Milwaukee’s Next Act Theater continues its all-virtual season with an excellent examination of public school dysfunction in Principal, Principle. Playwright Joe Zarrow, himself a former educator in Chicago’s public school system, must have been taking good notes while working in the classroom. Some of the experiences he deals with in the play include: the perils of an underfunded school system; the “Who cares?” attitude of students that rarely rise to meet the demands of their curriculum (not to mention students who repeatedly fail to show up at all); and demanding school administrators. And this is all before Covid hit.
This type of environment is certain to take the gumption out of any new recruits. Kay Josephs is a first-year teacher who quits her corporate job to work in an inner-city school. She is bubbly and excited to launch her journey in education. She soon discovers that her teaching concepts may have to be adjusted in a “real world” setting. During the play, she is caught between her conscience and the status quo. By the play’s final moments, her own values have been tested as often as the classroom tests that her students are required to take. She wonders whether she indeed will make it through her first year of teaching.
The other members of the English department remind her that many new teachers don’t last until spring. Even if they do, all it takes is a “click” by the principal (an instant termination via computer) to end their careers at that particular school. There is a general feeling, sometimes verbalized, that teaching jobs are hard to get nowadays. This belief creates its own subtle pressure to conform.
The rest of the school’s English department includes well-known local actor Flora Coker as Denise, a cynical veteran who faces her final year of teaching. There’s also department chair Ola Lawrence (Ericka Wade, another theatre veteran), and Malaina Moore as Shelley Woods, a young teacher who is in her third year of teaching. Woods, who is Black, is particularly incensed at the thought of teaching Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to a class of primarily Black students. She has her own ideas about going around the system’s curriculum to add some works by Black authors. However, that entails fudging some scores on the standardized test, which only covers the prescribed material. The plan seems to be working, until it doesn’t, and it causes a tense flare-up between Woods and go-by-the-book Kay Josephs.
Ola Lawrence tries to keep their department community intact, so it can present a united front in dealing with school principal Ms. Wei (Megan Kim). Wei’s one-dimensional character has a corncob-in-her-butt stiffness, despite Megan Kim’s fine efforts to highlight her character’s humanity.
Wei’s bad-guy status starts with her initial appearance on opening day. During a speech to her staff, she makes it clear that getting good marks on the latest standardized test is a priority. Later, she hints that those who fail to produce these results may not be returning to their post in the following year. Wei occasionally tries to brighten her tone and engage her teachers, but it is a lost cause. They know her too well.
While the play’s early scenes are a jumble of teacher-related jargon (using an alphabet soup of terms for educational theories and tests), the relationships explored more fully in later scenes are more captivating. Each in her own way, the teachers display their sacrifice, resourcefulness and devotion to their careers. Old-timer Denise tries to pass along her years of wisdom to Kay Josephs (April Paul), although many of her “lessons” are thinly veiled jabs at the educational system. Denise looks at her imminent retirement with equal parts glee and sadness.
While the scenes unfold, a school office announcer chirps in repeatedly. Her messages – some humorous – help to distinguish the passing of the school year. Although only a portion of the announcer is seen while she is talking through a microphone, viewing audiences can see subtle shifts in time from the announcer’s earrings and office décor. It is an intriguing invention that adds much to Zarrow’s script.
Marti Gobel’s direction brings these issues vividly to life within the walls of the school’s English department. Next Act has filmed this play with all of the actors appearing on a single set. This adds a dimension of “live” performance to these pre-recorded episodes; a much-welcome boost as theatergoers yearn to return to the Milwaukee-area stages.
