Educating Rita
by Willy Russell
Rita is a feisty, brash, straight-talking hairdresser who is determined to change her life by getting a University education. Her tutor is Frank, a failed poet and disillusioned professor – a self-described “appalling teacher of appalling students.” Their relationship as teacher and student explores poetry and the classic texts of English literature through their vastly different life experiences – giving each of them an education of a lifetime in the process.
Educating Rita is a heartwarming comedy about the transformative power of knowledge, learning, and having a choice – the perfect show for those who want to know “everything.”
“I love how this play asks us to examine why we value certain types of knowledge over others. Frank and Rita come from completely different lives – different education, different social lives, different economic classes – and yet they are able to see a sort of beauty in each other’s life, that is hard to find in their own. This is a charming and funny play about poetry, literature, the pursuit of knowledge, and what can happen if you lose yourself along the way.”
– Heather Cant, Artistic Director
Featuring: Elizabeth Whitbread, Sean Hoy
Creative Team:
Pamela Haig Bartley – Director
Jawon Kang – Set Designer
Beverley Kobelsky – Costume Designer
Luke von Eschen – Lighting Designer
Grahame Kent – Sound Designer
Jalisa Gonie – Stage Manager
Bengee Smith – Apprentice Stage Manager
Alison Deon – Dialect Coach
