Pipeline Theatre – Runt

Welcome to ‘Runt’, a story of classroom chaos, thwarted friendship, unlikely solace, unwanted puppies, loss, courage, and the supernatural.

Set in Cornwall (the ‘real’ Cornwall that is, as opposed to the tourist destination), Megan Jessop is newly arrived from upcountry to teach Geography at (the fictitious) ‘Penkernow Academy’. There she encounters Holly, a lonely product of impoverished rural isolation, Chloe, increasingly corrupted by her smartphone, and Steph, tasked with mentoring Megan, not least through the safeguarding labyrinth: the latest protocols that dictate that there can be no physical contact between a teacher and a pupil, ever. Not a fist-bump, not a high-five, not a hug for someone sad or grieving. Nor any sharing whatsoever of a teacher’s personal life.

But Holly sees Miss Jessop as an ally, a loner like herself. And as much as Megan tries to shake Holly off, she keeps coming back. And the more she does, the more Megan’s new job swiftly becomes a complex battleground where her own humanity is at stake. And where everyone is at risk of losing.

More timely than ever, Pipeline Theatre is going back to school, and asking: why are our children so low on our list of priorities? Schools: now places where you can find a post-pandemic mental health crisis; smart-phone addiction; crumbling concrete; neuro-diversity on an unprecedented scale; poverty; a recruitment crisis caused by burn-out churn; an uninspiring exam-driven curriculum; safeguarding that has tipped into the inhuman.

And at the same time: humour, bravery, doggedness, fresh thinking, on-the-fly problem solving, support, kindness, even love. But once those children are on site, what do the rest of us really know? And, parents and teachers aside, which of us really cares?

More than just a play, ‘Runt’ is a call-to-arms, and a love-letter to teachers everywhere.