Principal Principle by Joe Zarrow

Armed only with her dreams of making the world a better place and six weeks of training, Kay Josephs quits her corporate job to teach English in an urban high school. She wakes up to harsh realities: the copy machine is broken, the system is broken, and the spirits of her fellow teachers are broken. Or are they? A dark comedy of academic intrigue.

"One of the best new plays of the year......
Armed only with her dreams of making the world a better place and six weeks of training, Kay Josephs quits her corporate job to teach English in an urban high school. She wakes up to harsh realities: the copy machine is broken, the system is broken, and the spirits of her fellow teachers are broken. Or are they? A dark comedy of academic intrigue.

"One of the best new plays of the year...There are very few excellent plays about public education. This is one." - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

"★★★★ This clear-eyed glimpse into the teachers' lounge makes hearty laughs part of an all too relevant lesson plan." - Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago

"Former public school teacher Joe Zarrow achieves something remarkable...an entertaining play about education that re-creates all the quirks and craziness of modern education without lapsing into either cynical hopelessness or Hollywood-style superteacher fantasies. His dialogue feels authentic, and his characters are flawed but likable human beings, not mouthpieces for this or that ideology." - Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader

"Engaging, intelligent, and important. Highly recommended." - Peter Thomas Ricci, Chicago Theater Review
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Principal Principle

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear:
    29 Jul. 2021
    “ How do you cope when you see the seemingly broken spirits of those who want to change the world? Can you make the world a better place when the system is broken? Insightful and well done. ”
  • Jerry Polner:
    2 Dec. 2020
    “ Principal Principle beautifully dramatizes the tedium, the teacher burn-out, and the high-stakes testing built into our city high schools. Every inch is funny, truthful, and heartbreaking. A great read! ”
  • Steven Strafford:
    3 Aug. 2020
    “ To keep things so funny and on-point, it's to be admired. Loved this play!! ”
View all 6 recommendations

Character Information

  • Kay Josephs
    26-32,
    White
    ,
    Female
    First-year English teacher. Looks harmless.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Shelley Woods
    Early 30s,
    African American
    ,
    Female
    Seven-year veteran English teacher. Acerbic, flirty, slightly manic. A fighter.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Ola Lawrence
    35-45,
    African American
    ,
    Female Identifying or Non-Binary
    Head of the English department. Nervous, diplomatic. A peacemaker.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Denise Corey
    55-65,
    White
    ,
    Female
    33-year veteran English teacher. Proudly crusty. Close to retiring but energetic in her way.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Ms Banerjee
    35-50,
    South- or East-Asian-American
    ,
    Female
    The principal. Driven. Businesslike. No-nonsense. Note: this role could also be played by an actor of East-Asian descent, changing her last name from BANERJEE to WEI. The principal stands a bit outside the black-white racial dichotomy woven through much of the rest of the play.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Mirror Stage
    ,
    2015
  • Reading
    ,
    Theatre Seven of Chicago
    ,
    2012
  • Reading
    ,
    Acadiana Repertory Theatre
    ,
    2012
  • Workshop
    ,
    Brown/Trinity Summer Playwrights Rep
    ,
    2012

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Next Act Milwaukee
    ,
    2021
  • University
    ,
    Fontbonne University Theatre (St Louis, MO)
    ,
    2018
  • High School
    ,
    Cedar Hill High School - Cedar Hill, TX
    ,
    2018
  • University
    ,
    Wesleyan College (Macon, GA)
    ,
    2017
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Dolphin Theatre (Auckland, NZ)
    ,
    2016
  • Professional
    ,
    Stage Left Theatre and Theatre Seven of Chicago
    ,
    2014

Awards

Nominated for Best New Work
,
Joseph Jefferson Awards
,
2015