Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

There are, understandably, a lot of teachers in the room for Ben Knight’s show about the frustrations of the profession in which he has spent 13 years.

Red tape and the sort of jargon-spouting pen pushers who treat children as statistics and use the words like ‘pedagogy’ instead of the perfectly serviceable ‘teaching’ are what mainly gets his goat. And by the sound of their enthusiastic reception, a lot of the audience identify and agree.

This show is no stand-up rant, however, but a narrative series of sketches drawn from his career, played out using taped voiceovers for other characters including the much-loved headteacher, and her equally-derided deputy. It makes Teacher feel like a radio play, perhaps a little static at times, but it enables Knight to tell a broader story.

He worked on the Gold Coast, and is typically vivid in his description of its bogan-hippie crossover population. But his disadvantaged pupils are always depicted as more than just stereotypes, even if that’s the starting point. It’s clear his growing disillusionment with the job never came from the actual teaching, but all the baggage that came with it. And since it’s his story, who could blame him for playing up the nobility of his work?

The story’s well-rounded and amusingly told, with a smart wit that’s nevertheless not above a dick joke or several – and clearly has an authenticity that resonates with anyone who has first-hand experience of the teaching profession.

• Ben Knight: Teacher is on at the European Beer Cafe at 8.15pm (7.15pm Sundays) until April 24.

Review date: 17 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival