Alan Bennett’s The History Boys returns to stage

A 20th anniversary staging of the production…

Alan Bennett’s modern classic The History Boys will make a return to the stage in the 20th-anniversary production opening at Theatre Royal Bath with performances from Thursday 22 August – Saturday 31 August before 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.

The History Boys follows this bright bunch of boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a place at university, lifting the lid on staffroom rivalries and the anarchy of adolescence. This timely revival, 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) asks what is the value and purpose of education? And who is it for?

Alan Bennett:

‘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 the 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.

Theatre Royal Bath Productions presents: The History Boys by Alan Bennett

Thursday 22 August – Saturday 31 August, Evenings 7.30pm, Matinees Thursday 29 & Saturday 31 August, 2.30pm

Tickets go on sale to priority bookers from Monday 26 February 2024 theatreroyal.org.uk.