John Godber’s renowned side-splitting comedy Teechers heads to the New Vic from Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 February 2026.
Originally written in 1987 and now revamped for a post-Covid world, Teechers holds as much relevance today as the day it was written. Full of Godber’s notorious wit and razor-sharp social observations, Teechers places the education system under the microscope to expose the pressures of adolescence against the backdrop of a struggling institution.
Telling the story of B-Tech drama students Salty, Gail and Hobby, three students full of teenage swagger who perform a hilarious, fast-moving and hard-hitting account of life at their school Whitewall Academy as part of their final year exam, this play-within-a-play navigates the personalities of students, teachers and support staff in a depiction of a system struggling to meet ever-changing demands.
Bringing this satirical comedy to life, the cast of Teechers includes Jo Patmore (Ladies Day, Ladies Down Under, New Vic; As You Like It, Northern Broadsides and New Vic) as Gail, Levi Payne (Black Tie Ball, New Vic; Teechers Leavers ’22, John Godber Company, Hull Truck Theatre) as Salty and Sophie Suddaby (Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright, UK Tour; Do I Love You?, John Godber Company) as Hobby.
Writer and director John Godber said: “It’s always wonderful to play the New Vic Theatre, but I’m particularly excited to bring this re-pumped and updated version of Teechers. Unchanged for thirty odd years, now I have tried to take into account the constant flux in our state education system, with the arts marginalised and diluted. There are glimmers of hope for the arts but we will have to wait and see, in the meantime drama teachers may still be playing uphill and against the wind… but still they survive!!”
Teechers runs at the New Vic from Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 February 2026. For more information visit newvictheatre.org.uk.