A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE
The History Boys
Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 1w, 11m
"Madly enjoyable!" - The New York Times
"Nothing could diminish the incendiary achievement of this subtle, deep-wrought and immensely funny play about the value and meaning of education...In short, a superb, life-enhancing play." - The Guardian
"Nothing could diminish the incendiary achievement of this subtle, deep-wrought and immensely funny play about the value and meaning of education...In short, a superb, life-enhancing play." - The Guardian
Image: 2006 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)
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Cast Size
1w, 11m -
Duration
More than 120 minutes (2 hours) -
Target Audience
Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
- Winner! 2005 Olivier Award for Best New Play
Winner! 2006 Tony® Award for Best Play
Details
Summary
An unruly bunch of bright, funny sixth-form (senior) boys in a British boarding school are, as such boys will be, in pursuit of sex, sport, and a place at a good university - generally in that order. In all their efforts, they are helped and hindered, enlightened and bemused, by a maverick English teacher who seeks to broaden their horizons in sometimes undefined ways, and by a young history teacher who questions the methods, as well as the aim, of their schooling. In The History Boys, Alan Bennett raises - with gentle wit and pitch-perfect command of character - not only universal questions about the nature of history and how it is taught but also questions about the purpose of education today. Following a sold out run in London, The History Boys premiered on Broadway in April 2006 taking the Tony Award as Best Play of the Season.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
- Time Period Contemporary
- Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
- Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- Mild Adult Themes
Media
"Nothing could diminish the incendiary achievement of this subtle, deep-wrought and immensely funny play about the value and meaning of education ... In short, a superb, life-enhancing play." - The Guardian
"Brilliantly funny...The History Boys is moving, disquieting: one follows it with a heart brimful ... [Bennett's] finest work in decades." - Financial Times
Photos
Image: 2006 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
Performance rights for this show are currently heavily restricted in the UK and Ireland. Please submit a licence request to determine availability
Authors
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett was born in Leeds in 1934. After studying at Oxford University he collaborated as a writer and performer with Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Peter Cook in Beyond the Fringe in 1960 at the Edinburgh Festival. He then turned to writing full time and produced h ...