The History Boys

Written by Alan Bennett.

Directed by Carla Moore.

25 July to 16 August 2014

By arrangement with ORiGiN Theatrical, on behalf of Samuel French, LTD.

Set in an English grammar school in the 1980’s, we meet a bunch of bright, funny senior boys who are pursuing the usual: sex, sport, and a place at a good university. For the old-school humanist and eccentric teacher Hector, literature is a preparation for life and engages students with culture and knowledge for its own sake. He is replaced by the up-and-coming rationalist Irwin who gives way to the results-driven education that we see today and breaks knowledge down into a set of bullet points that may come up on an exam paper. As one of the boys puts it: “Do you want us to be thoughtful or do you want us to be smart?”