Information about The History Boys

The History Boys
Written by	Alan Bennett
Characters	Hector (Richard Griffiths), Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore), Mrs Lintott (Frances de la Tour)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English

The History Boys is a six-time Tony Award winning play (and later movie) by English playwright Alan Bennett.

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 1980s, the piece follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance examinations under the guidance of two teachers (Irwin and Hector) with contrasting styles.

Irwin teaches the essay style of brisk generalities flavoured with sufficient facts and quotations to engage the examiner's interest and disguise the boys' ignorance in the hope of programming them for success. 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 as it is and believes that such contrived methods are practically indecent.

Themes

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

Indeed the role of Posner with his hopeless attraction to 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.

Cast

• Richard Griffiths (Hector)
• Clive Merrison (Headmaster)
• Stephen Campbell Moore (Irwin)
• Frances de la Tour (Mrs Lintott)
• Samuel Anderson (Crowther)
• Samuel Barnett (Posner)
• Dominic Cooper (Dakin)
• James Corden (Timms)
• Sacha Dhawan (Akthar)
• Andrew Knott (Lockwood)
• Jamie Parker (Scripps)
• Russell Tovey (Rudge)

Productions

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.

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 and Frances de la Tour.

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.

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 will open once again at the Wyndham's Theatre from 20 December 2007 running through 23 April 2008.

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 launches on 6 September 2007 at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, before continuing to Truro, Cheltenham, Bath, Dublin, Blackpool, Leeds, Cambridge, Eastbourne before culminating in Newcastle on 10 November 2007.

Ireland

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

Australia

Following the original Australian production at the Sydney Theatre in Sydney, Australia from March 4 to April 8 2006, a production of the play is currently in season with the Melbourne Theatre Company in Australia.

Israel

The Israeli production, directed by Micha Levinson, premiered on March 2007 at the Beit Lessing Theater in Tel-Aviv.

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.

Tony Award history

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

Nominated

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

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.

References

• Bennett, Alan, The History Boys, London: Gardners Books, 2004 ISBN 0-571-22464-4.

External links

• The National Theatre: The History Boys
• Michael Billington, "The History Boys", The Guardian (London), May 19], 2004. Review of the play]
• The History Boys, a fan site
• The History Boys Discussion Forum
•  United Kingdom
• Alan Bennett and Nicholas Hytner (director of the first production) discuss The History Boys in The Daily Telegraph, 21 June] 2004]
• The History Boys on Broadway: Winner of 6 Tony Awards
• " Info on the current West End production at Theatre.com

•  • [ e] Tony Award for Best Play: Winners (1990–2009)

1990: The Grapes of Wrath 1991: Lost in Yonkers 1992: Dancing at Lughnasa 1993: Angels in America: Millennium Approaches 1994: Angels in America: Perestroika 1995: Love! Valour! Compassion! 1996: Master Class 1997: The Last Night of Ballyhoo 1998: 'Art' 1999: Side Man 2000: Copenhagen 2001: Proof 2002: The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia? 2003: Take Me Out 2004: I Am My Own Wife 2005: Doubt 2006: The History Boys 2007: The Coast of Utopia