←Recommendations of TEACH

This is an incredibly compelling, interesting play that asks a lot of questions. Some people look to theater for answers... this play offers few answers but highlights questions about desire and ethics in high school classrooms. It also visits the issue of power structures in the workplace and sexual attraction. After reading it the first time, I was angry at Ken for his manipulation and his abuse of his the power of his office; but after reading it the second time, I began to believe that the characters' shifting gender identities tell another story.

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.

Riveting, disquieting, even dangerous. Hoke has created a timelessly rich conflict about how The battle between head and heart plays out. Watching the tension slowly boil to the surface is truly cathartic, especially when it is written with such genuine authenticity. A clever casting choice allows us to, in a sense, watch a character come of age twice at two different points in her life - A structural choice I have never seen before. I would love to be a fly on the wall when the audience debates at the end of the show.

Symbolism is replete from character assignations, dialogue, setting, staging, and blocking. This is a very musical play with choreographed dancing between characters who switch partners, choreographed like a ballroom dance.

TEACH makes us think about the roles we have as humans, interacting with other humans in some form or fashion, in some degree or the other: good, bad, indifferent, or somewhere in between, and the question is where is the line, and who’s crossing it.

This would be a wonderful challenge for directors and actors, and a voyeuristic engagement from the audience.

Donna Hoke’s “Teach” is a brilliantly stylized play that poses questions about the boundaries between students and teachers. From the outset, the play creates heightened tension about a high school teacher who becomes friendly with a needy student, and then continues to unspool new levels of mystery and inquiry that grip throughout. Audience members are pushed to consider what they would do in similar circumstances – “where is the line?” the play asks again and again. Playing on two tracks simultaneously with interchanging cross gender encounters, Hoke creates a quiet masterpiece in storytelling that theaters will find compelling.

Reading this play is like reading good poetry. It is emotionally complex, intricately beautiful, and incredibly thought-provoking. I found myself so easily and quickly drawn in to the well develop characters and quick, natural dialogue. It is one of the most interesting structures I have seen in a play, striking a perfect balance between the normally dreaded flashback and the intense interrogation by Ken. The use of gender fluidity is interesting and unique. It only ever adds to the story, never subtracts. This play was amazing in my mind's eye, and I'm convinced it would be even better on stage.

This is one of the most intense plays I've read on NPX.
Inventive structure with whiplash-courtroom questioning and fluid pacing kept me invested to the end.
This play asks so many tough questions, among them: when parents are out of the picture, when they don't give a sh*t about their child's academic/emotional/ intellectual growth, how much is too much for a teacher to get involved?
If Hoke's play Elevator Girl made your audience uncomfortable, forcing them to question their biases and perceptions on gender and power, this will do the same.
I would love to see this performed!

A sharp and inventive exploration of gender, power, and perception. The casting convention is particularly well-conceived and proves thought-provoking on multiple levels. Simultaneously timely, nuanced, accessible, and eminently producible. I, too, hope to see a full production of this outstanding play very soon.

I had the pleasure of seeing a workshop of TEACH at the Athena Project’s Play In Progress Series. I was blown away by the innovative use of casting to create a uniquely theatrical play. But the play doesn’t rely on spectacle alone. Donna has managed to create characters that I am genuinely invested in, regardless of their gender. This is a story that demands to be told on stages across the country. I sincerely hope that I get the chance to see a full production of this play soon.

I just got back from an excellent reading of "Teach" a superb drama about how our logic can be easily unbuttoned by passion. We think we're in control; we believe we're doing the right thing, and then suddenly we're in over our heads. "Teach" blurs the lines between man and women, wrong and right, love and ache. This small cast, simple set play with innovative staging needs to be produced, now!