Info
Teacher is Once Upon Productions' latest original stage musical. Working together with Crescendo Performing Arts we aim to perform Teacher in theatres in May 2021.
Synopsis
Miss Joanna Stiles has been a teacher for 20 years in which time she's been credited with inspiring many of her students to strive for higher achievements in life including one who's gone on to international success. Yet now she's decided to leave the profession for good after a series of setbacks which has consumed her with such anger and disillusionment that she feels she has no choice but to walk away from the job she once loved.
We join her shortly before she walks out of her beloved classroom door one last time.
As the events and emotional tributes on the day unfold she agonises over her decision realising that though she'll leave behind the source of her anger, she'll also be walking away from the source of her joy. But can she possibly live with the both?
Why this story?
Having read many biographies over the years it's so common to find that successful people credit a teacher for being the difference that lead them to success. How that teacher spotted a talent in them, missed by others, and then fuelled them with self belief. In short, the teacher changed their life. Chances are that that teacher had a similar effect on many of their other students too.
When near to finishing the writing of this musical I happened to listen to desert island discs, Ian Wright as the guest and it was a wonderful affirmation of the importance of this concept on hearing that a teacher had had such a positive impact on Ian's life that he now talks about it which such high and positive emotion.
While the students of inspirational teachers may go on to become hugely successful, perhaps, wealthy and/or famous, the teacher usually remains an unsung hero. They really do the most important job in the world often without really knowing the full impact they've had on the future of their students. And yet their work is frequently a thankless task of over observation, blame and paperwork, especially in this age of league tables.
I dedicate 'Teacher the musical' to those special teachers, many of them mavericks, who driven by the passion to make a difference in the life of others go above and beyond the job description for no financial gain and who have had a massive positive impact on so many lives yet rarely get the acknowledgement they deserve.
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