SCHOOL DAYS have always provided a rich material for stand-up comedians, with the joke usually at the expense of the teacher. However John Caplis has turned the tables to give the teacher’s perspective.
The Tipperary comic has turned his decade plus stint as substitute history and CSPE (civic, social, and political education ) teacher into the critically acclaimed stand-up show, 12 Years A Teacher, which he performs at Seven, Bridge Street, on Wednesday February 22 at 8.30pm.
From his first teaching post in Finglas with class 1BJ, or “one bejaysus,” as the staff called them; through stints in Britain where his Irish spin on Cromwellian history caused a stir; to the girl who wrote in an exam that Leonardo Da Vinci’s most famous work was The Da Vinci Code, Caplis's experiences have given him plenty of stories to tell. “A lot of my stories would have been little anecdotes from my day job,” Caplis says.
The show also involves role-play with the audience based on real exercises from some old SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education ) classes. Tickets €10 from www.sevenbridgestreet.ie
