Pedagogue

Performing artist Neil Bartlett plays a gay lecturer whose attempt to go back into the closet is betrayed by the contents of his briefcase. In reaction to Section 28, the law that forbids the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools in the U.K., Pedagogue satirizes the upstanding instructor’s dramatic influence on his students. A series of exaggerated testimonials by students parodies hysterical homophobia by proclaiming that Bartlett’s arrival at Newcastle has positively disrupted their steady relationships, lives, and identities of all friends and relatives within a twelve mile radius. Burlesqueing the interview/inquisition process, a roaming camera lustfully reads between the lines of Bartlett’s jeans and black leather jacket.