Written and performed by Erin Holland and directed by Grace O'Keefe, The Queens of Cups draw upon their years as teachers in Bad Teacher, a surreal dark comedy about the trials and tribulations a 20-something female teacher faces in the British education system. 

This one-woman show, inspired by real life experiences, will confront audiences with eye opening truths about gender politics, mental health, and the outrageous expectations that our current educational system sets for students and teachers alike. Evie, the titular teacher, takes audiences with her as she battles through the school day, culminating in Parents Evening. 

The show incorporates satire, poetry, and the thumping beats of “hardcore drum and bass”. This groundbreaking script is unabashedly funny, unflinchingly realistic, and unashamedly female.

Grace O'Keefe and Erin Holland met at Royal Holloway while Grace was completing her MA in Directing and Erin was completing her MA in Playwriting. They quickly bonded over their shared Irish heritage, their past experiences as teachers, and their passion for women in comedy. The Queens of Cups are committed to elevating new and emerging voices, particularly during this difficult time for the theatre industry. They are establishing a matriarchal theatre practice within their dramaturgy.

Last August, we debuted Bad Teacher at Camden Fringe, with a limited run of four shows at Etcetera. The response was overwhelming! We sold out, received a four-star review from London Pub Theatres, a five-star review from North West End AND were nominated for an OffFest Award. Not bad for a four show run!

But this is only the beginning...

We secured a spot at Underbelly (aka where Fleabag and Six the Musical began their theatrical journeys) for Edinburgh Fringe 2020 way back in the before times. Two years on, we are more excited than ever to finally bring this amazing show to EdFringe.

We are ecstatic to be finally performing at our favourite Fringe Venue in August of 2022, but Edinburgh Fringe is expensive. That's why we need your help!

We're cutting costs as much as we can, but our budget for a full run in Edinburgh will be over £4k minimum! We see a really bright future for Bad Teacher. We think it has the potential to have a life far beyond our EdFringe run as a tour, a West End show or even a television series. Any help you provide now will mean the world to us as the first step in our journey.

Thank you so much for checking out our page!

Grace and Erin

aka The Queens of Cups

xxxxxx