Yael Sirlin, a teacher for 20 years, has penned a new play that she describes as a love letter to her profession.
“Legs Crossed Hands on Your Lap is about a very caring elementary school teacher,” says Sirlin of her show, which opens at the Toronto Fringe Festival on July 3.
William Cordon Taylor directs it and Debra Hale plays Ms. X, the teacher. Actors Stevie Jay and Jamillah Ross join her onstage, portraying a Rolodex of characters including students, parents and other teachers.
It’s all inspired by Sirlin’s experiences in the classroom, and she hopes to transport audience members back to their more formative years. “Your spirit was light and you looked at the world with a sense of wonder,” she says. “And why not have a Jewish teacher lead you through these experiences?”
Sirlin wants to leave audience members smiling, but her play isn’t without intrigue. The school hallways aren’t always as rosy as they appear. “Over the years I was really amazed because it’s supposed to be the noble profession,” she says.
Along with talk of strike action, Sirlin promises storylines that are decidedly more risqué for a play set in primary school. “There will be a sexy scandal, there will be things stolen, there will be some drinking going on, definitely a free pour of vodka or two in front of the pet fish,” she says. The drinking happens after the final bell, Sirlin assures.
It’s not only working with a classroom of exuberant young children that gets stressful. Sirlin also notes how much her students and their parents confide in her. Every year, she has to make at least one call to the Children’s Aid Society.
“There’s no end to what I will do for my students,” she says. And at Fringe, she’ll celebrate them. She strives to infuse the student perspective into the play.
For her, exploring her role as a Jewish teacher was also important. In any given school year, 95 per cent of her students aren’t Jewish, but it’s not uncommon for her to hear them dabbling in Yiddish vernacular with the occasional “oy!” Though, this fascination with her religion isn’t always positive.
“When you’re Jewish, you deal with anti-Semitism,” she says. “I’ve dealt with it as a teacher and as an individual just out there in the world.” That’s why it’s important for her to create strong Jewish characters without relying on stereotypes. “Why can’t we be the lead, be the teacher?” she asks, “especially when we’re inspiring the entire future to go out there and fulfil their potential and feel proud of themselves.”
This isn’t Sirlin’s first time putting Jewish characters on stage. Eight years ago, she debuted Windows, Walls and Doors at Fringe, which followed two married couples, one was Israeli and the other Canadian.
Since she teaches full time for the Toronto District School Board, her new play took six years to write. And like any diligent student, she put it through the Canadian Actors Equity Impact Workshop and worked with a dramaturge before mounting it onstage.
She’s no stranger to the artistic process. Prior to teaching, Sirlin pursued a career as an actor. She trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California and also at the HB studio in New York City. She left that world behind in her late 20s and has no regrets about stepping out of the spotlight to play a decidedly less glamorous part.
“I’d always known I wanted to teach and I love the little guys, I really, really do,” she says. “I’m very humbled by my profession. These students every day awaken my sense of wonder.” And now she wants to teach her audience to feel that way too.
Legs Cross Hands On Your Lap opens July 3 at the Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, 30 Bridgeman Ave. Tickets at fringetoronto.com, 416-966-1062 or at the door.
