The History Boys

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This article is about the play . For the film, see The History Boys (film).
The History Boys
Written by Alan Bennett
Characters Headmaster, Hector, Irwin, Mrs Lintott, Akthar, Crowther, Dakin, Lockwood, Posner, Rudge, Scripps, Timms
Date of premiere 18 May 2004
Original language English
Subject Education, History and Adolescence
Setting Cutlers' Grammar School Sheffield (fictional school), 1980s
Official site
Playbill listing
IBDB profile
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The History Boys is a six-time Tony Award winning play written by English playwright Alan Bennett. It was later adapted as a 2006 film.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

The action of the play takes place in Cutlers' Grammar School, Sheffield, a fictional boys' grammar school in the north of England. Set in the early 1980s, the piece follows a group of History pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance examinations under the guidance of three teachers (Hector, Irwin and Lintott) with contrasting styles.

Irwin teaches the essay style of brisk generalities flavoured with sufficient facts and quotations to engage the examiner's interest. He teaches the boys to find a (sometimes controversial) angle on a point in History and find evidence to support it, enabling the student to prove a less than truthful perspective of History. He believes the truth is irrelevant when it comes to finding a stance that will make his pupils stand out in the examination board. This method was one of 'false pretences', that Bennett felt he had had to teach himself in order to succeed in examinations, one academic pursuit with which he constantly had trouble. Hector, however, wishes to teach knowledge, especially English Literature, for its own intrinsic value, hoping his students will benefit greatly from his influence. He wants the boys to become cultured, rounded human beings and believes that such contrived methods are practically indecent. Exams are the enemy of all that he stands for.

[edit] Themes

The play blends both comedy and tragedy, with multiple layers and themes, including growing up, the wider purpose of education in adult life, teaching methods, homosexuality/pederasty, and the English education system.[citation needed]

Indeed the role of the pupil Posner with his hopeless attraction to classmate Dakin, fondness of Hector's teaching methods and late development into adulthood represents deep autobiographical details of Bennett's life. The play also takes much influence from director Nicholas Hytner's time at Manchester Grammar School and indeed that institution is referenced in the play.

[edit] Characters

(All names in brackets are derived from references in the play, film or film cast interviews)

  • Headmaster (Felix Armstrong) - Headmaster of Cutlers' Grammar School, Sheffield
  • (Douglas) Hector - English/"General Studies" Teacher
  • Irwin - Supply History Teacher
  • Mrs (Dorothy) Lintott - History Teacher
  • (Adil) Akthar - Pupil; Muslim, Asian-ethinic-origin
  • (Christopher) Crowther - Pupil; African-ethinic-origin
  • (Stuart) Dakin - Pupil; Object of Posner's affection
  • (James) Lockwood - Pupil;
  • (David) Posner - Pupil; Gay, Jewish
  • (Peter) Rudge - Pupil;
  • (Donald) Scripps - Pupil; plays piano in original cast, Christian
  • (Anthony) Timms - Pupil;
  • Fiona - Headmaster's Secretary; Dakin's "Western Front"
  • Other non speaking boys (sometimes to play piano)
  • Make-Up Woman, Director - Production Team on Irwin's History Program
  • three or four unidentified MP's - Spoken to by Irwin in opening scene

[edit] National Theatre Casts

[edit] 2004-2005 + 2006 International Tour + Film: Cast A

[edit] 2005-2006 Cast B

[edit] 2006-2007 Cast C

[edit] 2008 Cast D

  • Headmaster : David Mallinson
  • Hector: Desmond Barrit
  • Irwin: Tim Delap
  • Mrs Lintott: Elizabeth Bell
  • Akthar: Alton Letto
  • Crowther: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
  • Dakin: Andrew Hawley
  • Lockwood: Sam Phillips
  • Posner: Daniel Fine
  • Rudge: Ryan Hawley
  • Scripps: Thomas Howes
  • Timms: Danny Kirrane

[edit] Productions

[edit] Royal National Theatre

The play opened at the Lyttelton Theatre (part of the National Theatre) in London on 18 May 2004 where it played to sell-out audiences and its limited run was frequently extended. On 24 November 2005, the same production was revived once again at the Lyttelton Theatre where it played another successful run, the original cast reuniting in the final week in February 2006.

[edit] International Tour

Following closing in London, the National Theatre production toured to Hong Kong in February 2006 and featured in the 2006 New Zealand International Arts Festival held in Wellington (February 2006) before playing at the Sydney Theatre in Sydney, Australia from March 4 to April 8, 2006. At each venue, the play was presented to sell-out audiences with the original London cast, including Richard Griffiths however Frances de la Tour was replaced by Maggie Stead until the Broadway season.

[edit] Broadway

The American premiere of the play took place on April 23, 2006 when the same National production opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. Originally scheduled to run through September 2, 2006, the run was extended through to October 8, 2006 following huge public demand in the aftermath of sweeping the Tony, New York Critics Circle and other American theatrical awards.

[edit] West End

Following its Broadway triumph and second UK tour, the play opened at London's Wyndham's Theatre on 2 January 2007, following previews from 20 December 2006. The production closed on 14 April 2007. A further West End run of the play opened once again at the Wyndham's Theatre on 20 December 2007 running through 26 April 2008.

[edit] UK National Tours

The first UK tour of the production opened in 2005, continuing to play nine regional venues. A second UK tour began on the 31 August 2006 at the Birmingham Rep, touring to eight further venues. The latest (third) UK tour launched on 6 September 2007 at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, before continuing to Truro, Cheltenham, Bath, Dublin, Blackpool, Leeds, Cambridge and Eastbourne before culminating in Newcastle on 10 November 2007.

[edit] Ireland

The Irish premiere of the play took place on Tuesday 9 October 2007 at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, running to Saturday 13 October 2007.

[edit] Australia

Following the original Australian production at the Sydney Theatre in Sydney from March 4 to April 8, 2006, a production of the play ran at the Melbourne Theatre Company from Apr 9 – May 12 2007.

[edit] Israel

The Israeli production, directed by Micha Levinson, premiered in March 2007 at the Beit Lessin Theater in Tel-Aviv, in Hebrew with local actors, starring Oded Kotler and Sandra Sade.

[edit] New Zealand

A production directed by Elric Hooper is scheduled to play at The Court Theatre (NZ) in Christchurch, New Zealand from May - June 2008.

[edit] Awards

The original London production won three 2005 Olivier Awards, for Best New Play, Best Actor (Richard Griffiths), and Best Direction (Nicholas Hytner).

The New York production won five Drama Desk Awards, for Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Richard Griffiths), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Samuel Barnett), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Frances de la Tour) and Outstanding Direction of a Play (Nicholas Hytner). It also won four 2006 Outer Critics Circle Awards, for Outstanding Broadway Play, Outstanding Direction of a Play, and Outstanding Featured Actor and "Featured Actress in a Play" for Griffiths and de la Tour.

The History Boys also was nominated for seven Tony Awards, of which it won a record six: Best Play, Best Director of a Play, Best Featured Actress for de la Tour, Best Actor for Griffiths, Best Set Design of a Play, and Best Lighting Design of a Play [1]. Barnett was nominated for an award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a play.

[edit] Tony Award history

[edit] Awards won

  • Tony Award
    • 2006, Best Play
    • 2006, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Richard Griffiths
    • 2006, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play: Frances de la Tour
    • 2006, Best Direction of a Play: Nicholas Hytner
    • 2006, Best Scenic Design of a Play: Bob Crowley
    • 2006, Best Lighting Design of a Play: Mark Henderson

[edit] Nominated

  • Tony Award
    • 2006, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: Samuel Barnett

[edit] Film version

Main article, The History Boys (film)

A film version of the play was released in October 2006 in the United Kingdom and November 2006 in the USA. It was directed by Hytner and featured the original stage cast.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Tony Award for Best Play

Proof (2001) · The Goat: or, Who Is Sylvia? (2002) · Take Me Out (2003) · I Am My Own Wife (2004) · Doubt: A Parable (2005) · The History Boys (2006) · The Coast of Utopia (2007)