Teechers by John Godber

Introduction to John Godber

John was born the son of a miner in Upton, West Yorkshire. He trained as a teacher of

drama at Bretton Hall College. Whilst he was Head of Drama at Minsthorpe High School, the school he attended as a student, he won every major award at the National Student Drama Festival between 1981 and 1983. He has recently completed a new play for David Pugh Ltd and is working with DLT productions on a new BBC comedy series.

John’s plays are performed across the world. He has the distinction of being one of the most performed writers in the English language. He has won numerous awards for his plays, including a Laurence Olivier Award and seven Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.

His plays include: Bouncers, Up ‘n’ Under, April in Paris, Teechers, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Cramp, Happy Jack, September in the Rain, Salt of the Earth, Passion Killers, Happy Families, Up ‘n’ Under ll, Gym and Tonic, Dracula, Lucky Sods, Hooray for Hollywood, Weekend Breaks, It Started With a Kiss, Unleashed, Thick As a Brick, Big Trouble in the Little Bedroom, Seasons in the Sun, On a Night Like This, Our House, Departures, Men of the World, Reunion, Screaming Blue Murder, Black Ties and Tales, Perfect Pitch, Going Dutch, Christmas Crackers and Crown Prince.

Within his extensive career in writing and directing in TV and film, John also devised the BBC2 series Chalkface, and his screenplay My Kingdom for a Horse, starring Sean Bean, was nominated for an Alternative BAFTA Award.

John’s first feature film, Up ‘n’ Under, was released in January 1998. In 2005, he co-wrote Odd Squad for BBC2 with his wife, Jane, which was shot in Hull using local actors. Odd Squad won two British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards in the Schools Drama category and in the BAFTA Original Writer section.

John was Artistic Director of Hull Truck for 26 years, taking it from bankruptcy in 1984 to its new home in a £15 million theatre in 2010.  Click here for information on John Godber's current theatre company.

• What do the titles of John Godber’s plays tell you about his interests as a writer?
• Why are John Godber’s plays so popular?

Synopsis

Teechers is a play within a play. Three year 11 students put on a performance for their teachers. School leavers, Salty, Hobby and Gail Saunders perform an account of their time in school (given the name ‘Whitewall’ for their performance).

They are particularly inspired by their time with Mr Nixon, the new drama teacher who ignites their imaginations and passion for creating through his belief that all children should be treated equally.

At the end of the play Mr Nixon leaves Whitewall High School to teach at St George’s, another school with a much better reputation.

Click Here for information on Godber's style of writing or being 'Godberesque'

Click Here for the links between Godber and Brecht.

Click Here for more about the Educational Context

Watch the professional trailers above made by Hull Truck Theatre Co and Blackeyed Theatre co, then skim through the production below and watch a few scenes including your own.
Click Here for questions about the production values.