Theatre Royal Bath is to present the 20th-anniversary production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys with a tour to follow.
Alan Bennett’s acclaimed play The History Boys is returning with a 20th-anniversary production opening at Theatre Royal Bath with performances from Thursday 22 – Saturday 31 August 2024 prior to a national tour.
A-Level results day. Cutler’s Grammar School. 1980s Sheffield.
Eight unruly teenagers burst into adulthood with the best grades their school has ever seen, but their sights are set on something higher: to study at the most famous academic institutions in the world – Oxford and Cambridge. But their teachers can’t agree how best to tutor them. There’s Hector, the maverick English teacher who believes in culture for its own sake; Irwin – the shrewd supply teacher full of soundbites; Felix – the headmaster obsessed with league tables and Mrs Lintott – the History teacher who thinks her colleagues are all fools.
Alan Bennett says of this upcoming production: ‘How very pleased I am that The History Boys are still here twenty years on finding a new audience. “Pass it on” is Hector’s message – I hope the playgoers feel the same!’
The History Boys is the winner of over 30 major international awards. The original production at the National Theatre which opened in 2004 before international tour and film adaptation, starred the late Richard Griffiths and launched the careers of James Corden, Dominic Cooper, Russell Tovey, and Jamie Parker among others.
Alan Bennett has been a household name in British theatre for more than fifty years. His numerous plays include Habeas Corpus, Single Spies, The Madness of George III, Talking Heads and The Lady in the Van.
Casting, further creative team, and tour venues for this 20th anniversary production are still to be announced.
This revival of The History Boys directed by Seán Linnen (Quiz, Chichester Festival Theatre, Queers, Old Vic), and designed by Grace Smart (The Winter’s Tale, The Globe, Top Girls, Liverpool Everyman).
