Room 222

History teacher Pete Dixon is young, black, and involved in the welfare of all students attending this large integrated high school. Humorously casual on the surface, Pete has both strength and intelligence in time of trouble—which, as in most high schools, is almost every day.

The richly textured fabric of this uproariously funny and yet always compassionate picture of a contemporary school is woven of many threads—each containing wonderful roles for your cast. For example, there's an extrovert student who breaks up the other students—also their classes—with his humor. It's only Pete who sees through the frantic pranks to the unhappy boy underneath, miserable because he can't interest a girl. Another thread concerns the attractive young student teacher, Alice, trying to walk the tightrope between too-strict adn too-permissive as she's observed by a formidable supervisor. And there's the rebellious boy wanting to prove his independence through wearing outrageous clothes.

The greatest worry to Pete Dixon, however, concerns a student who has a bad problem at his former school, but in this one he's doing great. Then it's discovered that he's not really in this school district, and must be sent back. Pete pleads with the principal, but the man can't break the rules. "This was part of my Civil Service test," he says. "Can you be a louse? they asked. I checked yes and they made me a principal." But then he does find a way to keep the boy, and Pete tells the principal, "You just flunked the louse test." A wonderful, exciting, funny play.