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Teechers

 
Paul T. Davies Review by Paul T. Davies 4 Published: 18 Oct 2025 Mercury Theatre Show Dates: 17 Oct 2025-17 Oct 2025

The more things change, the more they stay the same is a maxim perfectly suited to John Godber’s Teechers. Written in the 1980s, it is now a staple of British theatre, and this Eastern Angles production, with subtle updates, powerfully demonstrates its relevance today.

The pace is excellent, allowing the play to breathe in moments when the poignancy is held

The story follows three pupils at a struggling comprehensive who, with the encouragement of their drama teacher Mr Nixon, stage their own end-of-term play about their life at the school. Although essentially a comedy, the piece is still a powerful examination of the inequalities in the education system, and a huge appreciation and call-out for drama in the school curriculum. A play within a play, it was heart-lifting to hear and see how engaged the large number of school pupils in the audience were.

Three actors play the pupils and all the other people in their school world, and all three demonstrate superb characterisation, physicality and versatility. Isaac Franklin as Salty alternates between the pupil and Mr Nixon extremely well, showing how they are both affected by the challenges of comprehensive school life. Chileya Mwampulo as Gail is outstanding, and Eloise Richardson as Hobby is particularly strong as the headteacher – colours clashing but with a love for drama. What the three do particularly well is show the fear about leaving school as they move from reluctant learners to stars of the drama department. This is a moving cornerstone of the play that isn’t just delivered for knockabout comedy.

The pace is excellent, allowing the play to breathe in moments when the poignancy is held, and delighting with a trip down memory lane. School is still recognisable to all who watch this production, and director and designer Jake Smith creates an environment that draws everyone in from the start.

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The Blurb:

Eastern Angles Theatre Production and New Wolsey Theatre Co-Production

Meet Gail, Hobby and Salty – three Year 11 students about to leave their school days behind them, fighting their anxieties with imagination and theatre. As their final term nears its end, the trio perform a play inspired by the chaotic first days of their idealistic Drama teacher.

With only the props of their classroom to hand and just three actors taking on over 20 different roles, Teechers is a tour-de-force of storytelling and the power of live theatre.

Written by John Godber in the 1980s, Teechers is a fast-paced comedy with a vital message about the entrenched inequalities of the UK’s education system that are still as punchy as ever forty years later.