“ I was thoroughly engrossed in this intricately written piece! I loved how not only was the scenario itself was rich enough fodder for a compelling story, but Hoke also pushes the audience to constantly question and reframe how they'd feel about the situation given a rotating smorgasbord of gendered interactions. I also appreciated how the dialogue's flexibility and gender neutrality was so nuanced. The code-switching individual actors would have the opportunity to do while relating to various scene-partner-permutations would be a delightful challenge and also an excellent opportunity for bold conversation starting about gender, power, relationships, and propriety. ”

“ I keep trying to organize my feelings about TEACH and I love that I can't. It's poignant and tender...and creepy and awkward. Hoke brings us into each character's mind and spinning moral compass without losing a narrative beat. This is a play of layers and ripples—an untangling of threads that tangle themselves again behind your back. Everyone is culpable AND innocent. We, the audience, may think we see the clear ethical line that the teachers and students alike cross, but Hoke writes each character with such honest compassion that we can also understand how they succumb to temptation. ”

“ An uncovering of the past and present that you think is going one direction but then veers to an unforeseen path where we start to question our own biases, our own views on power, on gender, and on love. A unique investigation and exploration on those that teach us in our lives, those that we teach, and the mistakes (sometimes catastrophic, sometime stumbles) that make us all flawed and human. ”

“ As an educator, I appreciated the remarkable tension Donna Hoke builds into each scene of TEACH. There is much to unpack for teachers, administrators, and even guidance counselors here... but particularly for students, and the adults they ultimately become. Hoke’s usage of gender fluidity allows us to see this story from a multifaceted perspective, delineating all the scenarios for power dynamics in cases of teacher misconduct. The effect is eerily powerful, as male and female performers must alternate inhabitation of a teacher and student. Produce this play, and spark an important conversation about sexual harassment and abuse.
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