Christine Horne and Susan Coyne. Photo Credit: John Lauener.
PTA (Parents, Teachers Animus)
by Cassie Muise
“Between the Sheets” is a fast-paced, high-stakes production about a parent-teacher interview gone wrong. When walking into the theatre, we are transported back to school. Indeed, the details of the classroom we see before us – the alphabet in large swooping letters, children’s art on the walls, and a break-down of the day including two “nutrition breaks” – is meticulously crafted and might actually be the set up from my third grade classroom. The specificity of this set helps to draw one in immediately, making the awkward opening music, assumedly designed to create tension, unnecessary. Kelly Wolf’s set with the words “Parent Teacher Interviews” glaring at you on the chalk board set us up just fine.
Jordi Mand has written an interesting, thought-provoking piece. I sincerely hope to see more work from her. As a new writer, her use of language is impressive. Having many family and friends who are teachers, I was impressed with the flow and “teacher jargon” sprinkled throughout the play. Being a teacher is more challenging than ever, and it is difficult to accurately capture their style of communication. Christine Horne gives a beautiful, complex, and natural performance as Teresa, the passionate Grade three teacher.
