Chalkface: An ode to teachers

Posted on 27 October, 2022

Catherine McClements and Stephanie Somerville didn’t have to look far when researching their roles as teachers in the new comedy Chalkface, coming to Canberra Theatre Centre.

In fact, given both actress’ parents are former teachers themselves, they were able to draw inspiration close to home.

“My mum was a teacher and then principal, and retired a year ago,” says Stephanie.

“When I got the part I took her out to dinner and bombarded her with a million questions, and I actually see a lot of her in my character. Many of the people involved in this play have parents who are also teachers which is just wild!”

Described as a mashup of The Office and Teachers, the black comedy from Angela Betzien premieres at the Canberra Theatre Centre on Wednesday 9 November. It centres on two primary school teachers who don’t see eye to eye: Anna, played by Stephanie, and Pat, played by Catherine (who has previously starred in iconic Australian television shows such as Water Rats and Wentworth.)

Pat has been teaching for over 30 years and isn’t afraid to voice her opinions: all kids are terrors, the school’s a zoo and her colleagues are nitwits. Enter bright-eyed Anna, fresh out of university and idealistic, determined to change the world one gold star at a time.

Eventually the two need to put their differences aside to stand up for what’s right, even if it means throwing out the rule book altogether.

Stephanie says it was easy to identify with her character, who has “a lot of admiration” for a stalwart teacher like Pat.

“Playing that aspect of being enamoured isn’t difficult as I definitely feel that way about Catherine,” she says.

“But unlike Pat, Catherine is a very kind and warm person who is very generous. A lot of the play relies on the chemistry and banter between the two of them, and luckily it was easy to get that chemistry.”

Catherine describes the show as a “love letter to teaching,” and says while there have already been many teachers in the audience, the themes can resonate with anyone.

“It’s about anyone who has got to a certain age in their profession who looks back and thinks ‘what was it all for, was it worth it and how do I maintain hope,’” she says.

“Sometimes you lose your way among the disappointments, but it’s about that question: how do we maintain hope?”

Catherine says the play also reflects on the pressures on the education sector, which were highlighted during the pandemic.

“It’s sweet when you go in and out of the classroom, but there’s some real pressures on our education system and the play talks about this,” she says.

“It’s an ode to these teachers who care and who face those pressures. Because they do have a great impact on children’s lives.”

Stephanie agrees: “I feel like this play is giving the teachers in the audience a release, a way to laugh again,” she says.

“There was so much pressure on the schools and administrative teams throughout the pandemic. This is definitely a black comedy, it sings the truth.

“There are some farcical elements, but the wonderful thing about comedy is the immediate feedback you get from the audience. With a comedy like this you know within the first 60 seconds the vibe of the audience that night, what people are connecting to. This play is a way of thanking teachers for everything they do.”

Photography: Prudence Upton