21:30, Tue 23rd – Sat 27th November 2010 at Corpus Playroom
Michaelmas Week 7

'Children. Teenagers. They're not easy to deal with, you know. They're like old people, but worse. And equally as bloodthirsty.'

Father Andrews, a priest and RE teacher, finds himself under unforeseen pressure when he takes up a new position in a boisterous inner-city school. Though optimistic at the outset, he soon finds himself unable to control his classes and at the mercy of his pupils' unwillingness to learn from him. Despite reassurance from his well-meaning but ineffectual friend Ruth, Father Andrews eventually finds his aversion to harsh discipline backfires on him, compromising both his reputation and his faith. 'Ecclesiastical Perks' is a darkly comic play that deals with the precarious place of religion in a school's curriculum, the damaging effect of a child's word against a teacher's, and the unforgiving nature of the British media.