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The English Teachers
The English Teachers
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Last Copy!
Author: Edward Napier Publisher: Dramatists Play Service (cover may change) Format: Softcover # of Pages: 69 Pub. Date: 2000 Edition: Acting ISBN-10: 0822217236 ISBN-13: 9780822217237 Cast Size: 5 female, 1 male
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About
the Play:
The English Teachers is a full-length drama by Edward
Napier. Three generations of frustrated women awash in
contradiction live under the same roof a small West Virginia hamlet,
in the pre-feminist 1960. Ruthie is a loud, brash, husband-hungry
good old girl; Victoria has ambitions to be elected to the State
House of Delegates; Polly's ambition is directed toward New York;
and Libby's ambitions concern Bobby, the handsome boarder.
The English Teachers is set in the twin towns of
Ceredo-Kenova, West Virginia in 1960, and tells the story of three
generations of women from a well-known, and for the most part
respectable, family of English teachers. Polly, an eccentric
community theatre celebrity, brings shame to the family after being
fired as a local schoolteacher. Polly's losing her job infuriates her
widowed sister, Vic, also an English teacher, as such a scandal may
undermine her effort to be elected as a Democratic candidate for a
seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates. Vic is also worried
that Polly's outlandish ways are a bad influence on her daughter,
Lib, who is madly in love with the handsome boarder, Bobby, a history
student, and one of Vic's campaign aides. Miss Ruthie, Vic's campaign
manager, encourages Vic to distance herself from Polly and tries to
lure Lib away from Polly's influence by telling Lib she will end up
with an unhappy manless life. Mary, the self-righteous matriarch of
the family, tries her best to keep order and peace in her house. In a
moment of desperation, Polly escapes to New York, and, after her
brief, failed venture there, turns to Bobby for comfort. Ultimately,
Vic wins the election by Miss Ruthie's manipulative shenanigans; Miss
Ruthie marries a doctor; Lib becomes a majorette; and Polly ends up
working as a check-out clerk. The English Teachers celebrates
these women who defy the status quo in pursuit of their dreams, and
explores the compromises each makes in their efforts to realize those
dreams.
The English Teachers premiered in 1999 at the Manhattan
Class Company Theater (MCC) off-Broadway in New York City.
Cast: 5 female, 1 male
What people say:
"Napier's subjects…are
intriguing…Napier…knows how to develop scenes deftly, and he ends
with some poignant points." — New York Newsday
"Trust the audience. Listen to
the silent sound of spectators during one particular scene in Edward
Napier's, The English Teachers…When…a
flamboyant frustrated community theatre actress, and…a not
unintelligent hunky stud stalk each other in words and movements that
barely screen their sexuality, the audience rewards them with a
palpable hush broken only by applause when the scene ends…The
comedy…has strong…characters in search of fulfillment."
— BackStage
"His seriocomic drama is an
eyes wide open tribute to his many school teacher relatives…Napier
knows how to evoke a strong sense of place and provides a number of
poignant scenes…a play which will, like those rare teachers who
occasionally cross our paths, make a lasting impression." —
CurtainUp
About the Playwright:
Edward Napier is an American playwright, screenwriter, and
story editor. He graduated from Columbia University with a
concentration in Literature and Writing. His plays have been seen Off
Broadway at MCC, the WPA, and HB Playwright's Foundation. He has also
written for scripts for episodic television series.
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