A play that salutes teachers

BEFORE Alvin Tan went into theatre full-time, he was a trainee teacher.

The experience gave the founder and artistic director of The Necessary Stage (TNS) the fodder for one of the company's early plays on teachers; it was also the time when Haresh Sharma, TNS's resident playwright, wanted to write a play on the changes happening in the country.

The duo's collaboration resulted in Those Who Can't, Teach. TNS first staged it in 1990; at the 2010 Singapore Arts Festival, the play was restaged to rave reviews.