The Queens of Cups draw upon their years teaching in Bad Teacher, a surreal dark comedy about the trials and tribulations a 20-something female teacher faces in the British education system.
This one-woman show, inspired by real life experiences, will confront audiences with eye opening truths about gender politics, mental health, and the outrageous expectations that our current educational system sets for students and teachers alike. Evie, the titular teacher, takes audiences with her as she battles through the school day, culminating in Parents Evening.
This laugh-out-loud script is unabashedly funny, unflinchingly realistic, and unashamedly female.
Press & Reviews
North West End
★★★★★
"Both performance and direction are perfectly executed."
London Pub Theatre
★★★★
"Outrageously laugh out loud"
Theatre Scotland
★★★★★
The show acts as a hilarious reminder that teachers are entirely human, which is an often-forgotten fact by parents, governments, and students themselves.
Lost in Theatreland
★★★★★
“I want her to be my teacher and my best friend.”
The Reviews Hub
★★★★
"The landscape of Bad Teacher is not so much “if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry,” so much as it is “you’re going to cry anyway, so you may as well laugh as much as possible in the meantime.” And with a piece as riotously funny as Queen of Cups’s play, the laughter is guaranteed."
Cast & Creative Team Writer and Performer: ERIN HOLLAND
Erin completed her Playwriting master's at Royal Holloway, University of London, a PGCE in Drama with English at Middlesex University, and a degree in theatre at Brunel University London. She is Head of Drama at a secondary school in London. Her one-woman play, "Bad Teacher" based on her experience teaching at a London secondary school, received 4 and 5-star reviews and an OffFest nomination during a limited run at Camden Fringe 2021 and had a sell-out run at Underbelly for Edinburgh Fringe 2022.
Director: GRACE O'KEEFE
Originally hailing from Baltimore, MD, Grace works in theatre and film production as a director, actor, composer and teacher. She is currently Head of Community and Theatre at Greenlit. Grace completed her second master's degree at Royal Holloway, University of London studying Theatre Directing under Katie Mitchell OBE. Grace additionally holds a MA in English, a BA in English and a BFA in Musical Theatre from Tulane University in New Orleans. She also works with Stage DIrectors UK as a researcher and writer. She has presented at various conferences and festivals, including VAULT Festival, EdFringe, London Short Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, and The Stage's Future of Theatre Conference.