it all.

Assuming the various mantles of a whole cast of wildly different characters in quickfire succession, hopping from sulky teenager to expansive/mousy/bullying teacher with only the aid of a scarf/briefcase/tie, the trio produced a performance that was as sharp as it was funny. The net effect was a production that was more than the sum of its parts.

The audience obviously identified with much they saw before them, with outright laughter greeting many of the throwaway lines.

The basic premise of the piece is that even alienated kids in a huge comp in a 'special priority area' have talents and ideas.

New drama teacher Mr Nixon arrives with the aim of unleashing those talents but it's a rocky ride. Apart from a couple of fumbles with the props it was a faultless performance; energetic, gutsy and tremendous fun.

Joyce Sharland-Brown